Applying for insurance through postpaid plan – Here’s what we think

MANILA, Philippines — Say it’s been an auspicious year and you receive a mid-year bonus. Immediately your hands itch at the notion of tapping “checkout” from your favorite online shopping app, or you make haste to the nearest mall, having mentally readied your wish list, just in time for a mid-year sale.

A new pair of kicks to satisfy your sneakerhead obsession? That new gaming console—on sale, plus freebies? Or maybe, a new set of wardrobe to complement your style?

The struggle is all the more real. But something makes you stop and think.


As a young working Filipino, you are reminded of your priorities, like providing for the family, or fulfilling more important personal needs. One of which, as you’ve ubiquitously heard time and time again, is getting insurance.

However, you still end up having reservations regarding requirements and hefty costs.

Worry no more, this we can say with confidence. We found the answer in BIMA, the newest player in microinsurance, which Philstar.com had the experience of understanding firsthand.

A safe and trusted Swedish insurance company, we learned that BIMA is now in the Philippines to offer affordable insurance tailored for the needs of young Filipino professionals.

Of its current offerings, we highly recommend the Bundle Insurance Protection product that comes with P360,000 Personal Accident Protection and P40,000 Life Protection. Available for a minimum premium of only P300 a month, it can easily be added on-top of your monthly bills and expenses.


Another exciting thing about BIMA is that one can apply—more like subscribe—to its offerings via a postpaid plan, which this author tried.

Without the need to meet with traditional insurance agents, BIMA really understands its young target market who are always busy and on the go.

Easy, no-fuss processing

Based on our experience, here’s what you’ll simply need to do:

First, submit your postpaid mobile number to their website and get in touch with a BIMA representative. What’s great is that there are no health checks nor paperwork required, all that’s needed is an eligible postpaid mobile account.

Then, the representative calls your mobile phone. After confirming submission of the postpaid mobile number, the representative proceeds to ask for basic information such as name, date of birth, location (no need for full address, just the city or province will do), and one choice of beneficiary.

After this, the representative guides you in activating the insurance policy by sending a text message to BIMA (Key in “BIMA300” and send to 2462). Within moments, you will receive the confirmation message.

Once the representative has ascertained receipt of the confirmation message, a digital copy of your BIMA Policy Card is sent to your email summarizing the details of the insurance policy, which simply means you’re all set!

Do note that BIMA’s insurance offers are only available to subscribers of Smart Communications, but will soon become available to other telco subscribers such as Sun Cellular and Globe Telecom.

Benefits that we loved

Aside from ease and convenience, we also discovered BIMA’s slew of benefits. With an affordable monthly premium to pay on a rolling basis, you instantly get a coverage of up to P400,000 on your BIMA Insurance.

Much like traditional insurance, it sufficiently covers death or permanent disability due to accident, illness and natural causes.

What’s even better is that on top of the bundled insurance coverage, BIMA is offering a limited-time free P100,000 coverage on the first month.

You can all the more rest easy knowing that you get proper security and insurance for you and your family, especially since you’re basically paying only P10 a day for protection.

There’s one last thing that we loved with BIMA. Since your postpaid is subscribed to the insurance plan, your monthly payment will be charged to your account. This takes off the burden of going to payment centers or banks just to settle your monthly premium.

Additionally, BIMA’s insurance products are renewable monthly. It is a month-to-month basis insurance that you can quit anytime, if you so choose. All you have to do is key in “BIMA300 OFF” and send to 2462.

Processing of claims too is fast and simple, with only 10 working days of claim approval after validation.

So why choose BIMA?

With the emergence of affordable insurance, no one can be without a safe place to land their feet in dire situations.

Given its affordability, ease and benefits, BIMA is a strong microinsurance that’s apt for Filipinos looking for no-nonsense protection. It certainly lives up to its purpose of “protecting the future of every family” wherever they may be.

source: philstar.com

Long Island Man Faked His Own Death, Wife Says

The tangled case of the Long Island man who was feared drowned last weekend in the waters off Jones Beach — but who turned up speeding down the highway in South Carolina five days later — took a new twist on Friday, when his wife said he had staged it all without her knowledge.

The man, Raymond Roth, 47, an unemployed telecommunications manager from Massapequa, was reported missing from the beach by his son, Jonathan, 22, touching off an exhaustive air, water and land search by the police and other agencies.

At a news conference at her lawyer’s office on Friday, Mr. Roth’s wife, Evana Roth, said she had been preparing for her husband’s funeral until she found e-mails on their home computer on Wednesday. The messages were from Mr. Roth to Jonathan and suggested that it was all a plot that Jonathan was privy to. Jonathan is Ms. Roth’s stepson.

She said she then contacted relatives and called the authorities.

Early Thursday morning, Mr. Roth was stopped by the police in South Carolina for speeding. The New York State Park Police, which have been investigating the disappearance, spoke to him by phone and said Mr. Roth had assured them he would return to New York and clear things up.

Since the police did not charge him with anything, he was allowed to go on his way. His current location is unknown, though Ms. Roth and neighbors said they believed they had seen him driving around his neighborhood.

“There are no words to explain how sorry I am and embarrassed,” said Ms. Roth, who works as a doctor’s receptionist.

Ms. Roth said she did not know what Mr. Roth’s motive might be. According to her, he was fired from his job as a manager at Level 3 Communications, a telecommunications company, on July 20, shortly after he had threatened to shoot two supervisors. Around that time, the Nassau County Police Department said that it had contacted Mr. Roth about a licensed gun that he owned and that he voluntarily turned it in on July 21.

“He got fired, and it was a downward spiral from there,” Ms. Roth said.

She said their 12-year marriage was long troubled. She described Mr. Roth as an alcoholic who had mentally abused her for years. Their home was put up for sale last week. According to Ms. Roth, the house originally belonged to her but Mr. Roth coerced her into transferring it into both their names in April.

Ms. Roth said she had learned from Level 3 that he doubled or tripled the size of his life insurance policy in January, but added that she did not know its size or the beneficiary. She also said that just before the beach episode, he had withdrawn all their available money, and had taken out cash advances, totaling about $10,000. She also said she believed he had recently made out a new will.

Ms. Roth presented copies of three of the e-mails she said she had found. They were dated a week ago Friday and told Jonathan of Mr. Roth’s need to get cash for his “trip” and specified a time for Jonathan to call Mr. Roth from a pay phone or borrowed phone at a time share he owned in Florida so he could “find out how things are going.”

She also showed what Mr. Roth had left on the beach: his clothes, boat shoes, wallet and cellphone.

Ms. Roth said she felt in danger and was seeking an order of protection against both her husband and stepson.

She said she had not seen Jonathan, who lived with them, since Tuesday, when he told her he was going to New Jersey to stay with an aunt.

Neither Raymond Roth nor Jonathan Roth could be reached for comment.

The Nassau County district attorney’s office said it was collaborating with the police as they investigated the matter but had not yet decided whether to file criminal charges.

Ms. Roth said Mr. Roth had been calling her and sending her text messages since Wednesday evening. While she said she had avoided most of his calls, she spoke to him early Friday morning. She said that she asked him why he had done it, and that he replied, “It didn’t work out as I thought it would be.”

On the way to the news conference, Ms. Roth said, she heard from him again. She said he told her to “be nice” and asked if she was trying to send her stepson to jail.

source: nytimes.com

Home Insurance 101

For those of you buying a new home in this down market, one of the things you will definitely need before you can close escrow is a home insurance policy. Many people find insurance very complex because it can be. Most insurance contracts are written by attorneys and use big words that most people never heard of like "dwelling protection" or "loss of use". They sound nice but what do they mean? Well they are both standard coverage’s that come in a home insurance policy.

Before you purchase a policy it is recommended to ask questions. Get referrals from friends and family that have purchased a home before and do your own research. Make sure the companies are strong financially and they have a good reputation with the A.M. Best Rating. Also, understand that not all carriers follow the same standards if they are not admitted with your state’s Department of Insurance.

Lastly, you can talk to your insurance agent and make sure you get a variety of homeowners insurance quotes. Each carrier can offer different options and some may even offer discounts if you have multiple policies such as your auto insurance.

What to Look For

The first thing to look for is your Dwelling Coverage which simply means the structure of the house itself. However, the coverage is not based on property value but rather the possible reconstruction cost. In other words, if the home was damaged in a fire or otherwise and needed to be rebuilt, what would it cost to rebuild based on square footage, materials, labor, permits etc.? Whatever that dollar amount is – that is how much coverage you should have. Another standard coverage would be separate structures such as a detached garage or a shed. This coverage in California is typically 10% of your Dwelling coverage.

Secondly, you want to know your coverage will be for Loss of Use. If your home is damaged and becomes uninhabitable you will incur additional living expenses that should be covered. In addition, you will need to decide if your contents or Personal Property will be covered as this is not a standard coverage. This means your clothes, furniture, jewelry, electronics are not covered unless your home insurance policy specifically states so.

Lastly, you will need to consider a lot of the optional coverage such as Personal Liability, Earthquake, Flood, Hurricanes, Tornadoes or Theft. Of course by adding these coverage options will drive up your premiums but they may cost you more in the long run if you should have a loss due to one of these disasters. Again all of the carriers offer different options and prices depending on your needs so it is very important to shop around and compare your homeowners insurance quotes that you have collected.

I have been providing Insurance services to individuals, families and businesses alike for nearly a decade. Please visit us for your homeowners insurance quotes at Insurance Solutions to find out more.

Article Source:
http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051575960-1-home-insurance-101/