Before You Apply for a Personal Loan

Times exist when you aren’t just ready to borrow money; you’re motivated to start the process. Before you apply for a personal loan, there are certain steps it’s smart to take. Rushing into a loan without following the steps might work out fine or it can stick you with a loan you don’t really want. Only you can decide if it’s worth it to take the risk.

Determine your needs

When you’re in the market for an auto loan, this step seems obvious. Go beyond the purpose and decide what features you’ll accept when you apply for a personal loan. If you cannot pay an application fee or make payments over a certain amount, draw the proverbial line in the sand before you reach the lender’s office. Doing so will squelch the temptation to take the first offer you receive that doesn’t meet your requirements.

Review your credit report

Checking your credit file at least once every 12 months is a good strategy to stay on top of the information found within. If it’s been more than six months since you last pulled your credit, consider ordering a new report before you apply for a personal loan. Multiple inquiries can lower your credit score, so find out if there’s any reason a lender would decline your application before you submit it. Put off your application until you correct any inaccuracies or delinquent accounts you find.

Research your lending options

In some cases, you can find multiple loan products to perform the same function for you. When this happens, make a list of the advantages and disadvantages to using each option. Once you decide, be willing to accept additional facts from lenders, but don’t let a smooth talking salesperson change your mind with hype or financial jargon.

Discuss lenders

Who you apply for a personal loan with is every bit as important as what type of loan you choose. Talk about your options with family and friends. Find out if anyone you know has a loan with a certain company and if they are satisfied with the service. You can also discuss lenders with each other. Sometimes, the information they provide about the competition is relatively free from bias. If a lender tells you to take the deal offered by the competition, chances are high that it’s a good deal.

Shop around

You should not apply for a personal loan with the first company you visit. Even if you later determine the first deal was your best option, you have no way to know that without shopping the competition. Without pulling your credit file, lending companies can give you a wealth of information about their terms and conditions. You can use that information to decide which company wins your business.

http://www.superpages.com/supertips/apply-for-a-personal-loan.html

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Wholesale Business Vehicle Insurance

Wholesale operations manufacture or produce goods and distribute their product to retailers. This can also include the sale of goods in large quantities to retailers.

Examples of wholesale operations include:

• Coca-Cola distributors
• Goodyear Tire manufacturers and distributors
• Little Debbie Snacks distributors

Special Insurance Needs of Wholesale Operations

Because your vehicle is often on-site at customer-owned locations, you should have plenty of Liability insurance. That way, if your parking brake slips and your truck rolls into the side of a shop where you're dropping off goods, you'll have enough insurance to pay the damages.

If you haul any type of trailer, you'll love our free Single Deductible endorsement. With this, you only pay one deductible if both your vehicle and trailer are damaged in an accident. It's an easy way to save yourself time, hassle and money.

Liability insurance and Single Deductible endorsements are vital to your business. Visit the business auto insurance section for a complete list of insurance coverages you'll need.

http://www.progressivecommercial.com/insurance/wholesale-business-insurance.aspx

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Seasonal Business Vehicle Insurance

A seasonal business is any business that operates only during specific times of the year, such as during specific months or for an entire season. Seasonal businesses can be trucking or small businesses.

Seasonal Work Truck Insurance From Progressive

Progressive offers a variety of flexible and affordable coverages for seasonal businesses, including landscaping insurance, snow plowing insurance and ice cream truck insurance. Seasonal commercial vehicle and work truck insurance protects your auto and your business when an accident occurs, and gets you back on the road faster.

Examples of common types of commercial work truck insurance include:

• Ice cream truck insurance
• Snow plow insurance
• Landscaping insurance
• Fishing charter insurance
• Tax consultant

Vehicle and Work Truck Insurance: Personal Use Driving

If you plan to drive your work truck or other vehicles for personal use during the off-season, you can save money by letting us know. We can adjust your policy to reflect personal use for your vehicles in a matter of minutes. Since you often log less miles when driving your vehicles just for personal use, this simple change could lower your payments.

Work Truck Insurance: Parking Or Storing Vehicles

If your vehicle will be parked during the off-season, you may think you should cancel your work truck insurance during this time. But if you’d like to protect your vehicle while still saving money, just switch your commercial work truck insurance to a Comprehensive insurance Only policy.

With a Comprehensive Only policy, you essentially decline all insurance coverages except for Comprehensive insurance. Though a Comprehensive Only policy doesn't fully protect your vehicle while driving, you pay a small monthly cost to have basic protection against damage caused by incidents like vandalism, falling tree branches and hail. You won't be legal to drive, but this coverage will give your vehicle some basic protection.

A Comprehensive Only policy also gives you the bonus of continuous insurance coverage. And maintaining continuous insurance coverage is an easy way to lower your insurance premium. In fact, maintaining continuous insurance can save you so much money that most businesses find paying the small cost for a Comprehensive Only policy during their off-season actually saves them money in the long run.

http://www.progressivecommercial.com/insurance/seasonal-business-insurance.aspx

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Food Service & Restaurant Vehicle Insurance

What Are Restaurant and Food Service Businesses?

Restaurant and food service businesses earn income by providing, selling and/or delivering prepared food. They also deliver prepared foods, pick up supplies and run errands. Because you depend on your vehicle every day, it’s important to protect it with the proper food service insurance. Whether you need ice cream truck insurance or catering van insurance, Progressive has an affordable policy to meet your needs.

Common restaurant and food service insurance includes:

• Catering truck insurance, including catering vans, trucks and trailers
• Ice cream truck insurance
• Pizza delivery insurance

Other types of vehicles that may require restaurant or food service insurance include Meals on Wheels, lunch trucks or lunch wagons, concession stands or trailers and carnival food trailer or trucks.

Food Service Insurance That Protects You When You Need It Most

Restaurant and food service vehicles make frequent trips to customers' locations, whether it's delivering a pizza or catering a wedding. These food service vehicles should have plenty of Liability insurance to protect against any damage they might cause while there, including hitting a parked car.

If you haul a trailer of any type, such as a carnival booth or movable catering station, you'll love our Single Deductible endorsement. With this, you pay only one deductible if your vehicle and trailer are both damaged in an accident.

Visit the Small Business insurance section for a complete list of the insurance coverages you'll need.

http://www.progressivecommercial.com/insurance/food-service-insurance.aspx

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Non-Profit & Religious Vehicle Insurance

What Are Religious and Non-Profit Organizations?

A religious organization is any non-profit business created for religious purposes. A non-profit organization is a noncommercial business whose goal is to promote a specific issue or public concern.

Examples of organizations that may need non-profit business insurance include:

• Churches
• Mosques
• Synagogues
• Religious associations
• Charities
• Arts
• Political groups
• Research foundations

Religious and Non-Profit Organization Auto Insurance Recommendations

Whether or not your organization owns its own vehicles, you will need some form of non-profit business insurance. A policy for non-profit auto insurance will protect your organization’s vans, pickups, trailers and other vehicles, as well as the driver and passengers.

Religious organizations often use their vehicles to transport members of their congregation, which means it's important to have Liability insurance to pay for medical bills or any property damage that might arise out of an accident.

Progressive Commercial also recommends Uninsured Motorist insurance, which will protect you, your vehicle and your passengers if someone who does not have auto insurance ever hits you. Uninsured Motorist insurance coverage will pay you if the other driver has no insurance or too little insurance. It can even protect you in a hit-and-run accident.

And if your organization does not own or use its own vehicles, you will still need a form of non-profit organization auto insurance, such as hired and non-owned liability coverage. This protects your non-profit business if someone driving on behalf of your organization is involved in an accident.

Visit the business auto insurance section for a complete list of the insurance coverages you'll need.

http://www.progressivecommercial.com/insurance/religious-non-profit-insurance.aspx

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New Business Vehicle Insurance

A new business is any venture that's just getting started, whether you’re still in the planning stages or working through your first year of operations.

Every business was once new. And at Progressive, we see the potential behind each new opportunity. That's why we offer new business insurance products designed to meet the needs of your new venture.

Progressive offers a range of new business vehicle insurance products designed to meet the specific needs of new ventures. And to really help you get off on the right track, we offer advice and information designed to help you make the right decisions about commercial auto insurance for your new business.

What Will New Business Vehicle Insurance Do For Me?

Paying for an unexpected accident can deplete cash reserves quickly. And if you can't afford an accident, people can file a claim against the value of your company. To prevent a potentially bad situation for your new business, be sure you have adequate new business vehicle insurance. The first step is discovering what type of new business insurance you really need to protect your vehicle and your company. Learn more about:

• Business auto insurance
• Truck insurance
• Tow truck Insurance

When it comes to choosing your new business insurance, it is also a good idea to choose limits that are high enough to protect against the value of your company. So whether you choose limits of $50,000 or $1 million dollars, your goal should be to protect not just your vehicle, but also your business.

Some new businesses, such as general contractors, may need to meet specific business insurance limit requirements set by an employer. If you're contracting with one company, it's important to understand any requirements they have regarding the business insurance coverages you need and the limits you choose.

How Can I Get the Lowest Rates on My New Business Insurance?

New business insurance is often one of the biggest costs for a start-up organization. At a time when keeping your expenses to a minimum is crucial, you're looking for ways to keep your new business vehicle insurance premium down.

From selecting higher deductibles to choosing one of our Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payment options, there are things you can do to keep your new business insurance costs low.

What If I'm Considering Starting a New Business?

Investigating new business insurance options and learning as much as possible is a great idea when you're thinking about starting a new venture. The more you know about your new business insurance options, the better you can plan ahead. With this knowledge, you'll be situated for success.

Progressive can help. Even if you don't know all of the details, we can give you an approximate quote for new business vehicle insurance that will give you an idea of what you'll need to budget for business insurance payments.

http://www.progressivecommercial.com/insurance/new-business-insurance.aspx

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Landscaping & Snowplow Vehicle Insurance

Progressive’s landscaping insurance includes snow plow insurance for small businesses. Progressive defines landscaping and snow plowing businesses as those earning income by providing landscaping or snow plowing services to residential or commercial properties. They may also earn income by delivering or selling firewood.

Landscaping and snow plowing businesses that typically need work truck insurance include:

• Lawn care installation or maintenance
• Tree trimmers
• Snow removal
• Firewood delivery

Seasonal Landscaping Insurance and Snow Plow Insurance For Small Businesses

In most areas of the U.S., landscaping and snowplowing are seasonal businesses. If your vehicles are stored during the off-season, you'll want to consider a Comprehensive Only policy. This type of landscaping and snowplowing insurance is not only extremely affordable, it saves you the hassle of having to cancel or renew your policy every season. Even better, Comprehensive Only insurance protects your vehicle during the off-season.

Ice Cream Truck Insurance

Progressive can help with insurance for ice cream trucks. Even with safety features such as extra mirrors and a safety arm, operating a moving vehicle loaded with sweet treats around children can be dangerous. That’s why insurance for ice cream trucks can be expensive.

Find out how Progressive’s insurance for ice cream trucks can save you money – and will protect you, your ice cream truck and your young customers. Call toll free at 1-888-806-9598!

More About Work Truck Insurance

Seasonal work truck insurance is often needed by small business that provide landscaping or snow plowing services. Another common seasonal coverage need is insurance for ice cream trucks.

Because your vehicle is often on-site at customer-owned locations, Liability insurance is important insurance for landscapers and for snow plow drivers.

Insurance options like Property Damage Liability coverage pay for damages if, for example, you accidentally scrape a customer's car with your snow plow.

Since you're essentially self-employed, you also may want to consider extra Medical Payments insurance, which can help you pay high-cost medical bills incurred as a result of an accident.

These snow plow and landscaping insurance options are vital to protect your business. Visit the business auto insurance section for a complete list of everything you'll need.

http://www.progressivecommercial.com/insurance/landscaping-snowplow-insurance.aspx

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Farming & Livestock Vehicle Insurance

It's your responsibility to ensure that no harm comes to the animals when you are transporting livestock, so your trucks and other vehicles need to be working properly. Having the right livestock hauler’s insurance is an especially important part of every livestock trucking business, too.

You can depend on Progressive for a variety of farm truck and livestock hauler’s insurance products and features to protect your equipment in the case of an unfortunate accident, which in turn, keeps your business running smoother.

What Are Farming and Livestock Businesses?

Farming and livestock businesses earn income by raising livestock or through agricultural production. Examples of farming and livestock businesses that typically need farm truck insurance include:

• Seasonal harvesters
• Fisheries
• Nurseries
• Ranching/livestock
• Orchards
• Green houses

Livestock Trucking Insurance & More To Meet Your Special Needs

Vehicles used by farming and livestock businesses are anything but basic to insure. A variety of equipment, from tractors with hay balers to pickup trucks with livestock trailers, helps farming and livestock businesses complete their daily tasks. When this equipment is out of commission due to an accident, it hurts your business. That’s why Progressive offers a variety of farm truck insurance and commercial livestock hauling insurance options to meet your needs.

Progressive insures a wide range of vehicles and has farm truck insurance coverage options to help protect your investment, including the Single Deductible endorsement. With this, you'll never pay more than one deductible in any accident, regardless of how many of your vehicles or trailers are damaged.

For a complete list of the commercial auto insurance coverages available to you, visit the business auto insurance section.

http://www.progressivecommercial.com/insurance/farming-livestock-insurance.aspx

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Courier & Delivery Vehicle Insurance

Courier and delivery service businesses earn their income by delivering letters, newspapers, magazines, documents or packages for a fee. Typical items transported by courier and delivery services include:

• Medical samples
• Legal documents
• Express packages
• Newspapers or magazine delivery
• Bundled newspapers or magazines to carrier drop points or retail locations
• Door-to-door mail delivery
• Bundled mail to distribution hubs

Courier Service Insurance

Progressive provides courier insurance for people who drive their personal vehicles to make deliveries. These couriers may be under contract to one employer, such as a FedEx driver, or they may make deliveries for many different companies, such as a local messenger service.

What Should You Know About Your Courier Service Insurance Coverage?

If you are contracted to one company, your employer may provide Cargo insurance to protect delivered goods. Some companies will also provide basic Liability insurance to cover their employees while they are working. Ask your employer if you are unsure whether or not they supply Liability insurance coverage.

You should also find out what kind of commercial vehicle insurance your employer provides, as it may only protect you while you're delivering for them. In that case, you'll need your own auto insurance policy for when you drive your vehicle for personal use.

It's also important to know if an employer or contractor has any requirements regarding insurance that you purchase for yourself, such as minimum Liability insurance limits.

If you're self-employed, you'll want to visit the business auto insurance section for a complete list of courier insurance and delivery services insurance coverages offered by Progressive.

http://www.progressivecommercial.com/insurance/courier-delivery-insurance.aspx

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Artisan & Contractor Vehicle Insurance

Artisan and general contractor businesses include tradesmen and women who earn income by performing repair, improvement, installation or maintenance services at residential and commercial locations, including new construction sites.

Common examples of artisans and general contractors that need contractor insurance for their autos include:

• Carpenters
• Electricians
• Masons
• Metal workers and welders
• Painters and paperhangers
• Paving contractors
• Pest control specialists
• Plumbers
• Roofers
• Vending machine repairmen

Contractor Automobile Liability Insurance For Special Needs

If you have special automobile liability insurance needs, Progressive is here to help with a special contractor insurance products and services tailored to your circumstances.

All artisans and contractors should have plenty of commercial auto liability insurance. Many general contractors require you to carry automobile liability insurance limits of $1 million in order to work on a project.

Even if you're not required to have it, commercial automobile liability insurance is extremely important if your vehicle is often on-site at customer-owned locations. That way, if your parking brake ever slips and your truck rolls into the side of a customer's house, your commercial auto liability insurance will pay for the damage, up to your specified limits.

Because you're essentially self-employed, you may want to consider adding extra medical payments coverage to your general contractor insurance, which can help defray the high cost of medical bills incurred as a result of an accident.

These contractor insurance coverages are vital to your business. Get a complete list of business insurance coverages to learn about everything you'll need to protect your vehicles.

http://www.progressivecommercial.com/insurance/artisan-contractor-insurance.aspx

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Commercial Insurance Coverages

At Progressive, we offer a wide variety of general commercial auto insurance and services designed for commercial trucks, tow trucks, and business autos. These commercial auto insurance coverage options allow you to customize your commercial insurance policy to meet your business’ needs, whether you need commercial truck insurance, commercial automobile insurance, or anything in between. Our broad acceptance offers protection for most drivers, business types and vehicle models.

Call 1-888-240-9837 for Your Free Quote

Get additional information about commercial auto insurance at ProgressiveCommercial.com.

General Commercial Auto Insurance Coverages

No matter what you’re driving, you want to make sure you have basic commercial auto insurance or commercial trucking insurance coverages – like Liability Insurance and Physical Damage Coverage. Liability insurance provides coverage for injuries or damage to other people or property if you're at fault for an accident. Physical Damage insurance can provide protection in case of a collision or if your vehicle is vehicle is stolen.

There are many other commercial automobile insurance coverages you can select for your commercial auto insurance policy, including Medical Payments, Uninsured Motorist, and more. But no matter what coverages you choose, your commercial auto insurance quote will be designed to meet your needs.

Commercial Truck Insurance Coverages

If you’re a trucker, you have special insurance needs. As the #1 truck insurer in America, you can trust us to provide the commercial truck insurance coverages you need to stay on the road, like Motor Truck Cargo and Bobtail insurance.

• Motor Truck Cargo Insurance – protects the cargo you’re hauling for your motor carrier. It covers your liability for cargo that is lost or damaged due to causes such as fire, collision, or striking of a load. If your load is accidentally dumped on a roadway or waterway (Removal Expenses coverage), our coverage pays for the cost to remove debris or extract pollutants caused by the debris.
• Non-Trucking Liability Insurance – Also known as Bobtail, Non-Trucking Liability insurance provides coverage for your truck in case you cause an accident while you are using your vehicle for non-business or personal use, when you aren’t driving under dispatch.

Tow Truck Insurance Coverages

If you operate a tow truck, you’ll need On Hook Towing insurance to pay to repair or replace a vehicle you don't own if it is damaged while you are towing or hauling it. Garagekeeper's Legal Liability coverage is another tow truck insurance coverage designed for business owners who offer towing at service stations or operate a storage lot. It provides protection for a customer's vehicle when you are keeping it at a covered location for parking or storing, or to perform service.

Business Auto Insurance Coverages

There are also special commercial auto insurance coverages to protect your business auto. If you are an individual or sole proprietor and you have a vehicle on your policy that you use for personal or non-business use, the Individual Named Insured Endorsement is automatically included. It provides protection when you are driving a vehicle that you do not own or will protect your spouse or relatives who live with you if they are driving a vehicle that you don't own.

If you ever drive vehicles that you do not own for your business, then you should choose one of the Non-Owned Auto Vehicle Liability insurance coverages: Employers' Non-Ownership insurance, which protects your business when employees drive their own vehicles for a business purpose or Hired Auto insurance, which protects you in other situations when you drive a vehicle you don't own.

http://commercialauto.progressive.com/commercial-auto-insurance-coverage.aspx

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Tow Truck Insurance

As a tow truck operator, people depend on you when they’re in distress. No matter what the situation – an accident or roadside assistance – your tow truck customers are counting on you. Why not select a tow truck insurance company that works as hard as you do to deliver superior customer service and value?

Call 1-888-240-9837 for Your Free Quote

Get additional information about commercial tow truck insurance at ProgressiveCommercial.com.

Tow Truck Businesses We Insure

Progressive provides towing insurance coverages for a variety of tow trucks, including:

• Medium/heavy duty tow trucks – dual/triple axle, including rotators
• Service and other towing vehicles used in the business
• Light tow trucks – single axle
• Car carriers

Insurance for Tow Trucks

Whether you’re storing a customer’s vehicle or towing it, you need to make sure you have the tow truck insurance coverages you need, including:

• Liability insurance, which covers you for any damage you cause to other people's vehicles or property.
• Physical Damage Coverage, which pays for repairs to your vehicle if it's ever damaged in an accident such as a collision with another vehicle or a falling tree branch.

Additionally, we offer On-Hook Towing insurance and Garagekeepers Legal Liability insurance to protect you when you’re storing or towing a customer’s vehicle.

http://commercialauto.progressive.com/tow-truck-insurance.aspx

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Truck Insurance

Whether you’re hauling furniture across the state or packages across town, you can’t afford to be idle. Your truck is your lifeline. You work hard every day and, in many instances, other businesses and people count on you and your truck for their deliveries. That’s why you need to make sure you have the best commercial truck insurance available.

Progressive can help keep your trucking business moving, just as we've done for more than 30 years. We insure everything from tractor-trailers and dump trucks to flatbeds and box trucks. In fact, Progressive is the #1 truck insurer in America.

Call 1-888-240-9837 for Your Free Quote

Get additional information about commercial truck insurance at ProgressiveCommercial.com.

Commercial Trucks We Insure

Progressive offers truck insurance for a variety of local and regional trucking businesses, including motor carriers and owner operators, such as:

• Construction
• Logging
• Freight
• Farming
• Dirt, sand & gravel hauling
• and more!

Truck Insurance Coverages

We offer the coverages you need to keep your truck rolling, from full trucking coverage to liability only coverage — and everything in between. We also offer Motor Truck Cargo insurance and Trucker’s General Liability insurance in some states.

We don't require minimum driving or business experience to get a Progressive Commercial truck insurance policy, either. Everyone from veterans to rookies can be insured on our truck insurance policies. Even drivers who just got their CDL — or those who don't have a CDL at all, depending on your vehicle — can get commercial trucking insurance at an excellent rate. Plus, veteran drivers and businesses could qualify for our Experienced CDL and Experienced Business discounts.

Assistance With State and Federal Filings

Taking care of filings can be a hassle. That’s why we process your state and federal filings for you. With our automated process, we can turn a filing around for you within 24 hours in most cases.

http://commercialauto.progressive.com/truck-insurance.aspx

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Business Auto Insurance

Whether you’re a landscaper, cabinetmaker, or florist, your customers are the heart of your small business. They depend on you to provide a service, like a unique landscape design, a hand-carved kitchen cabinet, or an exotic bouquet of flowers. Every day, you strive to provide the best products and services so that your customers are satisfied. You can trust Progressive to provide you with the best commercial small business auto insurance solutions, to protect you and your business in the event of a claim.

Call 1-888-240-9837 for Your Free Quote

Get additional information about business auto insurance at ProgressiveCommercial.com.

Small Businesses We Insure

Progressive’s offers small business auto insurance to a variety of business types, including the following:

• Landscaping and snowplow insurance
• Artisan and contractor insurance
• Courier and delivery insurance
• Restaurant and food service insurance
• Farming and livestock insurance
• Wholesale business insurance
• Religious and nonprofit organization insurance

With Progressive's small business auto insurance, you can cover a variety of vehicle types, including cars, pick-up trucks, vans, and SUVs. You can insure both inexperienced and veteran operators with clean driving records or points, too. In some states, we even offer coverage for drivers who have a foreign driver’s license.

Auto Insurance for Businesses

Progressive offers customized business auto insurance quotes for almost every type of small business. If you’re a new business owner with a pick-up truck or an experienced business owner with a cargo van, Progressive offers small business auto insurance solutions to meet your needs. Get your small business auto insurance quote and see how you can save.

http://commercialauto.progressive.com/business-auto-insurance.aspx

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Commercial Auto Insurance

Our commercial auto insurance plans offer protection for your small business vehicles and drivers. When you want to insure your work truck or other types of business vehicles, choose Progressive.

Affordable Commercial Auto Insurance

Commercial auto insurance from Progressive means good coverage at reasonable prices. We cover a range of business types, and we offer customized commercial insurance quotes based on your situation and needs. If you're looking for personal auto insurance instead of commercial auto insurance, we can help you with that, too.

Learn More About Commercial Auto Insurance

For more information about Progressive's full line of commercial auto insurance coverages, fast claims service, payment plans to fit your budget and more visit us at ProgressiveCommercial.com.

Commercial Auto Insurance Quotes and More

Selecting the right commercial auto insurance can be time consuming, and with so many commercial auto insurance companies to research, it's hard to know where to start. Our goal is simple: to provide you with all the information you need to make the best decision for your company.

When you get a Progressive commercial auto insurance quote, you can see the coverage available for your fleet of work vehicles. With Progressive, you can choose commercial auto insurance for many types of businesses and vehicles, including small businesses, commercial truck insurance, commercial courier insurance, seasonal work truck insurance, livestock trucking insurance, food service insurance and more. Start today and get the commercial auto insurance quotes you need.

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Professional Business Liability Insurance

Do you need business liability insurance? If you’re a white collar professional operating as an independent consultant, the answer to that question is an unreserved yes. The new wave of professional contractors now make up a hefty portion of the UK’s accountancy, legal and IT professions. Many of these professions deal in circumstances that a company may need on a short-term basis, but is reluctant to hire on permanently. Database designers, IT security specialists, accountants and financial consultants are often brought on board for particular projects, but have no place on a firm’s permanent staff. A growing number of companies are turning to what’s called white-collar freelancers for those times when there’s no call for a permanent position, but a definite short-term need.

Are you a white collar freelancer? If so, professional business liability insurance is vital protection for your business. Business liability insurance protects you if a client brings suit against you because an error of yours cost them money or damaged their reputation. The policy is designed to cover the costs of litigation or other legal defense, as well as any judgment or settlement that is reached between your business and your client.

Why You Need Professional Liability Insurance
But, you may be thinking to yourself, what sort of liability could I possibly incur? We’re used to the idea that physicians may incur professional liability if they make a wrong diagnosis or an error in judgment, any professional who offers advice on which others rely to make business decisions can also incur a liability if they make errors in calculations or violate codes of conduct. A few situations that might incur this sort of liability are:

• An error in your calculations results in an underpayment of taxes for your client, with a resulting fine. Your liability may be restricted to payment of the fine, or you may be held liable for the cost of correcting the error as well.
• Your failure to carry out industry standard tests results in a security hole in an IT security system that you designed. The client’s data is breached and they are liable to customers for losses. Their insurance company may come after you for reimbursement of expenses due to your error.

Any time that you give professional advice or provide professional services, you are opening yourself to the possibility of liability. Claims against you or your company cost money to defend. Even a frivolous claim that is determined to have no basis will cost you time and money to defend against. Professional liability insurance will cover the costs of that defense, as well as pay out on any claims that are judged to be due.

In addition, professional liability insurance may cover you for actual physical damages that are incurred through your actions or negligence. Those possible damages include such things as theft or damage to your client’s property while it is in your possession, or damages that result to equipment belonging to your client through something you did. If you knock a laptop off the corner of a desk, or spill coffee down the back of the printer, your professional liability insurance should cover the expense.

Finally, you may find it difficult to find contracts unless you are insured for professional liability. Many businesses that hire independent consultants are now requiring proof of insurance before they’ll sign a contract.

http://www.compuquotes.com/professional-business-liability-insurance.html

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Insurance Coverage for Churches

Many of today’s medium sized and large churches operate a lot like a business, with employees, financial statements, and risks. So, like a business, churches today need to purchase insurance. However, a church has risks and needs that differ greatly from the average business.

For years insurance for churches revolved around or was solely for the church building itself. Therefore insurance companies created policy packages that had aspects of liability but the focus of the coverage was on the property side. Such policies have also been developed for landlords, and are usually called fire policies or in some cases church policies. The benefit of these policies should be the lower cost. However, the downfall is that, sometimes, you get exactly what you pay for.

Understand that property insurance is still just as important as it was in the past. However, a mid-sized to large church today really needs to be prepared to purchase commercial policies such as general liability. Churches with packaged policies are probably vulnerable to the different types of risks that churches face. Risks such as claims of sexual molestation and physical abuse can be transferred by the adding this coverage to your existing commercial policy. Other popular insurance additions to commercial lines for churches include directors and officers coverage and excess or umbrella coverage.

Depending on the laws of a particular state, a church may also be required to purchase workers compensation coverage for their employees. Church officials need to sit down with an experienced insurance broker to determine if this coverage is needed. Predominately, due to the misconceptions that surrounds this particular coverage.

Auto coverage should also be purchased cautiously by churches. Churches that lease or own vans and buses need to be assured that the different activities that require the use of these vehicles are covered under the policy. For example, many churches offer after school tutoring programs where the student must be picked up from school. If you have a policy that states that the auto coverage extends only to the normal business activities, an accident occurring while kids are in route to the tutoring program may not be covered. Simply put, an after school tutoring program may not be construed as a “normal business activity,” of a church.

Although churches need commercial insurance coverage just as much as a business; church leaders may find that obtaining insurance coverage can be much more difficult. The wide spread publicity of sexual molestation in churches coupled with the huge settlements that accompany these claims have served as motivation for churches to be insured. Yet, at the same time these claims have also created obstacles for some churches trying to get the necessary coverage. Insurance companies now, prefer churches that perform background checks on those working with the youth and often request that staff and volunteers take at least one class on child protection.

In many cases the ability to gain funding for outreach programs may also revolve around their insurance coverage. Churches that attempt to get grant funding from the local, state, and federal government are often required to provide proof of insurance coverage. The terms of the grant may spell out the type of coverage needed and the policy limits.

At any rate, churches need to review their insurance coverage annually to ensure that all of their programs and activities are covered under their policy. And, to be certain that their coverage and policy limits are adequate given the type of risks that churches face.

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Pros and Cons of Excess or Umbrella Policies for Small Businesses

Trying to safeguard your business from unforeseen risks can be a daunting task. Yet, in many instances wading through the various types of insurance can be just as nerve-wrecking. These are the central issues behind excess or umbrella insurance policies. Excess or umbrella policies are in essence the broadest form of insurance protection available. However, there are things that a business owner should consider before purchasing excess coverage.

The most obvious advantage is the broad extent of coverage. In today’s risky world, the terms and conditions of regular commercial policies are well-defined and may exclude any number of events such as “Acts of God” or terrorism. Umbrella policies usually cover much more than the typical auto or general liability coverage. Yet, if you are shopping for umbrella policies and the terms of coverage are not broader than your current policies, you should not be alarmed. However, you should shop around.

Umbrella or excess policies typically do not replace your current insurance coverage. It is important for business owners to understand this, before they purchase umbrella or excess insurance for the wrong reason. Instead, these policies are used to supplement your current policy and usually kick in after you have reached the coverage limit for a particular policy. So, if your business is hit with a liability claim that would end up costing it $3,000,000 and your general liability policy limit is $2,000,000, your umbrella policy would cover the final $1,000,000.

You can also get much more for much less. Umbrella policies are inexpensive when you consider the financial downfall from which your business is protected. The monthly premium for typical policies vary depending on the nature of your business, its size, the type of risks that your business faces, and your implemented ways to reduce these risk. The disadvantage here would be that this cost must be added to your current insurance premium budget. Whether or not you can afford this coverage will depend on the premium and how well your business is doing.

Umbrella policies for businesses can be a tad bit more work than regular policies. Depending on your financial ability and the size of your organization, you may find yourself bidding out this service every year or every couple of years to find the best deals. Companies try this tactic in order to get a lower premium. Although your broker will do the majority of the hard work, you will be the one to compile your renewal data and loss statistics. Annual renewals can require gathering information of your business as well. Yet, the amount of information needed will revolve around the different goods, services, or practices that make up your business’ offerings. Excess carriers must be informed of potential losses. Typically with regular insurance, the claim may be filed directly with your insurance adjuster. Excess carriers are mainly underwriters that process the large claims. However, since your regular commercial kicks in first, you will need to notify the carrier once there is a potential for a large loss.

For a business owner, there are few reasons not to purchase excess or umbrella policies. With the amount of protection that you will receive the pros will always out number the cons. The most important thing to remember is to shop around and talk to other small business owners. You want to make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck, because as a small business, the one thing you can’t afford is to waste money.

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How to Switch Business Insurance Plans Without a Hassle

If you're considering changing your business insurance coverage, make sure you don't leave yourself unprotected against liability and loss.

When It's Time to Change Your Business Insurance Carrier

You're concerned. The premiums for your business insurance plan continue to increase, seemingly without cause. Maybe you've had an unfortunate experience with your insurance company when you've tried to pursue a claim settlement. Or, your business requirements have dramatically changed through growth or recession. You're considering a change, but make sure to use your good business sense and look before you leap.

Perform an internal cost-benefit analysis when gathering insurance quotes for commercial insurance. Not all insurance companies are alike.

Once you're certain you can do better, take the following prudent steps:

1. Contact your current insurance company and establish a date to close the account and end coverage. Formal cancellation, in writing, is necessary if you don't want policy disputes hanging over your transition to a new plan. Verbal agreements and handshakes won't hold up in legal matters.
2. Sign on and establish terms of coverage, premiums, and a start date with your new insurance company. It can be a juggling act to start new coverage at the same time your old plan expires. In the short run, it may serve you to have a month of overlapping coverage with both companies while you transition to the new plan. You don't want to be vulnerable if there's a month or more where you're operating without a net.

Timing Your Business Insurance Transitions

Depending on your existing policy, you may incur penalties for terminating your coverage prior to the expiration date. And they can be costly. If you can possibly wait, the most economical hand-off between insurance companies is typically at renewal time with your present insurer.

Of course, you don't always have this convenient option. If you must change sooner and can afford the penalty, then at least make sure you're leaping on to steady ground. When seeking business insurance quotes, consider:

• If your premium is lower, is the coverage the same?
• Have your business needs changed? Do you have more (or fewer) employees who need workers compensation or liability coverage?
• Has your inventory changed significantly?
• Have you recently moved or are you planning to move to larger (or smaller) offices or warehouse space?
• Are there more (or fewer) drivers and vehicles in your business fleet?
• Have you added a greater number of electronic devices, machinery, or refrigeration equipment?

In short, are you scaling up or paring back? Your new insurance should be tailored to your new needs.

Your New Business Insurance Policy

Finally, before making a change, ask for quotes that match the same business requirements against the levels of coverage to find the right plan for your needs. Are you seeking liability insurance to protect your business against suits for negligence? Do you have enough property insurance to cover losses from fire, flood, or other natural disasters? Does your casualty plan cover any anticipated events?
Have you considered business interruption insurance that covers losses in business income in the event of closures by natural disasters or supply-chain interruptions? Do you need life or disability insurance coverage for employees or co-owners?
Changing insurance companies can be tricky, but the opportunity may come at just the right time to evaluate your existing plan and add new protections or trim away excessive coverage.

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Business Insurance is a Necessity

The importance of purchasing business insurance can not be stressed enough, no matter how big or small your business may be. Many new business owners are under the misconception that business insurance is only for large, thriving companies, and that they cannot afford such an expense when they are just starting out. The following paragraphs will discuss why business insurance is not a luxury, but a necessity for all business owners.

Accidents cannot be predicted, nor can they be stopped. For example, even the most experienced landscaper has been known to accidentally snip something besides the bushes. If he is working on a $400 job when this happens, and the repairs will cost him $1000, he loses a substantial amount of money for the day. Having a good business insurance policy in place, the repairs will be covered, and no money is lost.

In addition to work related accidents, it is impossible to prevent crimes against business, like robbery, either. Consider this scenario. A small store owner is calculating his overall profits of the day, which he determines to be $2,500. Before he can put the money into the store safe, he is robbed at gunpoint, and his profits are lost. A business insurance policy will most commonly cover any stolen money, as well as any damage the robber may have inflicted upon the store. Without business insurance, the store owner loses his profits for the day, and is stuck with the expense of repairing any damage caused during the robbery.

The type of business insurance you will need will be determined by what type of business you own. Most generally, three main types of insurance coverage are needed for any business. These types of business insurance coverage are:

• Property insurance
• Liability insurance
• Business interruption insurance

If you have all three of these types of coverage included in your business insurance policy, you should be all set! The property insurance will cover your building, as well as all of its contents. The liability insurance will cover any accidents that may happen due to your business or product. Finally, business interruption insurance will cover you in the event your business has to be put on hold due to any man made or natural disaster.

In order to take advantage of the lowest rates and premiums for your business insurance, it is important to do your best to control your costs and losses. By making your workplace as safe as possible, you are helping to do just that. Be sure you have a security system in place, as well as sprinkler systems and fire extinguishers, in the event of a fire. If your business has an overall good loss history, in addition to a low rate of accidents or incidents, it can also help to reduce premiums with your chosen insurer.

There are many other options associated with business insurance than the ones mentioned above. Depending on the amount of money you wish to spend on your business insurance policy, the options are nearly unlimited. Before you decide on any business insurance policy, it is important to do your research, and compare prices.

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