Insurance you can probably do without
Written by Contributor
By Jason Alderman
I'm a big believer in having the appropriate amount of insurance, especially when it comes to your health and personal liability. But if money is tight and you want to get the most bang for your buck, there are a few types of insurance you can probably do without – or that may duplicate coverage you already have elsewhere:
Extended warranties. When you buy a car, appliance or electronic device, the salesclerk usually will try to sell you an extended warranty. These policies often duplicate coverage already provided in the manufacturer's warranty. Plus, many credit cards provide an additional warranty on items purchased with the card.
Smartphone insurance. After shelling out big bucks for a smartphone, you might be tempted to buy replacement insurance. Just be aware that you'll probably pay a hefty deductible and likely receive a refurbished phone, possibly not even the same model. My advice: Keep your old phone to reactivate in case you drop or lose the new one.
Flight accident insurance. The risk of dying in a plane crash is miniscule and already covered by regular life insurance. Also check your credit card cardholder agreement, since many cover such accidents for tickets purchased with their card.
Child life insurance. Life insurance is intended to provide economic protection for a person's dependents, so unless your children are movie stars supporting you, this coverage is probably unnecessary. You can better protect their future by stowing those monthly premiums in an emergency savings account or buying additional term life insurance for yourself.
Pet insurance. With veterinary treatments now rivaling human medicine (organ transplants, chemotherapy, etc.), you could easily spend a small fortune keeping Fido alive. Before buying pet insurance, however, compare plan features carefully and weigh the expense you'd pay out over your pet's lifetime. For example, monthly premiums increase with your pet's age, deductibles and copayments are typically higher than for human coverage and there are usually predetermined per-year and per-condition caps. Plus, preexisting and hereditary conditions usually are not covered.
Rental car insurance. In most cases, the optional insurance offered by car rental agencies duplicates existing coverage you already have. However, before automatically rejecting agency coverage, ask your insurance company and credit card issuer whether you are fully covered for rental cars. A few considerations:
Coverage through your auto policy often expires after 30 days or less of renting the car.
Sports cars, luxury models, SUVs and trucks are often excluded.
Travel outside service areas typically is forbidden – especially across foreign borders or in rough terrain.
If you don't carry comprehensive and collision coverage on your own car, your insurance may not cover a rental. Also, ask whether such coverage is limited to your own car's value, since most rentals are new.
Ask what happens if you violate rental agreement terms (e.g., driving recklessly or allowing unauthorized drivers).
Specified disease insurance. Some people take out supplemental health and life insurance against specific conditions such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Before buying, make sure you have adequate major medical insurance, which already covers such conditions. And carefully review the policy for restrictions. For example, many cancer insurance policies won't pay for outpatient care or cover skin cancer, and impose fixed-dollar limits on specific procedures.
When it comes to your budget – and your family's security – it pays to know which insurance is essential and which you can probably skip.
Last Updated on Monday, 01 April 2013 09:27
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Irving ISD selects career readiness program to prepare students for college, work
Written by Contributor
While a high school diploma was once sufficient to secure a stable job with benefits, almost two-thirds of new jobs in the fastest growing sectors of the U.S. economy now require some postsecondary education and/or training. Furthermore, workplace readiness demands a higher level of knowledge and skills than ever before. To effectively prepare its students for life after high school by teaching them the skills and knowledge that are essential to college and workforce readiness, Irving ISD will implement WIN Learning’s Personalized Career Readiness System.
WIN Learning’s web-based, career-driven education model is comprised of a series of standards-aligned contextual learning modules that help students understand and prepare for the realties of college and the workplace through personalized project-based learning and career exploration.
“Our goal is simple – every student should graduate from our high schools ready for college or a career. That means mastery of applied academics as well as necessary ‘success skills’ such as critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork,” said Melody Paschall, associate superintendent of academic services, Irving ISD. “Yet there are not very many resources that can bridge the gap in showing students the relevance and the connection between what’s happening in the classroom and their futures. We believe the WIN Learning system to be one of the most powerful resources available that can accelerate the preparation that will give our middle and high school students a strong path to follow to career and college readiness.”
Source: WIN Learning
Last Updated on Monday, 01 April 2013 09:26
Hits: 210
City Council special meeting takes no action on City Manager's contract
Written by Staff
By Amanda Casanova
After gathering for a special called meeting to discuss the city manager’s contract, the City Council took no action at the March 27 meeting.
The Council spent more than three hours in closed executive session to discuss the controversial employment contract for City Manager Tommy Gonzalez, which expires on May 1.
After about two year in closed session, Mayor Beth Van Duyne came into council chambers to address attendees.
“If we’re not going to come to a resolution, it’s not fair to keep everybody here,” she said.
Last Updated on Monday, 01 April 2013 09:31
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Town hall meeting sparks tough questions
Written by Staff
By Amanda Casanova
A town hall meeting on March 25 started as a firing of questions from residents about the city manager’s contract, a topic legally closed to the public, and eventually led to one of the council members walking out of the meeting.
Discussion at the town hall meeting eventually turned to other topics including development in south Irving, Charter propositions for May’s election and the City’s proposed ethics policy, which the Council hasn’t taken up since December.
Attendees also told the Council that they wanted to see more jobs drawn into the city and other moves that would pump money into the City’s economy and thus lower taxes for residents.
“We don’t talk about the neighborhoods enough,” Councilman Gerald Farris said. “That’s why I got on council. We don’t talk about jobs and neighborhoods and that stuff enough.”
Last Updated on Monday, 01 April 2013 09:32
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David de Rothschild and Emmanuel Jal to be recognized at Opening of Dallas’ 2013 Engineering & Humanity Week
Written by Contributor
Dallas, TX – One taught the world a life-changing lesson in ecology—that pollution devastating the world’s oceans can actually be recycled into a sea-fearing vessel capable of an 8,000-mile voyage. Another, a former child soldier, now uses the world’s stage to share
his inspirational message through music, to help save other children from similar fates.
SMU’s Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity will honor both as part of the opening activities of the 3rd annual Engineering & Humanity Week, April 6-12.
The 2013 Visionary Award will be presented to David de Rothschild, explorer, environmentalist and eternal optimist. De Rothschild made maritime history in 2010 when he sailed his recycled catamaran 8,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean. Composed of 12,500 plastic water bottles, the vessel is held together by Earth Weld, an earth-friendly bonding agent that his team developed using sugar and cashews. His voyage was an engineering first and brought global attention to the South Pacific garbage patch—a swirling mass of plastic trash twice the size of Texas.
The 2013 Humanitarian Award will be presented to Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier and “Lost Boy” from Sudan, who is now a world-famous hip-hop artist and humanitarian advocate for social justice and human rights.
E&H Week brings leaders together from across the globe -- and from many walks of life -- to explore opportunities to help less fortunate populations by providing in-depth exposure to global economics, cultural awareness, collaborative leadership, and principles of sustainability. The annual event focuses on topics in which engineering can be used to help improve the lives of refugees and other displaced and struggling members of humanity.
Complete information is available at EandHWeek.org. Details are outlined at www.eandhweek.org. Questions can also be addressed by calling 214-768-3351.
Information provided by EandHWeek.
Last Updated on Thursday, 28 March 2013 08:40
Hits: 485
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