Irish Independent: Explainer: What we know so far about Storm Lorenzo as it hurtles towards Ireland
Insurance group Insuremyhouse.ie have released their top tips for the public to minimise any devastation from the storm;
- “Check your external walls and windows to ensure they are adequately water resistant,” a spokesperson said. “There are various different products, sealants and varnishes available to waterproof any areas of concern.
- “In the event of a flood warning in your area, it might be worth investing in sandbags and/or flood barriers to protect your property, particularly if you live in a flood risk area.
- “During more risky periods keep personal and expensive items as high above ground level as possible, and ensure you know where water, gas and electricity mains are, should you need to turn them off or on at any stage.”
Leading insurer CFM Group has criticised plans for an insurance levy, saying it will be passed on to consumers rather than acting as a deterrent to premium increases. “We need more competition, not less. Competition in any fully functioning market drives down prices,” said CFM group Managing Director Jonathan Hehir.
Irish Independent: Families face higher costs as health insurer imposes second rise within a year
Health insurance expert Dermot Goode of TotalHealthCover.ie said all the health insurers have commented on a significant increase in claims through 2019, especially coming through from private hospitals.
Health insurance expert Dermot Goode of Total Health Cover suggests that, if you can maintain private health insurance payment for your child, you should. Why? If a policy lapses for more than 13 weeks, the student will face waiting periods for pre-existing conditions when they sign up again.
Deirdre McCarthy of Insuremycars.ie, says the changes would shift the “burden of understanding” from consumer to insurer. “As a consumer purchasing a general or life insurance product, it can be difficult to understand what insurers consider to be a material fact.”
Jonathan Hehir, Managing Director of Insuremycars.ie commented, “The licensing and sales of e-cars, while still small, are on the rise – with an increase of almost 70% in the first half of this year alone. For electric cars the CSO reports Laois had 1.7% of new private car sales for the first half of 2019, while Wicklow had the largest proportion (4.7%), followed by Kildare (3.6%) and Leitrim (3.5%).
https://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/motoring/477310/e-cars-sales-at-steady-pace.html
KildareNow.com: Co. Kildare has the second highest proportion of electric car sales in H1 2019
As regional e-car sales grow, Jonathan Hehir, Managing Director of Insuremycars.ie commented,“The licensing and sales of e-cars, while still small, are on the rise – with an increase of almost 70% in the first half of this year alone. In most cases, going electric will bring the price you pay down…We have also resolved an issue that was making it difficult for business owners and employees to move from personal car ownership to a company e-car. Since the Minister for Finance’s introduction of 0% BIK for e-cars under €50,000, would-be owners have been running into difficulties with insurance.”
Unfortunately, insurance companies usually charge more when the risk increases, and when it comes to our health, the risk generally increases as we get older. However, according to Deirdre McCarthy of Insuremyholiday.ie, a number of insurance providers will quote for people aged over 70, subject to the person being in reasonable health. Let’s assume that if your father is off to Australia for a few weeks, he is in good health. Most policies that offer cover will typically limit it to 31 days for any one trip from door to door.
Unfortunately, you are out of luck when it comes to the age loadings, according to Dermot Goode of TotalHealthCover.ie.
The legislation requires that any person who is 35 or over on joining must pay an additional age loading equivalent to 2% for each year over the threshold.
Rollercoaster.ie: A stay-at-home parent’s ‘salary’ should be way more than most people think
A study conducted by Royal London (Ireland) finds that on average, a stay-at-home parent’s salary is valued at less than €30,000 – but it should be closer to €44,000. This survey by protection specialist Royal London found that the average salary people would place on a stay-at-home parent was €27,500. Funny that, when wage figures estimate that the actual amount would work out at about €44,000.
A stay-at-home parent’s ‘salary’ should be way more than most people think
