bundling your insurance policies - is it the right move?

If you've been driving for a few years or more, you may have already been involved in a minor at-fault fender-bender or other auto accident. It's likely that your insurance company helped pay to repair both your vehicle and the other(s) involved in the crash -- and your insurance rates may have risen dramatically as a result of this negative mark on your driving record. However, if a natural disaster causes you to crash your car through no fault of your own (like sudden hail that prevents you from seeing the vehicle in front of you, or a gust of wind that drives your vehicle into an adjacent one), you may feel these penalties are unfair.

While traditional wisdom says to buy 5-10 times your yearly income worth of life insurance, you might balk at the idea of buying $500,000 worth of coverage when you only make $50,000 a year. To maintain a healthy budget, you might decide to purchase significantly less—which could put your family at risk later. Here are two things you should think about before you shop for life insurance so that you choose the right policy for your situation:

At first glance, it may seem like dentists have little to fear when it comes to malpractice claims. The United States Bureau of Justice reports that dentists account for only 5% of defendants in medical malpractice trials. However, what that number doesn't tell you is how many dentists who, when faced with the prospect of a malpractice trial, just end up settling with the patient instead of defending themselves in court.

Auto insurance is something every driver must possess, but it can get expensive. There is nothing worse than opening up your car insurance bill and realizing that your premium has gone up. It can definitely do a number on your monthly budget. A number of factors can cause your car insurance premiums to spike, and it is important to know about them. Here are seven things that can make your car insurance go up.

Now that you're about to close on a house, you want to learn how to keep your homeowners insurance rates as low as possible. A relatively high deductible keeps premiums lower, but you also might consider getting certain types of home improvements that insurance agents like to see. Security features and enhancements that protect the house from adverse weather are examples. You don't need to have all these improvements done at once, but they are possibilities to keep in mind whenever you decide to make changes.

Every state in the United States requires some minimum level of car insurance coverage for all drivers, so if you own a vehicle, paying a car insurance deductible is just part of the process. How much do you really know about auto insurance, though? There are a lot of untrue myths floating around out there, and if you let them guide your decisions, you may find yourself paying more than you need, or discovering that you don't really have the right coverage after all.