The best home based internet marketing business tools are not love, money, sex, weight loss, health, or making money. It's your e-zine and your website.
Your e-zine, or electronic newsletter, can be a great home based internet marketing business tool. But in order for it to work it has to be something original, and something that has a market. You can take an old theme, especially a theme that has a big following, or about which many have a need, and put a new twist on it. In fact, there are several time worn topics that people never tire of hearing about. If you can come up with some new and different twist on these old tried and true themes your e-zine will drive your Internet marketing.
The topics everyone wants to hear about are love, money, sex, weight loss, health, making money on the Internet, and maintaining their youth. Parenting is another big focus as is retirement. As baby boomers start to turn 60, the number of seniors is going to increase by 15 percent and they’re the most active and well-to-do group of retirees this nation has ever known. Finding a retirement-related niche will offer you a vast audience, and powerful Internet marketing.
Don’t worry about your topic or niche being too specialized. With the Internet and its billions of surfers, no topic is too specialized.
In fact, this is one area in which your home based internet marketing business tool will benefit from it being as targeted as possible. It is going to be a whole lot better for you, and a lot more successful Internet marketing, to have 500 people who hang on your every e-zine word than to have 5000 subscribers that might read it or might not. No matter what the topic, don’t think the Internet is so crammed on the subject or topic that there is no more room for you and your e-zine. That is just not true.
The first thing you want to do, even before you publish the first issue of your ezine is to write several articles on the subject of your expertise, and around which your e-zine is designedFree Web Content, and submit it to several sites. Give the articles away free with the provision that your bio will contain an offer for a free subscription and a link or feedback form to accomplish that. If the site has no such option simply include your email address for readers to let you know they want a subscription. You can also submit articles to other e-zines. -Once you have several subscribers publish your e-zine. Don’t wait too long after your article published and they okayed the subscription. People forget they subscribed and they’ll accuse you of spam. That’s a charge you don’t ever want. It can get you banned and out of business.
The best home based internet marketing business tools are a two pronged Web site and e-zine solicitation and branding. One without the other eliminates a powerful lead generating combination.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leonard Bartholomew, B.S. Computer Science. Leonard invites you to view the best home based internet marketing business opportunity tools of his trade.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Are you thinking of republishing RSS feeds?
There is lively debate about the republishing of RSS feeds on other sites. The argument surrounds the use of RSS feeds from the feed publisher being used in an unfair manner. This includes republishing the entire articles and not displaying sufficient credit to the original source.
Before we go into the details you may want to brush up on your understanding of RSS. This will help you fully appreciate and fully understand the issues involved.
I am glad this conversation is happening now as it needs to be made clear what fair use of RSS feeds actually means. There may be webmasters who are republishing RSS feeds in all innocence at the moment not realising the furore that is going on around them with regards to their republishing activities. I would like to help clear up any misunderstandings that surround RSS republishing.
Being an RSS publisher myself who is considering republishing other authors RSS feeds I would like to make sure I am not treading on any toes. I am basing the following RSS republishing etiquette on the good practice that Rok Hrastnik has enthused.
If you wish to republish an RSS feed then you should first consult the publisher with your intentions. This would be an email to the author stating how you wish to reuse their feed and the page or pages the feed will be republished on and the attributions you will make. You will need to clarify some points. If the authors feed contains ads then will they be republished? Will you be monetizing the authors work by placing ads on your republished page? To avoid conflict these issues need to be sorted out.
The general guidelines Rok Hrastrnik has provided state that the article title must link back to the original article. If the RSS feeds contains a complete article only an excerpt, Rok suggests 100 to 200 words, can be republished. A link should be provided to the article sourceComputer Technology Articles, the website of the original publisher.
Further to this it is suggested that no archives are kept on the republished site and no full articles are used. I would suggest permission is sought from the original author if you wish to keep an archive on your site.
You can follow this discussion further at PR meets the WWW and Micro persuasion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Allan is the webmaster at http://www.newsniche.com an RSS resource for webmasters. Learn how to use RSS to attract and retain visitors to your site.
Before we go into the details you may want to brush up on your understanding of RSS. This will help you fully appreciate and fully understand the issues involved.
I am glad this conversation is happening now as it needs to be made clear what fair use of RSS feeds actually means. There may be webmasters who are republishing RSS feeds in all innocence at the moment not realising the furore that is going on around them with regards to their republishing activities. I would like to help clear up any misunderstandings that surround RSS republishing.
Being an RSS publisher myself who is considering republishing other authors RSS feeds I would like to make sure I am not treading on any toes. I am basing the following RSS republishing etiquette on the good practice that Rok Hrastnik has enthused.
If you wish to republish an RSS feed then you should first consult the publisher with your intentions. This would be an email to the author stating how you wish to reuse their feed and the page or pages the feed will be republished on and the attributions you will make. You will need to clarify some points. If the authors feed contains ads then will they be republished? Will you be monetizing the authors work by placing ads on your republished page? To avoid conflict these issues need to be sorted out.
The general guidelines Rok Hrastrnik has provided state that the article title must link back to the original article. If the RSS feeds contains a complete article only an excerpt, Rok suggests 100 to 200 words, can be republished. A link should be provided to the article sourceComputer Technology Articles, the website of the original publisher.
Further to this it is suggested that no archives are kept on the republished site and no full articles are used. I would suggest permission is sought from the original author if you wish to keep an archive on your site.
You can follow this discussion further at PR meets the WWW and Micro persuasion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Allan is the webmaster at http://www.newsniche.com an RSS resource for webmasters. Learn how to use RSS to attract and retain visitors to your site.
Are you thinking of republishing RSS feeds?
There is lively debate about the republishing of RSS feeds on other sites. The argument surrounds the use of RSS feeds from the feed publisher being used in an unfair manner. This includes republishing the entire articles and not displaying sufficient credit to the original source.
Before we go into the details you may want to brush up on your understanding of RSS. This will help you fully appreciate and fully understand the issues involved.
I am glad this conversation is happening now as it needs to be made clear what fair use of RSS feeds actually means. There may be webmasters who are republishing RSS feeds in all innocence at the moment not realising the furore that is going on around them with regards to their republishing activities. I would like to help clear up any misunderstandings that surround RSS republishing.
Being an RSS publisher myself who is considering republishing other authors RSS feeds I would like to make sure I am not treading on any toes. I am basing the following RSS republishing etiquette on the good practice that Rok Hrastnik has enthused.
If you wish to republish an RSS feed then you should first consult the publisher with your intentions. This would be an email to the author stating how you wish to reuse their feed and the page or pages the feed will be republished on and the attributions you will make. You will need to clarify some points. If the authors feed contains ads then will they be republished? Will you be monetizing the authors work by placing ads on your republished page? To avoid conflict these issues need to be sorted out.
The general guidelines Rok Hrastrnik has provided state that the article title must link back to the original article. If the RSS feeds contains a complete article only an excerpt, Rok suggests 100 to 200 words, can be republished. A link should be provided to the article sourceComputer Technology Articles, the website of the original publisher.
Further to this it is suggested that no archives are kept on the republished site and no full articles are used. I would suggest permission is sought from the original author if you wish to keep an archive on your site.
You can follow this discussion further at PR meets the WWW and Micro persuasion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Allan is the webmaster at http://www.newsniche.com an RSS resource for webmasters. Learn how to use RSS to attract and retain visitors to your site.
Before we go into the details you may want to brush up on your understanding of RSS. This will help you fully appreciate and fully understand the issues involved.
I am glad this conversation is happening now as it needs to be made clear what fair use of RSS feeds actually means. There may be webmasters who are republishing RSS feeds in all innocence at the moment not realising the furore that is going on around them with regards to their republishing activities. I would like to help clear up any misunderstandings that surround RSS republishing.
Being an RSS publisher myself who is considering republishing other authors RSS feeds I would like to make sure I am not treading on any toes. I am basing the following RSS republishing etiquette on the good practice that Rok Hrastnik has enthused.
If you wish to republish an RSS feed then you should first consult the publisher with your intentions. This would be an email to the author stating how you wish to reuse their feed and the page or pages the feed will be republished on and the attributions you will make. You will need to clarify some points. If the authors feed contains ads then will they be republished? Will you be monetizing the authors work by placing ads on your republished page? To avoid conflict these issues need to be sorted out.
The general guidelines Rok Hrastrnik has provided state that the article title must link back to the original article. If the RSS feeds contains a complete article only an excerpt, Rok suggests 100 to 200 words, can be republished. A link should be provided to the article sourceComputer Technology Articles, the website of the original publisher.
Further to this it is suggested that no archives are kept on the republished site and no full articles are used. I would suggest permission is sought from the original author if you wish to keep an archive on your site.
You can follow this discussion further at PR meets the WWW and Micro persuasion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Allan is the webmaster at http://www.newsniche.com an RSS resource for webmasters. Learn how to use RSS to attract and retain visitors to your site.
Basics of Affiliate Marketing
Autoresponders in General
Autoresponders have been around for quite some time. The Internet is overflowing with companies offering them packaged up with various features at various monthly fee levels. As more and more people do business on the Internet, autoresponders will take a special place in the overall marketing plan of any business on the net. They are the number one mechanism that helps businesses stay in close touch with customers or reach potential customers continuously.
Like everything else in this world, autoresponder providers charge fees for the service that they provide. This usually means a monthly fee is required and sometimes the fee can be on the high side. In exchange for this fee, they will host your autoresponder on their servers, which may not necessarily be a good thing. Why” Simply because you are at the mercy of these providers if there server goes down. If that happens, guess what? Your autoresponder messages do not get sent to your customers, which could cause a loss in potential sales. To further compound the problem, if the provider’s server is down often or for long periods of time, it could be catastrophic to your business.
There is an alternative to the above scenario in the form a “free standing” autoresponder package called Autoresponder Plus. Autoresponder Plus does not rely on installation on someone’s server; rather it is installed on your own web site or dedicated server. No third-party intervention is needed at all. As long as you have a reliable hosting service, you can add Autoresponder Plus to your business site and be in total control of customer communications. It’s a fact that if you don’t successfully manage your follow up marketing process effectively, you will lose potential customers.
The power of Autoresponse Plus
Let’s take a look at how powerful Autoresponder Plus is.
* It is an autoresponder and mailing list software for your web site.
* You can send out an unlimited number of follow-up emails and target thousands of prospects.
* You send out follow-up sales campaigns, courses, newsletters, and ezines from an intuitive browser.
* Once it is setup, it runs on autopilot!
* Create unlimited autoresponder accounts with unlimited messages any time.
Why use Autoresponse Plus?
By using Autoresponder Plus as your mechanism to reach thousands of potential customers, you will benefit in many ways. Take for instance the benefits of:
* No more monthly fees for autoresponder services. Pay a “one-time” fee and your own the package!
* No more reliance on the reliability of the servers of other providers.
* The convenience of having the ability to take total control over your email campaigns staying in touch with prospects and customers around the clock.
* The convenience of installing Autoresponder Plus on your very own site.
* The extra flexibility in maintaining Autoresponder Plus and the dramatic cost savings.
* The ease of installation and level of full technical support from ARP3 professionals that includes a fully staffed “help-desk” and tutorials.
* Capturing email addresses of prospects so you can immediately follow-up and turn them into customers.
* Delivering your message, over and over, to your target audience to get a sale.
How is Autoresponse Plus the email marketing solution to increase your sales
Autoresponder Plus acts as your personal marketing spokesperson, only better because it never takes time off! You can dramatically boost your sales through its use by giving you the freedom and flexibility to follow-up with prospects consistently and turn them into paying customers. It is a fact that if you want to turn “window shoppers” into buyers, you need to have constant contact with them. People need to get to know and trust you before they will buy from you. Autoresponder Plus helps you achieve this through its simplicity and convenience.
Autoresponder Plus offers an opt-in email marketing solution and follow-up marketing solution that are the best tools possible for building credibility and trust quickly. You can take charge of your marketing campaign by:
Building an opt-in list of prospects that you can follow-up with and convert into customers.
Using this opt-in list to market to this audience over and over again, after all, by opting-in, they give you permission to do so.
Fully automate your email and follow-up marketing efforts and run effortlessly on autopilot.
Eliminating annoying ads in your email campaigns that are planted there by other autoresponder providers.
Gaining the ability to send unlimited attachments such as .pdf files in your marketing campaigns.
Taking advantage of one of the most “user-friendly” programs on the marketplace.
Having your own autoresponder package installed on your business site not only makes a lot of sense but in such a competitive business climate as the Internet, it is a necessity if a business is going to survive. You are in control of your business; you need to be able to oversee every facet, especially the most important one, marketing. With the advent of such great marketing tools such as Autoresponder Plus, you can literally boost your sales many times over. It’s definitely worth exploring.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours.
Recent Entrepreneur Magazine’s e-Biz radio show host is
turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories.
Discover The Secrets http://promotingtips.com
Autoresponders have been around for quite some time. The Internet is overflowing with companies offering them packaged up with various features at various monthly fee levels. As more and more people do business on the Internet, autoresponders will take a special place in the overall marketing plan of any business on the net. They are the number one mechanism that helps businesses stay in close touch with customers or reach potential customers continuously.
Like everything else in this world, autoresponder providers charge fees for the service that they provide. This usually means a monthly fee is required and sometimes the fee can be on the high side. In exchange for this fee, they will host your autoresponder on their servers, which may not necessarily be a good thing. Why” Simply because you are at the mercy of these providers if there server goes down. If that happens, guess what? Your autoresponder messages do not get sent to your customers, which could cause a loss in potential sales. To further compound the problem, if the provider’s server is down often or for long periods of time, it could be catastrophic to your business.
There is an alternative to the above scenario in the form a “free standing” autoresponder package called Autoresponder Plus. Autoresponder Plus does not rely on installation on someone’s server; rather it is installed on your own web site or dedicated server. No third-party intervention is needed at all. As long as you have a reliable hosting service, you can add Autoresponder Plus to your business site and be in total control of customer communications. It’s a fact that if you don’t successfully manage your follow up marketing process effectively, you will lose potential customers.
The power of Autoresponse Plus
Let’s take a look at how powerful Autoresponder Plus is.
* It is an autoresponder and mailing list software for your web site.
* You can send out an unlimited number of follow-up emails and target thousands of prospects.
* You send out follow-up sales campaigns, courses, newsletters, and ezines from an intuitive browser.
* Once it is setup, it runs on autopilot!
* Create unlimited autoresponder accounts with unlimited messages any time.
Why use Autoresponse Plus?
By using Autoresponder Plus as your mechanism to reach thousands of potential customers, you will benefit in many ways. Take for instance the benefits of:
* No more monthly fees for autoresponder services. Pay a “one-time” fee and your own the package!
* No more reliance on the reliability of the servers of other providers.
* The convenience of having the ability to take total control over your email campaigns staying in touch with prospects and customers around the clock.
* The convenience of installing Autoresponder Plus on your very own site.
* The extra flexibility in maintaining Autoresponder Plus and the dramatic cost savings.
* The ease of installation and level of full technical support from ARP3 professionals that includes a fully staffed “help-desk” and tutorials.
* Capturing email addresses of prospects so you can immediately follow-up and turn them into customers.
* Delivering your message, over and over, to your target audience to get a sale.
How is Autoresponse Plus the email marketing solution to increase your sales
Autoresponder Plus acts as your personal marketing spokesperson, only better because it never takes time off! You can dramatically boost your sales through its use by giving you the freedom and flexibility to follow-up with prospects consistently and turn them into paying customers. It is a fact that if you want to turn “window shoppers” into buyers, you need to have constant contact with them. People need to get to know and trust you before they will buy from you. Autoresponder Plus helps you achieve this through its simplicity and convenience.
Autoresponder Plus offers an opt-in email marketing solution and follow-up marketing solution that are the best tools possible for building credibility and trust quickly. You can take charge of your marketing campaign by:
Building an opt-in list of prospects that you can follow-up with and convert into customers.
Using this opt-in list to market to this audience over and over again, after all, by opting-in, they give you permission to do so.
Fully automate your email and follow-up marketing efforts and run effortlessly on autopilot.
Eliminating annoying ads in your email campaigns that are planted there by other autoresponder providers.
Gaining the ability to send unlimited attachments such as .pdf files in your marketing campaigns.
Taking advantage of one of the most “user-friendly” programs on the marketplace.
Having your own autoresponder package installed on your business site not only makes a lot of sense but in such a competitive business climate as the Internet, it is a necessity if a business is going to survive. You are in control of your business; you need to be able to oversee every facet, especially the most important one, marketing. With the advent of such great marketing tools such as Autoresponder Plus, you can literally boost your sales many times over. It’s definitely worth exploring.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours.
Recent Entrepreneur Magazine’s e-Biz radio show host is
turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories.
Discover The Secrets http://promotingtips.com
3 Little Known Tips for Cardio
In the year 2006, I've seen so many articles on cardio that it even made me confused! Everything from don't with it "good night to cardio" to cardio is worthless to HIIT training and all kinds of crazy ideas. There's anti-cardio gurus and cardio masters. At times, cardio seems like a diet plan. Let me explain that...
I've got a confession to make...
In the year 2006, I've seen so many articles on cardio that it even made me confused! Everything from don't with it "good night to cardio" to cardio is worthless to HIIT training and all kinds of crazy ideas. There's anti-cardio gurus and cardio masters.
At times, cardio seems like a diet plan.
Let me explain that...
With a diet, you have so many foods to choose from that you can literally make any combination up and call it a "diet."
Cardio seems to be that way lately. There's a lot you can do with your cardio workouts. Keep them short, make them intense, do all kinds of machines, do it every day, do it once a week, don't use machines at all but go outside and run hills... etc. List goes on and on.
Let's try and answer the question of the best time to do cardio and how much recovery after your weight sessions you need in order to get workout but without burning up any precious muscle.
3 Simple Steps to Effective Cardio Workouts
1- Use cardio as a tool.
Cardiovascular exercise is good for the heart. However, so is weight training. And lifting weights and building muscle will do more to get you leaner than 6 spin classes 6 times a week.
If your goal is to build muscle and gain weight or burn off the fat, then use cardio sparingly as a way to your goal.
Did you know that 1 lb of muscle burns more calories than 1 lb of fat? By focusing on building more muscle, you'll get leaner quicker than if you plug away at a treadmill all day long.
Let's put it this way...
If you cut bread with a saw (weight training) it gets the job done nicely. But if you cut the bread with a saw and then use a finely sharpened knife to make the slides perfect (cardio) you'll get the best of both worlds.
You'll get slides of bread quickly (saw) and you'll get them neatly carved out (knife).
If you can think of cardio as a tool to stripping off unwanted fat AFTER your weight training and nutrition is in order, you'll use the tool as it's meant to be used.
2- Do your cardio at the right times.
There's a loaded question if I ever saw one!a) the right time is anytime it works for you. If you read several articles about morning cardio and you simply cannot do it, then do it when you can. There's plenty of studies that debate the optimal time to do cardio but they all point to the single fact that it doesn't make a massive difference in your overall gains. When it comes to eliminating body fat. Whether it's early morning, late evening, the most important thing is that you just do it.b) do your cardio AFTER your weight workouts. Why after? Because your weight training workouts require something called glycogen. That's short term fuel. If you burn off and use up your short term fuel first, you'll have little to give when it comes to your muscles.
The fuel your muscles need for a weight training workout is different from the potential fuel sources you can use when doing cardiovascular activities.
When you do your cardio AFTER your weight training sessions, you are warmed up and have a better chance at using fat as a fuel source over glycogen.
3- Separate your cardio from your weight training sessions
If at all possible, try and give yourself plenty of time between a cardio workout and a weight session. Some programs recommend 8 hours. This means you'll do cardio in the AM and weights in the PM. You'll have plenty of time for post-workout nutrition and a few meals in there as well to help with recovery.
But what if you can't?
2 Tips to Cardio Workouts
Tip #1 - Do your cardio AFTER your weight session as in the step above. While this won't be ideal, it allows your body to use glycogen for short term fuel for the weights and potentially fat as a fuel source.
Tip #2 - Engage in post-workout nutrition (protein and carbs) after your weight training session. While you probably won't burn as much fat, you won't risk burning off as much muscle either.
The reason your body burns muscle is that it costs a lot to maintain it (metabolically speaking). In that caseFree Reprint Articles, make sure you can support the muscle by not overtraining and engaging in proper nutrition.
Those two simple concepts will go a long way in helping you to preserve muscle when you have a short rest period between a weight training session and a cardiovascular workout.
The bottom line is that cardiovascular exercise is part of a health and fitness routine. It should be used as a tool. Sometimes more (getting ready for a competition) and sometimes less (lean bulking). Lately it's been over-rated but it certainly isn't worthless.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I've got a confession to make...
In the year 2006, I've seen so many articles on cardio that it even made me confused! Everything from don't with it "good night to cardio" to cardio is worthless to HIIT training and all kinds of crazy ideas. There's anti-cardio gurus and cardio masters.
At times, cardio seems like a diet plan.
Let me explain that...
With a diet, you have so many foods to choose from that you can literally make any combination up and call it a "diet."
Cardio seems to be that way lately. There's a lot you can do with your cardio workouts. Keep them short, make them intense, do all kinds of machines, do it every day, do it once a week, don't use machines at all but go outside and run hills... etc. List goes on and on.
Let's try and answer the question of the best time to do cardio and how much recovery after your weight sessions you need in order to get workout but without burning up any precious muscle.
3 Simple Steps to Effective Cardio Workouts
1- Use cardio as a tool.
Cardiovascular exercise is good for the heart. However, so is weight training. And lifting weights and building muscle will do more to get you leaner than 6 spin classes 6 times a week.
If your goal is to build muscle and gain weight or burn off the fat, then use cardio sparingly as a way to your goal.
Did you know that 1 lb of muscle burns more calories than 1 lb of fat? By focusing on building more muscle, you'll get leaner quicker than if you plug away at a treadmill all day long.
Let's put it this way...
If you cut bread with a saw (weight training) it gets the job done nicely. But if you cut the bread with a saw and then use a finely sharpened knife to make the slides perfect (cardio) you'll get the best of both worlds.
You'll get slides of bread quickly (saw) and you'll get them neatly carved out (knife).
If you can think of cardio as a tool to stripping off unwanted fat AFTER your weight training and nutrition is in order, you'll use the tool as it's meant to be used.
2- Do your cardio at the right times.
There's a loaded question if I ever saw one!a) the right time is anytime it works for you. If you read several articles about morning cardio and you simply cannot do it, then do it when you can. There's plenty of studies that debate the optimal time to do cardio but they all point to the single fact that it doesn't make a massive difference in your overall gains. When it comes to eliminating body fat. Whether it's early morning, late evening, the most important thing is that you just do it.b) do your cardio AFTER your weight workouts. Why after? Because your weight training workouts require something called glycogen. That's short term fuel. If you burn off and use up your short term fuel first, you'll have little to give when it comes to your muscles.
The fuel your muscles need for a weight training workout is different from the potential fuel sources you can use when doing cardiovascular activities.
When you do your cardio AFTER your weight training sessions, you are warmed up and have a better chance at using fat as a fuel source over glycogen.
3- Separate your cardio from your weight training sessions
If at all possible, try and give yourself plenty of time between a cardio workout and a weight session. Some programs recommend 8 hours. This means you'll do cardio in the AM and weights in the PM. You'll have plenty of time for post-workout nutrition and a few meals in there as well to help with recovery.
But what if you can't?
2 Tips to Cardio Workouts
Tip #1 - Do your cardio AFTER your weight session as in the step above. While this won't be ideal, it allows your body to use glycogen for short term fuel for the weights and potentially fat as a fuel source.
Tip #2 - Engage in post-workout nutrition (protein and carbs) after your weight training session. While you probably won't burn as much fat, you won't risk burning off as much muscle either.
The reason your body burns muscle is that it costs a lot to maintain it (metabolically speaking). In that caseFree Reprint Articles, make sure you can support the muscle by not overtraining and engaging in proper nutrition.
Those two simple concepts will go a long way in helping you to preserve muscle when you have a short rest period between a weight training session and a cardiovascular workout.
The bottom line is that cardiovascular exercise is part of a health and fitness routine. It should be used as a tool. Sometimes more (getting ready for a competition) and sometimes less (lean bulking). Lately it's been over-rated but it certainly isn't worthless.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marc David is a bodybuilder and author of the, Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding. You can get info on Marc's e-book at: http://www.Beginning-Bodybuilding.com . To get Marc's free e-zine, visit http://www.JustAskMarc.com
Critical Personal Protection Issues - Quality of Insurance Cover
For the next three articles we'll look at the issue of how to protect yourself and your family from the financial effects of death and illness. These consist of:
• The importance of the quality of your protection policies
• How to get the right level of protection
• A look at the actual claims experience of companies
First of all – the quality of your protection policies.
Protection - the policy conditions minefieldLet's use an example. Dr Cureall, a family man with a large mortgage, has decided it is high time he sorted out his protection requirements.
He wants to know what types of protection there are, and approaches us to ask for advice.
We explain there are 3 types of cover:
•Life protection, paying out a lump sum or income over a certain period of time if you die
•Critical Illness protection, a lump sum paid if you have a specified illness or are totally incapacitated
•Permanent Health Insurance, an income paid to your normal retirement age (or while you are ill) if you cannot work for health reasons
Dr Cureall decides he would like to cover all eventualities (next newsletter explains why this is a good idea). The cover linked to the mortgage will be a reducing benefit (he has a repayment mortgage), whilst the family income benefit will be indexed to take into account of inflation. The aim here is to pay off the mortgage and leave enough for his wife and children to continue their lives without any financial worries.
So let's look at each type of protection:
Life CoverThis is the easiest type of cover to understand. It pays out a lump sum on death and normally the policy to buy is the cheapest one the Cureall`s can find. They may want guaranteed premiums, which means that the insurance company will not increase their future premiums if they are paying out a lot of claims and need to increase their premium to compansate for this. The alternative is reviewable premiums.
Secondly, and crucially, the policies must be written under trust for the beneficiaries. This means any monies will not form part of Mrs Cureall`s estate, and therefore not compound any inheritance tax issue, but still ensuring the Cureall`s will receive their money (potentially saving thousands of pounds of Inheritance Tax).
In our experience, the majority of life assurance policies are not written under trust.
Critical IllnessThis type of protection has become more popular in the last few years, particularly with a view to paying off debt. It is often taken out in conjunction with income protection (PHI).
Since this form of protection is dependant on the number of conditions covered and their wording, there can be a huge difference between companies.
Let's look at a couple of examples:
Heart attacks account for a large percentage of claims. Many companies will insist on there being 'typical chest pain' present for them to pay out amongst other criteria. However, a small proportion of companies do not stipulate this and may be more attractive.
Total Permanent Disability is seen as a 'cover all' if the condition does not fit a specific illness listed in the policy conditions. So if Dr Cureall cannot work then we could assume he'd be covered. Maybe, but not always. Many companies specify in their occupation definitions that the claimant must return to work if they are 'suited' to another job or even worse can perform 'any' type of job. Not very reassuring if you find you have this type of plan as a doctor or dentist. Where possible, you should make sure the plan has an 'own' occupation definition (which may not normally cost you any more money).
Permanent Health InsuranceThis is a crucial part of protection. Whilst thousands of pounds have been paid in claims over the years, you really do need to be aware of the pitfalls:
• Own occupation not specified
• The classification of occupation increases premiums to far higher levels
• Exclusions such as mental illness
• No "waiver of premium" meaning you still pay your premium on receipt of benefit
• Premiums are not guaranteed, meaning they are vulnerable to increases
• A poor choice of deferment periods (when the income starts to pay out)
• No option of indexed protection to protect from the effects of inflation
It is interesting to note that out of the top 14 companies that would be price competitive for the type of cover discussed, we would typically only use 2 because of the quality issues!The Financial Tips Bottom LineIt's likely you have bought one or more protection policies.
We're often surprised at how many doctors and dentists have policies with small print NOT working in their favour. We urge you to check your policy documents and make sure you're not paying for something that may not pay out anyway. Over the life of a policy we're usually talking about thousands of poundsFeature Articles, so don't put it off!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ray Prince is an Independent Financial Planner with Rutherford Wilkinson plc, and helps UK Resident Doctors and Dentists get the best deals on mortgages, protection and investments, as well as helping them achieve their financial objectives. Click here for Financial Advice for UK Doctors and Dentists and to get your free retirement guide, How To Avoid The 7 Most Common Retirement Planning Mistakes. Rutherford Wilkinson plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
• The importance of the quality of your protection policies
• How to get the right level of protection
• A look at the actual claims experience of companies
First of all – the quality of your protection policies.
Protection - the policy conditions minefieldLet's use an example. Dr Cureall, a family man with a large mortgage, has decided it is high time he sorted out his protection requirements.
He wants to know what types of protection there are, and approaches us to ask for advice.
We explain there are 3 types of cover:
•Life protection, paying out a lump sum or income over a certain period of time if you die
•Critical Illness protection, a lump sum paid if you have a specified illness or are totally incapacitated
•Permanent Health Insurance, an income paid to your normal retirement age (or while you are ill) if you cannot work for health reasons
Dr Cureall decides he would like to cover all eventualities (next newsletter explains why this is a good idea). The cover linked to the mortgage will be a reducing benefit (he has a repayment mortgage), whilst the family income benefit will be indexed to take into account of inflation. The aim here is to pay off the mortgage and leave enough for his wife and children to continue their lives without any financial worries.
So let's look at each type of protection:
Life CoverThis is the easiest type of cover to understand. It pays out a lump sum on death and normally the policy to buy is the cheapest one the Cureall`s can find. They may want guaranteed premiums, which means that the insurance company will not increase their future premiums if they are paying out a lot of claims and need to increase their premium to compansate for this. The alternative is reviewable premiums.
Secondly, and crucially, the policies must be written under trust for the beneficiaries. This means any monies will not form part of Mrs Cureall`s estate, and therefore not compound any inheritance tax issue, but still ensuring the Cureall`s will receive their money (potentially saving thousands of pounds of Inheritance Tax).
In our experience, the majority of life assurance policies are not written under trust.
Critical IllnessThis type of protection has become more popular in the last few years, particularly with a view to paying off debt. It is often taken out in conjunction with income protection (PHI).
Since this form of protection is dependant on the number of conditions covered and their wording, there can be a huge difference between companies.
Let's look at a couple of examples:
Heart attacks account for a large percentage of claims. Many companies will insist on there being 'typical chest pain' present for them to pay out amongst other criteria. However, a small proportion of companies do not stipulate this and may be more attractive.
Total Permanent Disability is seen as a 'cover all' if the condition does not fit a specific illness listed in the policy conditions. So if Dr Cureall cannot work then we could assume he'd be covered. Maybe, but not always. Many companies specify in their occupation definitions that the claimant must return to work if they are 'suited' to another job or even worse can perform 'any' type of job. Not very reassuring if you find you have this type of plan as a doctor or dentist. Where possible, you should make sure the plan has an 'own' occupation definition (which may not normally cost you any more money).
Permanent Health InsuranceThis is a crucial part of protection. Whilst thousands of pounds have been paid in claims over the years, you really do need to be aware of the pitfalls:
• Own occupation not specified
• The classification of occupation increases premiums to far higher levels
• Exclusions such as mental illness
• No "waiver of premium" meaning you still pay your premium on receipt of benefit
• Premiums are not guaranteed, meaning they are vulnerable to increases
• A poor choice of deferment periods (when the income starts to pay out)
• No option of indexed protection to protect from the effects of inflation
It is interesting to note that out of the top 14 companies that would be price competitive for the type of cover discussed, we would typically only use 2 because of the quality issues!The Financial Tips Bottom LineIt's likely you have bought one or more protection policies.
We're often surprised at how many doctors and dentists have policies with small print NOT working in their favour. We urge you to check your policy documents and make sure you're not paying for something that may not pay out anyway. Over the life of a policy we're usually talking about thousands of poundsFeature Articles, so don't put it off!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ray Prince is an Independent Financial Planner with Rutherford Wilkinson plc, and helps UK Resident Doctors and Dentists get the best deals on mortgages, protection and investments, as well as helping them achieve their financial objectives. Click here for Financial Advice for UK Doctors and Dentists and to get your free retirement guide, How To Avoid The 7 Most Common Retirement Planning Mistakes. Rutherford Wilkinson plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
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