Bowen therapy

Britney Spears is an American singer, songwriter, actress and author.

As a child, she appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions, as well as the television programs, in a spot in Star Search, and for about a year in the New Mickey Mouse Club on the Disney Channel.

Britney Spears rose to international stardom in 1999 when she released her debut album, ...Baby One More Time, which spawned five hit singles, including one (also called ...Baby One More Time) which rose to the number 1 spot in the Billboard Hot 100.

Britney's subsequent albums and singles have also been huge commercial successes, and have also received critical acclaim: she has been nominated for several Grammy Awards, and in fact won one for the single, Toxic, which was released in 2004 (from the album, In The Zone) . In total, Britney Spears has sold over 80 million records worldwide. In fact, according to the Record Industry Association of America, Britney Spears is the 8th best-selling female artist in American music history, and has sold over 30 million albums in the US alone.

As well as her music career, Britney Spears has also appeared in various movies and television programs, including starring in the 2002 movie, Crossroads. Britney has also participated in a number of advertising campaigns and has her own perfume line.

In 2004, Britney Spears married Kevin Federline. Although the couple divorced in 2006, she does have two children from her marriage, Sean Preston and Jayden James. As a result of these events, as well as a custody battle for the children, and controversial public behavior, Britney Spears' personal life has been subject to as much, if not more, media interest as her music and career.

By S. Tanna. First published at http://www.premiercelebrities.com/f1_britney_spears.php - Get Britney Spears music, books, DVDs, posters and memorabilia here!

Discover more celebrity profiles, pictures and life stories http://www.premiercelebrities.com/

The Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew, the hottest dancing competition in US, has declared its winner. Among the 12 competing crews, the JabbaWockeez crew emerged as the victorious group as they crushed Status Quo with their remarkable performance on the finale. The JabbaWockeeZ's members were Jeff Nguyen aka "Phi", 26, from Phoenix AZ; Ryan Shawn Paguio, 26, from San Diego, CA; Ben Chung aka B-Tek, 26, from Mission Hills, CA; Kevin Brewer, 31, from Sacrament, CA; Phil Tayag, 23, also from Sacramento, CA; and Chris Gatdula, 26, from Las Vegas, NV.

The two groups fought their last battle onstage, but still, the JabbaWockeeZ seemed to steal the heart of Americans when millions of their votes declared the group as the ultimate champion. Status Quo's members who are Joshua Green, 20; Ernest Phillips, 21, Jayjion Greer aka "Jin Lao", 18; Jamal Weaver, 20; and Dwayne Hines, 18 (all from Boston, MA) did not lose in vain. They had served one of the best performances in the history of dance competitions in the US.

During episode 7, the three remaining crews which are the JabbaWockeez, Status Quo, and the Kaba Modern had competed and gave their best moves. Status Quo performed the first act. The judges were impressed by the group's amazing stunts, but failed to make an impression with their lackluster choreography.

Episode 6 showed one of the most exhilarating performances on the show. The four remaining crews fought their way up from the dance floor and were required to perform hip hop dances with a mixture of Traditional Broadway acts. The most remarkable performance was done by Status Quo as they showed off their own version of "Hairspray."

The competing crews performed Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in Episode 5. This was done in honor of the artist that has become legendary with his dancing prowess and also to celebrate his album's twenty-fifth anniversary. "Thriller" sold over 45 million worldwide, and it is considered as one of the biggest selling albums of all time.

During Episode 4, the crews were made to dance while portraying their own characters based on movies. The audience and the judges were awed by the amazing performances they had witnessed.

During Episode 3, the crews were made to perform popular dances that possessed remarkable stunts.

The eight remaining crews, during Episode 2, were made to perform an act that is based on popular music video. They must have a unique interpretation that still jives with the video. The competition started with 12 groups (consisting of six members) showing off their hottest moves, they were: Full Out, The Movements, Automatic Response, Enigma Dance Crew, Femme 5, Iconic, Live in Color, Fysh n Chicks, BreakSk8, Kaba Modern, Status Quo, and the JabbaWockeeZ.

The show creator, Randy Jackson, has been in the music industry for more than twenty years. This music veteran and Grammy Award winning producer has started his career as a bass guitar player when he was just 13 years old. He got his big break when he joined the famous band Journey.

The first judge was JC Chavez who started his career as a member of a Mickey Mouse Club. He is also a former of a now disbanded NSync. Shayne Sparks, who is also a judge, is a professional dancer who was known for his jaw-dropping performance every time he was onstage. Lil' Mama, another judge of this popular dance competition show, is an hip hop artist who got her big break when her Lip Gloss hit the radio waves in 2007.

The show was hosted by Mario Lopez, Layla Kaleigh, and DJ Rashida. MTV is giving opportunity to people to show off their grooviest moves and style. If you are interested to join, create a profile and start uploading your videos. Just go to http://dance.mtv.com/ for further details. The casting for America's Best Dance Crew Season 2 is now ongoing.

Ant Onaf is a content producer in association with LearnClubDance.com (http://www.learnclubdance.com), a online retailer of learn to dance DVD and learn to dance video sets.

Thinking about a new GPS? The task of choosing the one that's right for you can be very intimidating. With so many great brands, models and features to choose from, how do you know which one to buy?

When picking a GPS, the most important question to ask is "What do I want to do with it?" Any automotive GPS unit will tell you where you are and where to go, without getting you lost. As RV'ers, we all have a set of basic needs our GPS must fulfill. Beyond that, it's completely up to you whether you want, and are willing to pay the extra money for certain features.

Pre-Loaded Maps

The first factor to consider is what maps you need pre-loaded in your GPS. That, of course depends on where you plan to travel. Many systems come with road maps for the entire United States and Canada loaded into their main memory. Some come with all of North America and some come with Europe as well. This gives you the luxury to go anywhere without worrying about whether or not you loaded the proper maps; it also makes the device ready-to-roll, right out of the box. Pre-loaded maps occupy part of the main memory of the GPS; any excess main memory can be used for additional maps, MP3 music, or custom POI's. This brings us to memory capacity.

Memory Capacity

How much memory your GPS can hold is very important as well. If you purchase a unit that has very little extra main memory, and can't be expanded; you may find yourself unable to add features or points-of-interest (POI) when you want. Many GPS models only contain enough main memory to hold their pre-loaded maps, with very little left over. This is only a problem if they do not have a memory expansion slot. A memory expansion slot allows you to add memory to the GPS should you ever need it. Most take a Secure Digital (SD) card for memory expansion. SD cards are inexpensive and a great way to add memory to your unit when you need it. More expensive units typically have a considerable amount of their main memory free for your use, and also have a memory expansion slot. Less expensive units typically use most or all of their main memory for built-in features, but most of them still have a memory expansion slot.

Text To Speach

Another important feature to look for is "text-to-speech." Most voice-prompting GPS units will give an audio notification such as "Turn left in 300 feet" or "Take next exit." A unit with a text-to-speech function will speak not only the direction but the name of the street as well: "Turn left onto Mulberry Lane in 300 feet" or "Take Exit 23A." This is a huge help for many people, especially RV'ers, as they won't even have to glance at the screen to know where to go.

Live Traffic Service

A great new feature to consider is live traffic service. Available in larger cities, a subscription to a traffic service gives you real-time, up-to-the-minute updates on traffic and road conditions. Freeway's blocked from Exit 23 to Exit 29? Your GPS will notify you and offer an alternative route. After a free trial period, traffic service typically costs about $7/month. Some Garmin units also offer XM Radio services, so that you can get not only live traffic but XM Satellite Radio as well.

Even beyond a typical traffic service is the new Enhanced MSN Direct service. Many of the upper-end Garmin units, like the Nuvi 780 come with this capability. With MSN Direct, you can check the weather, avoid traffic backups, compare local gas prices, get enhanced movie listings, stock information, news and local events when you travel with your unit. Even plan trips from the convenience of your computer, via Windows Live Local, and then wirelessly send locations to your GPS. Like a traffic service, MSN Direct carries a monthly charge after the free trial period.

Bluetooth Enabled

One of the newest additions to GPS systems is the integration of a Bluetooth chip. If both your cell phone and GPS unit are Bluetooth-enabled, you'll be able to pair them up for hands-free calling, dial-a-POI features, and more, making your automotive electronics suite completely integrated. Many campgrounds POI lists like the CoolRVToyz Ultimate RV Parks & Campgrounds Directory takes advantage of this feature on the Garmin GPS units and allows you to dial a campground hands-free from a touch of your GPS screen.

MP3 Enabled

Another new addition to GPS systems is the ability to play MP3 music. By loading your favorite MP3 music or audio book into your GPS you can play it either through the GPS' speakers or your in-dash radio. Many of the better GPS units also come with an FM transmitter to link them directly to your in-dash radio so the music comes out of your vehicle's stereo system. This is particulary useful since the GPS will automatically lower the volume of the music to give you directions, or if you receive a phone call.

Travel Guides and TourGuide

One of the most exciting new features is Garmin's new TourGuide capability. With TourGuide you can purchase completely guided tours for your GPS. Start the TourGuide and simply follow the tour. Your GPS will guide you to points of interest, explain them and even show you photos. It's like having your own tour guide right along for the ride.

Conclusion

Among the most popular GPS navigation systems for RV'ers are the Garmin nuvi 200, 360 and 680, the Lowrance iWAY 600C, the Garmin StreetPilot c550, the Magellan Maestro 4040 and CrossOver GPS, and the TomTom ONE 3rd Edition. So which GPS is the "best?" That depends entirely on your needs, your preferences and your budget.

Phil & Karen King are full time RV'ers. They travel 12 months a year and have extensive RV'ing experience. They are the founders of CoolRVToyz, a web site dedicated to bringing the latest, and coolest gadgets to the RV lifestyle, including The Ultimate RV Parks List & Campgrounds Directory, the largest, most accurate and most complete camping Campgrounds Directory available. Best of all, it's fully downloadable into your favorite GPS or trip planning program.

LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. LCD TVs are quite famous over the recent years due to their fault-less clarity and picture perfectness. Usually it is said that LCD has a greater lifespan than plasma TVs. But that does not mean that LCD TVs do not undergo wear and tear at all and work all through one's life. They too can undergo problems and other faults just like any other electronic device does. They generally work based upon the twisting and untwisting of the crystal.

The normal lifespan of LCD TVs is said to come to approximately 60, 000 hours. Some manufacturers also claim that their LCD TVs can last up to 80, 000 hours, when used under controlled conditions, like the room temperature, the other climatic conditions, the maintenance conditions etc. The display effect of these LCD TVs would definitely reduce as time passes by, because they are constantly being lit by powerful lights that could dim, just like the other electronic devices, over a period of time. This results in the picture getting dim as time goes by. Hence, the most important thing to be considered in an LCD TV is the actual lifespan of the light source of the LCD. There should be good warrantee provided for the light source of the LCD TV as this is the mean thing that controls the picture effects and clarity.

The quality of this light source is important to maintain the perfect white balance in the LCD TV. The back lighting bulb should be definitely of higher quality for the longevity of the TV. So it is better paying more for the branded ones that offer exchange or maintenance warranty rather than the cheap ones that do not have any warranties on them. Also the contrast levels have to be taken care of. The more the contrast levels, for a longer period of time, the faster the TV would age off. The lower the ambient light levels, the more the life of the light source.

Some Sharp LCD TVs provide separate units that have the light source, whereas the others have the light source placed along with the other units and so if the light source is out, the whole LCD TV becomes a waste. The main thing to be considered here and always to be remembered is the warranty of the back light. Unlike the other types of television the LCD TVs cannot be used for the whole lifetime because of its limited lifetime. The light beams are the main source used in the working of an LCD TV. When compared with the plasma television the LCD TVs have a short lifetime and the maintenance of the device is also easy when compared with the normal televisions.

Visit LCD TV Reviews site to read unbiased reviews on Acer, Goodmans, Hitachi, NEC, Toshiba and 40 Inch and 32 Inch LCD TV reviews.

There are many types of supplemental health insurance plans that you can take advantage of. There is also a way you can pay for them without altering your current insurance budget. The best part of it all is that the process won't take you much time. But, you must make sure you understand it well and implement it correctly. First, I'll take out time to explain a few things about them...

Just as their names suggest, they are supplemental. They are not substitutes for regular health insurance policies. However, they can help you recoup money you've spent on health care needs or income lost due to health matters.

The usual procedure is that you pay first and then make a claim for reimbursement. This is so because supplemental health insurance providers don't pay health care providers directly as is the case with most regular health insurance plans.

There are many types of supplemental health insurance plans. They are supplemental accident insurance, supplemental health insurance, supplemental disability insurance, supplemental life insurance, supplemental long term car insurance and supplemental medicare insurance. Others are supplemental cancer insurance (and for other specific diseases not usually covered under regular health insurance) and supplemental hospital insurance.

In each of the above cases, you get coverage on those specific areas that are not covered by your regular health insurance. Where it is partly covered by your regular health insurance policy, it extends the coverage.

While it is highly recommended that you get it, getting the extra dollars to pay for it could be a problem. Here's how to get the extra dollars...

Visit insurance quotes sites and obtain quotes for your existing insurance policies. The reason you should do this is that if you can save a few hundred dollars from your auto, home, health and other existing insurance policies, you will be able to pay for most supplemental insurance plans without altering your current insurance budget.

Visit at least three sites for each insurance policy. Get quotes for all your existing policies and then compare them to see savings you will make. Someone was able to make savings of over $2,000. Although you may not make anywhere close to such an amount in savings, you should make savings enough to cover at least one supplemental health insurance plan.

Here are my favorite pages for health insurance quotes...

InsureMe Health Insurance Quotes

Health Insurance Quotes

Publishers can get unique versions of my articles by following any of the links above. Click on "To Use My Articles" when you get to my site.

Chimezirim Odimba writes on insurance.

If you have loan outgoings to keep up with each month you could struggle to continue paying them if you lost your income. You could of course rely on savings, however if you were to be unemployed or incapacitated for any length of time those savings could run out. You could also apply for State benefit, but you have to be eligible to claim and even then the income you got might not be enough to pay your loan repayments. Loan insurance however can be taken for a small premium that is payable each month and this would allow you to cover your repayments and receive this income.

Policies begin to payout for a certain amount of time after you have become incapacitated or unemployed. The majority of providers will offer cover that continues for a period of 12 months, however some providers might offer a policy that would continue for up to 24 months. Some ask that you wait for up to 30 days and others ask a period of 90 days of waiting to put in your claim. During this time you would not have to worry about where you would find the money to continue meeting your commitments. You would have the money in the bank to fall back on which means you are able to concentrate on finding a suitable job that pays the salary you are accustomed to getting. If you are unfit for work it would then allow you to concentrate on making a recovery.

Loan insurance has suffered from a bad history due to the fact that the Financial Services Authority highlighted mis-selling in 2005. It was found that cover had been sold to individuals that could not possibly hope to claim on their policy. This included those who were retired or who only worked part time. Often there had been no or little information given at the time of selling the cover and essential information about what the cover can and cannot do was not mentioned. All payment protection comes with exclusions and it is essential that these are checked against your circumstances if you are to be sure that a policy is suitable. You also have to compare the small print of the policy as some providers will add in more exclusions that others.

While some changes for the better have been seen in the selling of loan insurance there is still more needs to be done. High street lenders still have a stranglehold over the sector and many consumers are still not aware that they can choose to shop around and compare protection. The high street lenders will not make the consumer aware of their options for taking a policy because by adding in protection alongside their loan they bring in 4 billion each year in profits. Never be conned into believing that the borrowing depends on you covering it with the protection offered, you always have a choice of whether you wish to protect it or not and to choose to buy your policy independently of the loan.

Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance, a specialist provider of loan insurance.

Use of internet has sped up life of the people. Driving a car is not a luxury these days. These auto loans are approved faster than other loans available in the loan market. Fast auto loans are available in two forms- secured loans and unsecured loans. Secured loans require collateral. The assets which can be placed as collateral are your house, important documents, jewellery and other valuable things. Most of the auto loans are secured with the car for which the borrower takes the loan. In this case, the documents of the car stays with the lender until the borrower repay the whole loan amount. Unsecured loans do not need any collateral. For this reason these loans are perfect for the tenants.

The loan amount you can borrow through these loans depends on the price of the car. The interest rate of the secure loan is less than the unsecured loans. The loan term depends on the type of loan. For secured loan, the loan term is longer which can be more than 6 years. You have to repay the loan in short term for unsecured loans. The short term varies from 5-6 years. The interest rate is high for unsecured and short term loan. The reason for this is that the lender gets less time to earn profit from the borrower. You can get lowered interest rate for long term and secured loan.

Fast auto loans are available to bad credit borrowers also. But the loan rate is high for them. If your credit score is above 620, then you ca avail these loans at low interest rates. Fast auto loans are available online. There are many lenders who offer these loans online. You can ask for free quotes. You can get cheap loans if you compare these quotes. Once you fill the form and your loan is approved, the loan amount is transferred to your bank account within 24 hours.

Carney Alden is a Masters in Accounting and Financial Management from Lancaster University Management School. Having completed his Master in Finance from Derby University. He provide useful advice through his articles that have been found very useful. To find fast auto finance, auto refinancing, online auto finance visit http://www.consumerautofinancing.com

In this day when companies are facing layoffs, buyouts, and other financial difficulties, it may be difficult to hold on to a good health insurance policy. Thanks to the government, however, there has been a couple of programs that will allow you to keep the same coverage you had before your situation changed - if you act soon enough. Here are some things you need to know about the COBRA program that could enable you to enjoy the same health insurance coverage you had.

COBRA, which stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, enables you to keep the same coverage for up to 18 months. In some cases, this time period may be extended for an even longer period of time for dependents.

Qualifying Events

In order to qualify for this program, participants have to meet certain qualifications. The good news is that the conditions for COBRA are rather lenient. If you were an employee, and are now out of work, you may qualify - even if you were fired, or laid off. The exception is if you were extremely negligent in your duties, or performed some act of misconduct that got you fired.

Other qualifying situations may occur in the event of a divorce or the death of the employee. Sometimes there may also be a separation involved, or the employee may retire, or go on Medicare. In cases like this the coverage may be extended for periods up to 36 months. One situation, however, where coverage will not be given, is in the event that the company goes out of business. In that event, though, you may still be able to get your health insurance coverage through HIPAA.

Application Time Is Limited

After a qualifying event occurs, you need to act rather fast because there is not a lot of time given in which you need to apply for the COBRA program. You must act within 30 days of the event by informing the insurance plan administrator (the employer) of your intent to continue the coverage. It is best that you do it in writing - for your own records. After you notify them, they will send you a letter within 14 days, and then you have up to 60 days to decide if you will accept the COBRA coverage.

The Premiums

While you are able to continue the coverage that you had prior to the event, there is a major difference that also takes place. Whereas the employer paid a part of the premiums previously - now it becomes entirely up to you to meet the full price. So, there may be a little sticker shock, because it will not be cheap. Since group insurance is usually much less expensive, you may be surprised at just how much the employer was paying.

The Coverage

One of the great benefits of using the COBRA health insurance coverage is that there most likely will not be any preexisting conditions given since you were already covered before. This means that your coverage continues without any hitches hopefully, and you can then continue to enjoy what you had before.

Joe Kenny writes for the UK Loans Store for loans in the UK and offer more information on secured loans in the UK and other loan topics on site.
Visit Today: http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk

Does having a bad credit means that you should not have a car? These are old concepts that are no longer true. With the advancement of world, sky is the limit for a bad credit debtor. He can still apply for auto loans to satisfy his dream of buying a car. If you are in this situation, car financing bad credit auto loans will allow you to get the best loans for buying a car.

If you are in search of a provider who can understand your interests and requirements, the Internet is the best source. You will find amazingly interesting and informative articles which will guide you to the auto loans that are optimal for your bad credit situation. Articles usually pin point the necessary tips that you have to follow while applying for the auto loans.

There is information available about the various lenders and providers ready to assist you with auto loans when you are haunted by a bad credit history. Provider reviews are one of the most attractive features of these sites, since they will give you the pros and cons of various lenders.

Guides can also assist you in searching for lenders. They will warn you about the possible mistakes you can make and also tell you the possible measure you can take to stay safe. A quote comparison is inevitable when you apply for the bad credit card loans. When you browse through the Internet, you will be amazed to find the lists of quotes presented for you.

You have to understand that these types of loans are always intended to assist you as a bad credit debtor and you should get the maximum benefit out of it. Learn about how to negotiate with your dealer and get the most attractive interest rate and payment schedule.

Spending time and effort on car financing bad credit auto loans is virtually guaranteed to save you time and money. If you want peace of mind and want to enjoy life to its last drop, dedicate yourself to get the best car loan, so you don't end up ensnared in debt later in a contract you don't fully understand.

You can find out more free information and tips about getting bad credit auto loans here. Or visit http://auto-loans.resourcesandinfo.net/Articles/Auto_Loans.php

Some really bad press has been printed recently, in relation to Payment protection insurance cover. This is largely due to the incorrect selling of such insurance, on behalf of lenders. Sometimes financial institutions don't even have the borrowers consent. When sold appropriately though, such cover can offer lenders ease of mind. The ease of mind given by the knowledge that they are protected from a variety of circumstances.

Payment protection insurance cover is more commonly known by its initials, PPI. Its major purpose is to offer you cover with repaying back a finance agreement, should you be incapable of doing so yourself. This could be due to redundancy or illness for example. The policy will cover you for a fixed period, and is sold with various types of finance, from store cards to unsecured loans.

Here are some things you should try to remember about PPI:

1. PPI is potentially of great value if you're taking out finance. It offers the contentment of knowing that if you cannot work and have a period of not being able to make payments, due to redundancy or an accident, then your payments will be covered. People worry about their credit rating being affected should they miss payments and therefore PPI is really useful.

2. There is no rule saying that you must have PPI. You can always just take out the finance. You do not have to have such cover. There are lenders out there that will say that this is the case but it is not. To allow yourself to make an informed decision, you should look at the personal benefits of PPI.

3. Should you take out PPI, and then you don't have to do so with your lender. Although it is not compulsory, a lot of people like the security it provides. You should though, remember that A PPI can prove extremely expensive with certain lenders and providers. The finance company that you take out the finance with does not have to be the company that you take out the PPI with. Therefore you should shop around a bit, and see which institution will give you the best offer.

4. It is not always the case that PPI proves beneficial. For some people it can end up being quite a waste of money. For instance, a self-employed person may be covered, but then finds that he has to make himself redundant. He would not benefit from the policy at all.

5. Some quotes seem horrendously inflated, and that's usually because they have already had PPI added to them. Causing people to unknowingly have PPI. Always check when you are given a quote, whether it does or does not have PPI costs added to it.

This article is written by Jonathan L Walker, on behalf of Claims Management UK, specialising in helping people with their Mis-Sold PPI

As the water began to drain from New Orleans in 2005, we learned that most of the homeowners in New Orleans did not have flood insurance, since they were supposedly in low risk areas. The over 60% of homeowners will need to depend upon their own savings, and limited federal assistance, to rebuild New Orleans at an uncalculated cost for homeowners and taxpayers.

Could that level of disaster, especially that level of uninsured disaster, happen in California? Less than 15% of California homeowners currently carry earthquake insurance, due to its high cost, the cant happen to me or my house factor, and mortgage providers not requiring coverage. The next big quake will result in billions of uninsured damage but is earthquake insurance really worth the high cost?

How Did We Get Here?

The state of California requires that all homeowners insurance providers to at least offer earthquake insurance (albeit, at a high cost). Until 1994, it was widely available but the high damage costs of the Northridge earthquake resulted in 97% of homeowners insurance providers pulling out of the state the California. In response, the California Earthquake Authority was formed by the California legislator to provide earthquake insurance.

What Is the California Earthquake Authority, and How Does It Work?

The California Earthquake Authority provides two-thirds of the earthquake policies in California, sold through their member providers, like Allstate and State Farm. A homeowner purchases the policy through their regular insurance agent, but the policy is actually a CEA policy.

The CEA currently has about $7.2 billion to pay claims, which it states is enough to pay foreseeable damages (Loma Prieta in 1989 had $6 billion in total damages). If the damage claims are more than $7.2 billion, then each claim would be paid a prorated portion of their losses unlike a regular insurance company, which promises to pay the actual damages under the insurance policy. The state of California cannot help pay the claims out of general funds.

The policies also have a high deductible usually 15% of the value of the dwelling. In other words, your home must be damaged more than 15% of its value before the insurance starts paying. So, this insurance is not for cracks in the driveway it is for significant structural damage to your home. The policy also pays for limited contents (starting at $5K) and loss of use (starting at $1500).

Why Is Earthquake Insurance So Expensive?

Insurance policy premiums are calculated based on probabilities the probability that a house like yours in a neighborhood like yours will catch fire, or a driver like you will have an accident. With data from millions of homes, these probabilities can be calculated with reasonable accuracy. But, no one can reliably predict the probability that there will be an earthquake strong enough to damage your home.

And, as you can imagine, damages from an earthquake, flood, or hurricane, are widespread, over potentially thousands of square miles instead of one or a few dozen homes, as in a fire. As such, the insurer would have to pay either zero claims, or billions of dollars of claims too much variance to reasonably plan for or price accurately.

Are We Really At Risk Here in San Jose?

According to the USGS, there is a 62% probability that there will be an earthquake of 6.7 or greater (like the Northridge quake) in the Bay Area in the next 30 years. In my zip code (San Jose 95126), USGS calculates a 80% chance of a 6.0 earthquake and a 20% chance of a 7.0, in the next 30 years. Whether you consider that to be a high risk depends on your risk tolerance for earthquakes I consider that a high risk of a moderate earthquake and a somewhat low risk of a terrible earthquake, over the next 30 years.

But like any issue involving real estate it is all local. Where your home is actually located significantly affects your risk bedrock, reclaimed land from the bay, soil type, nearby streams, actual distance from the epicenter all can affect potential damage.

But of course, many earthquakes occur where the USGS was not even aware of a fault line and we never know when or where it will happen, until it happens.

Should I Obtain Earthquake Insurance?

• Could you afford to pay for the rebuilding your home from your own savings & investments?


• Can you afford to pay the high cost of insurance, indefinitely?


• Could make payments on your current mortgage and on a new loan to rebuild?


• Can you mitigate your potential losses by bolting your roof to the walls and the walls to the foundation, for example?


• What is your tolerance for the risk of an earthquake?


• What is the risks of your current home construction (type, age, foundation)?


• What are the risks of your specific location (soil type, distance to known faults)?

Lets assume that you have a home that would cost $250K to rebuild, you will own the home for the next 30 years, and your earthquake premiums are $1200 per year. Over the next 30 years, that would be a total of $36,000 in premiums (assuming your premiums do not increase, to simplify calculations).

Instead of purchasing insurance, you invest the premiums in a diversified mutual fund. With an 8% annual return, you would have $135,000 (pre-tax) in year 30.* But of course, you only have that total in year 30, not in year one meaning that if the earthquake happens tomorrow, you dont have the money.

The deductible is another big turn off for many homeowners. The insurance pays only for large structural damage, not broken dishes or cracked driveways meaning that it is less likely you will use it. However, be aware that you will not need to come up with the cash for the deductible you may either opt to not undertake those repair or rebuilding costs, or you can apply for an SBA loan to pay for the deductible (assuming a federal disaster area is declared).

Why Not Just Get Federal Aid, or Walk Away and Let the Bank Have the Property?

The federal government would probably provide access to SBA loans, if the area is declared a federal disaster area (no small business required). However, the $200K maximum SBA loan may not be enough to rebuild your home and, it is a loan that you need to pay back (in addition to your current mortgage).

If you have refinanced your mortgage, you have a recourse mortgage which means that not only can the bank foreclose on the property in case of non-payment, the bank can also come after your personal assets and future income in case of non-payment. So you cannot just walk away, especially if you have a good income and some personal assets. The bank may help out by deferring payments for a few months, but you still must pay back the loan.

Last Thoughts

We have earthquake insurance on our home. Our home was not yet built in the 1906 earthquake (so who knows if it would stand), it is 75+ years old and is not bolted to the foundation, and we have a refinanced mortgage. For my family, the insurance premiums are worth peace of mind in case of a major earthquake disaster. Thats exactly what insurance is for the you never know.

*calculations ignore inflation

Elizabeth Potts Weinstein, JD, a licensed attorney and Registered Investment Advisor, is the founder of Potts Weinstein Financial Consulting, a financial and estate planning firm, headquartered in San Jose, California. The firm specializes in providing fee-only, hourly financial planning, estate planning, and investment advice for people from all walks of life and income brackets. For more information about Potts Weinstein Financial Consulting, or to subscribe to our monthly eZine 'Prosper!', please visit http://www.pottsweinstein.com

Unemployment insurance can be taken out with a standalone provider so that if you were to be made unemployed by such as redundancy you would not be without the money to continue meeting essential bills. No one likes to think it can happen to them, but it can and it does, and unless you have planned for such an occurrence you could be left struggling. In the worst case scenario you could be facing losing your home if you cannot maintain your mortgage. You could also see your credit rating decline and be left struggling to pay other essential bills.

Unemployment insurance is a broad term for a wide range of payment protection insurance that begins to pay between day 30 and 90 of being unemployed by such as redundancy, and it would provide you with the sum of money you insured against. You would be able to continue claiming on the policy for a certain period of time set out by the provider. Some providers offer protection that would give you an income each month over a period of 12 months. With others it might be 24 months. The terms and conditions will tell you and they will also state any exclusions that could apply to the cover.

If you have a mortgage to maintain each month then mortgage payment protection insurance can be taken out to protect just against unemployment. This could be an excellent way of ensuring that you would be able to keep up with your mortgage outgoings each month. If you got behind on your repayments by just one month you would almost certainly receive a letter from the lender. If you carry on having difficulties then you are looking at the lender seeking repossession of your home. Mortgage cover can be taken out as unemployment protection based on how much of your mortgage repayment you wish to cover, up to a certain amount defined by the provider.

Loan and credit cards might be a cause for concern; again you can protect them and ensure you have the needed money each month with loan payment protection. The policy would allow you to service your monthly loan repayments or credit card bill as though you were still working and you would be able to maintain them for the time stated in the cover.

Your income in general can also be covered with unemployment insurance. If you were to struggle for many months to find a job it would be able to maintain all of your essential outgoings while you found work. Jobs are not easy to come by in this day and age so it could be many months before you found suitable work. During this time you would not want to be worrying about how you were going to manage to pay your mortgage or loans. You would also not have to worry about feeding your family or paying any of the smaller bills that mount up each month.

Unemployment insurance can be an excellent form of back-up plan on which to fall and can be bought with peace of mind from an independent provider. Always shop around and get several quotes from which to make a comparison when considering taking out protection this way as the quotes do differ with each provider.

Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance, a specialist provider of unemployment insurance.