A Guide To Business Insurance

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If you have a business, then it is important to get the right level of insurance to protect your business interests. Without the proper level of insurance your business could be in serious trouble if anything unexpected should happen. Here are some tips about how to get the right business insurance for your needs:

Required by law

There are a number of types of insurance that businesses must have by law. The main type of insurance that is legally required is employer’s liability insurance. This type of insurance protects you from any claims that your employees might make for accidents or sickness that they suffer whilst at work or as a result of work. Some businesses are not legally required to have this insurance, but if you have insurance then it makes sense. If anything should happen to any employee you could be hit with a massive compensation bill if you are uninsured.

Another insurance that is often required is motor insurance. If your company has any vehicles then you are required to get at least third party insurance to cover any damage to property or other people. It is usually advisable to get comprehensive insurance for your vehicles in case they are damaged or stolen. Although it costs more, it could save you a lot money in repair bills.

Liability insurance

If you are selling products to the public or have a large number of non-employees using your business premises, then you should consider public liability insurance. This type of insurance will cover you in the event that anyone is injured by your product or hurt at your business premises. The cost of this insurance will vary depending on what products you sell and the size of your premises

Building insurance

If you have dedicated premises for your business, then you need to make sure that the building and its contents are insured. If you rent the building then the landlord should be insured for the property, but you need to make sure that the contents are fully insured. If an accident should occur and you don’t have adequate cover then you could lose money.

Key man insurance

A business relies on its key employees to make it successful, so you should think about insuring yourself and other top employees against health problems or accidents. Getting health insurance for your main employees will not only make sure that they can get back to work as soon as possible, it will also give them a sense of belonging to the company. If the type of work you are involved in has the potential for accidents to occur, then getting adequate insurance to cover this is important. Obviously working on a building site is going to lead to higher premiums than sitting behind a desk.

Reducing your premiums

Reducing your premiums is a good way to save money for your business. The best way to reduce the risk for the lender and so reduce the price of insurance is to make your business a safe and secure one. Make sure that security systems are up to date, and that health and safety procedures are adhered to.

Using a broker

The easiest way to obtain business insurance is by using an insurance broker who has expertise in your particular business area. They will be able to help you find the right insurer for your needs and get you a good deal.

Jan
20

A Guide to New Car Finance

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Purchasing a new car is one of the biggest decisions a household can make, and one that can have long-lasting financial implications. Therefore it is important to make sure the financial planning behind the purchase is sound and able to deal with unforeseen incidents that could require a shift in resources to other expenses.

There are two main options to new car financing; either a traditional loan from a bank, building society or dealership or a hire-purchase agreement.

The biggest decision regarding a loan is the interest rate – dealerships can provide finance deals but often their interest rates compare less favourably than banks or building societies. Compare the APR offered from the different potential lenders in order to effectively compare how much you will end up paying back each year.

If you find it hard to make sense of the different options, the Office of Fair Trading can provide free resources, such as the APR and rebate calculator, to help make comparison easier. A longer repayment period will cost less month to month, but more in total over the term of the loan. In addition to the loan itself, it is important to calculate related costs such as road tax and car insurance before negotiating the terms of a loan.

If the repayment period is fairly lengthy it may be worthwhile looking for a lender that offers repayment holidays. Though it’s not advisable to repeatedly delay payment, a one-off deferral may be useful should unexpected household expenses arise. Payment holidays should be agreed upon during the initial term negotiations, as lenders frown upon renegotiations during the repayment period to ask for it.

A hire-purchase agreement is generally a more complex form of car finance, and requires more attention to detail when agreeing on the terms of repayment. Hire-purchase agreements essentially differ from loans in that ownership remains with the lender until all payments have been made. The agreement should therefore contain all the details on the number of instalments and the full hire-purchase price of the car.

There are also a number of pitfalls to watch out for. For instance, interest-free credit offers might sound appealing, but failing to make all the payments in the stated period could result in significant interest rates being imposed on the loan.

So if you’re looking to purchase a new car in the near future, keep in mind the aforementioned points to make sure your car is financed by terms that suit your household budget and can accommodate any unforeseen bumps in the road.

Categories: Finance Guide
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Jan
20