PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM BEING RIPPED OFF!!

Well, here it is Christmas time again, time for presents and holiday cheer!! Some of us will give gifts to family and friends that they received in the past for Christmas, and rewrap  them and give them to someone else.  WELL, I am going to give you an article here that I did for the Daily Advance newspaper back in 1984!! So, I am rewrapping insurance advice just in case you did not read that article.....

Insurance is one of those necessary evils which everyone of us and our families must deal with if we want to or not..Many are forced on us by society, others are needed by us on a voluntary basis to protect something of value we care for.  Once you become a member of the work force, you become wrapped up in the insurance dilemma  that will last for the rest of your working life..Some types of insurance, such as Social Security, Health Insurance and retirement plans, we have no say-so about. Our employers make these decisions for us when they sign us up for their group insurance or retirement plans. You usually must go along with their choice, but you have the right to fully understand what the benefits are.  After all, the money is still coming out of your paycheck every week to pay for these plans your boss says is good for you.

It is the bosses duty and responsibility you and the other employees know what their dollar is buying, not to hide information from you, but to make you aware of all the good and bad points of your coverage. It is better to find out now what your coverage is now rather than when you need it and find out it is not what you think you had..  It is bad enough that you have no voice in your insurance plans or how your money is being set up in your retirement plan, but when you buy your own personal insurance and still do not know what you are getting, well that is a crime!!Now, sure, you are not an insurance expert and you expect the person you are talking to about the policy to be knowledgeable and give you all the information you should have. After all, that person is a professional, right?? Or are they!!..Some agents just tell you that THEY WANT YOU TO KNOW, others sell you WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO HAVE..Very few times any say-so.  This is wrong, protect yourself and your money better!! Whatever an agent tells you a certain policy will do, GET IT IN WRITING FROM THAT AGENT!!, a note signed by them, a computer printout or a brochure from that company explaining the benefits.. Above all KEEP ALL THOSE PAPERS, do not let the agent show them to you, then take them away.. You retain 100%  of the information you see and only 25% of what you hear.. It is your money, demand ALL THE FACTS, good or bad.  If you are still in doubt, call the agent's regional office or Home Office to check out what they tell you.  Tell your agent you ae going to check on it, if they him-haw around or say do not do that.. FORGET THEM!! Do not deal with them!! PROTECT YOURSELF!! If you still want further advice, you can call the Insurance Department in Raleigh, or your own state capitol.. There, you can talk to someone impartial to that company.. Remember, the $$$$$'s you save could be your own.. Have a Merry Christmas and tell someone MERRY CHRISTMAS!! your face will not fall off, or you will not break out yelling ," THE MARTIANS HAVE LANDED".....If you would like to contact me with your insurance questions or concerns, call me at 252 202 5983, or my e-mail is--insdr@roadrunner.com-- Happy trails to you!!