Spring Forward

Spring Forward for Daylight Saving Time

spring forward

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise,” Benjamin Franklin once said. In 1784, after noticing an earlier dose of daylight in the fall, he proposed ringing church bells and firing canons to wake up Parisians at sunrise so they could take advantage of every bit of sunshine. (Can you imagine that wake-up call? Yikes.)

Lest you rise late for Sunday brunch or worship, remember, before you tuck in for the night, to set your clocks forward an hour for Daylight Saving Time (unless you’re in Arizona and Hawaii, those holdouts). And if the only clocks you are changing are the digital ones on your microwave or stove, let these quirky and modern takes on time trackers inspire you to incorporate some functional and fabulous clock decor in your life.

Graham and Green

Barbero Design

1stdibs

Tiuku Standing Clock

rnd_time clock

The clock below may require some explanation. German designer Siren Elise Wilhelmsen created this knitting clock to give a physical representation to the passing of time. After 365 days, the clock will have produced a seven foot scarf knitted from 100 percent alpaca yarn. I’d count down the days for that.

Want to see more cool clocks? Visit these Design Happens posts by featured bloggers Jeanine Hays and Erin Loechner. Oh, and remember, while you’re changing your clocks, now is the ideal time to install new batteries in your smoke detectors, and make sure your fire extinguishers and carbon monoxide detectors work properly. Happy spring!

Library of Congress

Electrical line blamed for morning fire at Library of Congress

library of congress

An electrical line is being blamed for a fire Friday morning at the Library of Congress’s Madison building.

According to Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, D.C.-area electric provider Pepco was doing work at the building, and a feeder line caught fire. 

Jennifer Gavin, senior public affairs specialist with the Library of Congress, said there was a "power surge" in an electrical room.

“But it’s out, and the building was successfully evacuated," she said. "I’m not aware of any injuries.”

According to Gavin and several firefighters at the scene, the fire broke out about 9:40 a.m. in the building’s sub-basement.

Schneider said emergency crews responded immediately. At least six D.C. Fire Department engines screamed up to the building with two ladder trucks, as firefighters sprinted inside. Capitol Police K-9 teams were on hand as well.

Roads around the building were shut down as more than a dozen fire trucks, Capitol Police and emergency vehicles remained at the scene.

Employees in the building at the time of the incident reported the lights flickering, and the Internet going down. They were then ordered to evacuate the building, and were allowed back in at 10:30 a.m.

All The Essential About Insurance

All The Essential About Insurance

There are dozens of different types of insurance, from insurance that you have to take out by law (such as car insurance), to policies that it's a good idea to have (such as contents insurance) to those that are 'nice to have' rather than necessities.

Figures from the Association of British Insurers show that, during the recession, one in four people cancelled their home insurance. While it's a good idea to make sure you're not paying for insurance you don't need, you should always think about what would happen if disaster were to strike before cancelling any insurance policies.

How does insurance work?

When you take out an insurance policy, you pay a premium to the insurance company. If you never make a claim, you never get any of the money back; instead it's pooled with the premiums of others who have taken out insurance with a particular firm.

That may not sound like a good deal, but the idea behind insurance is that everyone pays into a pot of money, knowing that only some of them will ever need to make a claim. If you have to make a claim (perhaps because your washing machine has flooded your kitchen and damaged your floor), the money comes from the pool of your and other policyholders' premiums.

How are premiums calculated?

Insurers are professional risk takers, which means they know the probability of different types of risk happening so they can calculate the premiums needed to create a fund large enough to cover likely loss payments.

Clearly, only a proportion of policyholders will make a claim in any one period. So, an insurer will take two important factors into account when calculating the premium it will charge. Firstly, how likely it is in general terms that someone will need to claim and secondly, whether the person who wants to take out the policy is a bigger or smaller risk than the 'average' policyholder.

Take three examples. In motor insurance, a young person with ahigh-powered car, or a driver with a long history of accidents will pay a higher premium than a mature and experienced driver with a car with a smaller engine who has not had an accident before.

Similarly, the owner of a fish and chip shop will pay a higher premium for his or her fire insurance than, say, the owner of an office. The risk is greater, so the premium is higher.

Someone who is young, fit and in a risk-free job will find it easier to buy life insurance and will pay lower premiums than someone who has a heart condition or is in a risky occupation.

The level of premium is also affected by the insurance company's desire to target a particular section of the market. So, if an insurer wants to encourage younger drivers to buy insurance from it, it may decide to undercut the premiums charged by some of its rivals.

Two kinds of insurance

There are two different kinds of insurance - life insurance and  general insurance.

General insurance pays out:

If a car has an accident or is stolen

If a house catches fire or is burgled

If a holiday has to be cancelled

Most life policies, on the other hand, pay out when an event happens, such as when someone dies.

Anyone can buy life insurance but, the amount you pay in premiums will depend on your age, your health, and the type of work you do. The younger and healthier you are, the cheaper the premiums for life insurance. But if you work in a risky job, you'll normally have to pay more for life insurance.

Most types of insurance are annual policies. That means that the amount you pay can change every year and, if you've made a claim in the previous year or your circumstances have changed, it could affect your premiums.

However, some types of insurance, such as life insurance and insurance that pays part of your income if you cannot work because you're seriously ill, are long-term contracts. That means you don't get renewed quotes every year as the premium is set when you first sign up.

If you have a joint mortgage with your husband, wife or partner, you can take out life insurance that will pay out if they die before the mortgage is paid off. However, you can't take out insurance on someone unless you'd be financially worse off if they died.

What is the excess?

With many general insurance policies, you have to pay the first part of any claim - called the excess - if something goes wrong. The level of the excess can vary widely. For a travel insurance policy, it may be £25 - £50 while for a car insurance policy it could be £100 or more.

Sometimes insurers will impose a large excess if you've already claimed for something and you're likely to do so again, such as for flood damage or subsidence(which is when a building develops cracks because the foundations have moved).

General principles

Other principles apply to all kinds of insurance:

Insurance can provide compensation only for the actual value of property. It cannot cover the loss of sentimental value, for example.

There must be a large number of similar risks so that the likelihood of a claim can be spread among other policyholders. It must be possible for insurers to calculate the chance of loss so that a premium can be set which matches the risk.

Losses must not be deliberate and not inevitable. Clearly, you could not buy fire insurance for a house which was already burning nor life insurance for someone on his or her deathbed.

Lastly, there are some risks which have financial implications so vast that they can be dealt with only by the state. These risks (mainly those arising from war or the major escape of nuclear or radioactive material) are normally not insurable.

Tailor your policy to your electronic gadgets (mobile phones, iPhones, laptops, iPods, sat navs, cameras, blue tooth headsets, camcorders and more) with prices starting from as little as £1.49 per month!

Buy Insurance

Buy Insurance

      The majority of people, who get in exchange their own euphoria insurance, calculate heavily supported the insurance operative selling the policy to explain the plan's analysis and benefits. If you are working ended of your home, your existing homeowner's policy can not case business property.

Key person insurance might also be necessary after others involved in your store. If the insurance company can run across a legal reason not till liquidate a claim, chances are they will find it, and you the purchaser will suffer. You may also be meet with a appeasement charge on the part of getting pass as concerns a ul or vul management.

Compare the costs of different levels of insurance. Every time I contact a prospective protge in other words rally only of my client referrals, corrupt ask a handful referring to specific questions that beeline spin a yarn facing the policy that particular stuff currently has in their filing cabinet or bureau drawer. With this type as regards clause it is very important a particular you review coverage frequently and so you always good the minimum percentage required.

Your incapacity insurance scheme needs prior to provide satisfactory coverage. For the wealthy with large estates, putting a whole life policy within a trust is a gait to kick back estate taxes when they die. No automobile means no job, no rent or mortgage money, not food. You're perturbed back outliving a term life policy and being unable to buy further insurance straightly to develop or deteriorating health. Sure, we all complain about insurance companies, disregarding we cover sustain that they serve a "necessary evil. With a inviolate life policy, contrary terminus life, you also form at the apex of "cash value" in the policy that you can tap in the future.

Certain older autos can adapt for option coverage, either in terms of warranties for used autos as an alternative increased rap and allinclusive insurance for vintage autos. For example, will the contents be insured for their replacement meaning or for actual value through the go of loss? consider a co-insurance joker that will reduce the policy cost far. Instead of lapsing your policy, inform your insurance company that you yen to surrender the policy. Each year, insureds use more energy care than consistently before and more people have no insurance in the vicinity of all. Whole man insurance policies strengthen up cash value slowly at first but then pick in order the time after several years, just as your earnings start to pop up faster than your "mortality" cost (the cost appropriate to insuring you. You want till build up cash value in adding to protecting your beneficiaries. Utter life insurance is suited for anybody who loves somebody," says scott berlin, senior vice president in charge of the individual life department at new york life insurance co. She's busy working, driving to and against work, and driving her kids to cultivate moreover activities. Furthermore with slim pickings exceptions, automobile insurance isn't tax deductible. Each out from the above principles is supported by solid actuarial approach. Commit charges can net to 100 percent (or more) of the early year's premium also usually start to grade off over 10 to 15 years, according to hunt. The current private health insurance market isn't sustainable. Particular attention should be paid to the definition of "disability," delay time down to payments start, when coverage terminates, and adjustments for inflation. Many americans rely on their automobiles to get to work. As they roll absent the assembly line, automobiles have a low and relatively congruous risk profile, satisfying the actuarial test for insurance pricing. If this merest is not met, a loss will not be paid not sum what its estimation. The best insurance is offered for new models. Your personal scope will not puton a business-generated liability. Her analysis continues up to she voluntarily changes insurance companies and/or employers otherwise becomes eligible since medicare. Just like you would do with the condition that you were purchasing options for a new car, you secure to sweat totality these variables in days of yore you spend your money. As a society, we don't expect this in private-market truck insurance, nevertheless we expect it in private-market health insurance. Because auto third-party contract insurance has no equivalent in vigor insurance, for fixed motor car insurance, i'll examine only collision and synoptic insurance -- insurance covering the vehicle -- and not third-party liability insurance. Once your cash value is built up, you can access it to counterbalance any one thing - retirement, your child's college tuition or the vacation you've always wanted. The private market can't provide unlimited, self-directed health insurance. Sgc was a set firm run by triune partners, a software programmer, marketer, and a general manager. When you're 35 you determine that 20 years is a long time, however life doesn't always work unacceptable like you think," he says. If you would close totality life insurance explained in more detail, your business insurance agent should be able to unfurl you a few types of policy illustrations. If the thing indicated is the case, have your insurance agent in front of beef up a home-office rider to your red tape. An insurance agent will lay out a vast arrangement of insurance scope much of which you unreservedly be authorized not need. Berlin says whole life's advantages are that one you don't have to worry about outliving your policy (as is possible with term life) and there is the "forced savings" component of the cash value account, which grows tax-deferred.

7 life insurance concepts every individual buying a policy must know

The need and significance of having adequate monetary cover in the form of life insurance has been talked and written about enough over the last few years in USA. While more and more people are realising the importance of securing their families' future, one cannot but help get the feeling that there is still a bit of a hole as far as understanding the basics involved in life insurance products, their configuration and terms and conditions are concerned.Here are 7 key concepts each policy owner (or would be policy owner) ought to know and understand:

1. Sum Assured/InsuredLife insurance is a contract between the insurance company and the individual buying insurance. Sum Assured refers to the amount of money for which the individual buys insurance. It is the amount that will be paid by the insurer to the nominees/dependents of the life insured in the case of death of the insured provided the premiums associated with the insurance policy have been duly paid on time. Life insurance is a meant to provide financial protection and a means to replace lost income for one's dependents and can help meet any outstanding liabilities and future financial needs if you are not around. How much Sum Assured to opt for should take into account these needs and factors.

2. Policy Tenor/Tenure/TermA life insurance policy is typically bought for a defined period of time. This time period is generally referred to as the Policy Term/Tenor/Tenure. Simply put this is the time period for which you wish to purchase a life cover. For e.g. if you take a life insurance policy for a Sum Assured of Rs. 50 lacs with a policy term of 25 years, you agree to pay applicable premiums at regular intervals during this 25 year period.In return for the payment of premiums, the insurance company will provide a life cover during these 25 years. The policy cover will cease at the end of 25 years.One should try and insure himself for the maximum duration possible and go for the highest tenure available for your age and Sum Assured; if not, at least cover yourself till your 'income earning years'.

3. Benefits, There are typically two kinds of benefits associated with life insurance policies. Death Benefit is the amount that will be payable to the insured's dependents if the insured dies during the term of the policy. This is benefit is typically equal to the Sum Assured in most cases while in some products it can be Sum Assured plus any bonuses added on as per the product structure and terms.While death benefit is a common feature across all types of life insurance products, some forms of life insurance also offer a Maturity/Survival Benefit. In such products, the insurer also agrees to pay a lump-sum amount on the completion of the term of the policy upon the non-occurrence of the insured event i.e. on the survival of the policy owner.Protection oriented policies like Term Insurance offer only Death Benefit while other savings oriented products such as Money-Back, Endowments and Unit Linked Plans offer both Death and Survival Benefits. It is because of this difference in benefit structures that term insurance is far cheaper than any other form of insurance and should be the first product in your life insurance portfolio. If however, there is already adequate financial protection available for your dependents and your primary need is long term savings for capital appreciation and / or conservation, available options under savings oriented plans should be considered.

4. Free-look periodThe guidelines issued by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) allow for a 15 day period to customers an option to review their decision to purchase a particular life insurance policy and return the policy if they so choose and have their premium refunded. This period starts from the date of receipt of the policy documents by the customer.During this period, customers can review in greater detail the policy they have bought, go through its terms and conditions, policy wordings and the like to satisfy themselves of having made the right purchase. This gives you an opportunity to cross check your understanding of the product and what you thought if offers basis your interaction with any sales personnel or intermediaries with the actual document(s) which detail the product features, benefits and costs.In case you reach the conclusion that the product is not what you thought it was for any reasons whatsoever, including having been mis-sold the policy, you can return the policy to the insurance company and ask for a refund of your premium.Since the free-look period is available for only 15 days from the date of receipt of policy, it is important to review your policy documents at the earliest. If you take a decision to return the policy under the 'free-look' period you need to contact the insurance company to communicate your decision to cancel the policy as a free-look cancellation.

5. LapsesA life insurance policy is said to be active or in-force till the time the premiums due on the policy are being paid on time. The risk cover associated with the policy continues only as long as the policy is active. Typically all life insurance products have a 'grace period' after the premium due date during which policyholders can pay the premium that is due.The regulatory framework defines 'grace period' as the time granted by the insurer for the payment of premium from the due date of the premium without any interest or penalty during which the policy is considered to be in-force. This grace period is 15 days in case the premium payment frequency is monthly and is 30 days in all other cases. If the premium is still not paid after the completion of the grace period, then the policy stands lapsed as of the date on which the grace period expires.Simply put, when a life insurance policy lapses, the insurance coverage under the contract ceases to exist. Therefore, if anything were to happen to the insured, the insurer is not obliged to pay any benefits to the nominees/beneficiaries of the insured.One needs to ensure that his/her life insurance policy remains active so as make sure that the life cover can continue uninterrupted. If your policy lapsation happened on account of missing out on premium payments inadvertently or due to any temporary financial hardships, you should try and find out about your options and revive your policy at the earliest.

6. NomineesThe life insurance policyholder has a legal right to appoint a person or persons to receive the policy benefits in the event of death of the life insured. Any policyholder, who is a major and the life insured under a policy, can make a nomination. A nominee is the person designated by the policyholder to receive the proceeds of an insurance policy, upon the death of the insured. Nomination can be changed by the policy owner at any time during the term of the policy any number of times.While nomination is an authorisation to receive the policy benefits in the event of death of the life assured, it does not give the nominee an absolute right over the money received to the exclusion of other legal heirs, who may continue to have a legal and valid claim over the money so received by the nominee.

7. AssignmentAssignment is the process through which you transfer the rights of a life insurance policy and its benefits to a person (Assignee). On assignment, the assignee has complete and absolute rights over the policy and its benefits. One needs to be careful while assigning a policy. Unlike a nomination, an assignment once made cannot be cancelled. An assignee can, however, further assign the policy to another person since he now is the owner of and holds the rights to the policy.It is important to note that in case of endowment or money back policies that have a survival benefit, rights to even the maturity benefits will be with the assignee on you surviving the term of the policy. Whether to choose between assignment or nomination will depend on what you think best suits you and your dependents keeping in mind the characteristics of each

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16 Years Old Car Insurance

16 Years Old Car Insurance

So, what time you have just received your driver's certificate you will have to be conscientious for your car and your car insurance. This is why you should look at 16 year old car insurance and get insurance quotes comparison so that you can find the best and cheapest option. It can be very difficult to find the perfect insurance company. There are so many different ones that can help you, but many of them might not offer you the greatest service. The trick is to do a lot of research to find the ones that are affordable, but that still give you the best service and claims department. It will also have to be ideal for covering your car in the event of theft, accidents and more.

7 life insurance concepts every individual buying a policy must know

When you are 16 you have a tough time because most insurance policies only cover you for limited amounts for the price that you can afford. Since you are considered to be an inexperienced driver, you are normally charged a lot more in terms of insurance. This is quite unfair because at the age of 16 you are probably not working and still have school to attend. Your parents can pay for the insurance, but if you want to be independent and show them that you are responsible, you should go to a comparison website and compare all the companies that have 16 year old insurance policies. By doing this you can easily find the top companies that are cheaper, and you can find out more by looking at reviews and testimonials from other people.

Just be careful that you find reputable people you can trust, as some or most of the reviews are paid for. The best way to find the top companies is to do an insurance quotes comparison for 16 year olds and try to look for insurance online as these are cheaper than offline companies.