Insuring anything other than human life is called General Insurance. Examples are insuring property like house and belongings against fire and theft or vehicles against accidental damage or theft. Injury due to accident or hospitalization for illness and surgery can also be insured. Your liabilities to others arising out of the law can also be insured and is compulsory in some cases like motor third party insurance. |
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Why should one insure? |
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One of the main reasons one should insure is to protect one’s belongings and assets against financial loss. When one has earned and accumulated property, protecting it is prudent. The law also requires us to be insured against some liabilities. That is, in case we should cause a loss to another person, that person is entitled to compensation. To ensure that we can afford to pay that compensation, the law requires us to buy liability insurance so that the responsibility of paying the compensation is transferred to an insurance company
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Anyone who owns an asset can buy insurance to protect it against losses due to fire or theft and so on. Each one of us can insure our and our dependents’ health and well being through hospitalization and personal accident policies. To buy a policy the person should be the one who will bear financial losses if they occur. This is called insurable interest. |
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What kinds of policies are there? |
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Most general insurance policies are annual – that is, they last for one year. Some policies are given for longer periods – like fire insurance for residences – and some for shorter periods – like insurance for goods transportation or for emergency medical treatment during foreign travel. |
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| How much should I insure for? |
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The amount you insure for is called the sum assured. Normally a policy should cover the value of the asset – either the market value while insuring, or the cost of replacing the asset should it be lost or destroyed. The premium will depend on the sum assured. |
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| If I buy a policy and don’t make a claim, it is a loss. So, why should I buy insurance? |
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General insurance is not meant to be for savings or investment returns. It is meant for protection. What you pay for is the protection against a risk. To approach it as something from which returns should be obtained is not the correct approach as there is a price to pay for protecting a property worth lakhs for a few hundred rupees. |
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