It is amazing how much literature has been written about the car insurance business online. The main approach in use by the bulk of the writings is in the direction of selling car insurance, rather than offer it in the proper context of insurance product or ‘a product to protect your assets and wealth.’ That is why when searching for the phrase ‘auto insurance’ a large number of websites emerge with the ‘selling’ phrases like affordable auto insurance, or cheap auto insurance or low cost auto insurance.In the early part of 2011 and according to Google AdWords there were 8,100; 74,000; 9,900 monthly searches for the above key phrases, respectively. On the other hand, there were only 110 searches for the phrase ‘reliable auto insurance’, 170 searches for ‘quality auto insurance’, and 8,100 for ‘top auto insurance companies.’ It is rather easy to conclude that most of the searches on line are about price, not quality of insurance.A basic principle in marketing is to understand what people ‘want’ and design and package your product or service to meet what the folks want. Looking at those numbers we can tell that most people want cheap auto insurance. As a marketer, if you design any campaign without considering that analysis you may eventually flunk the marketing tests, close your website and go do something else.So what’s the difference between auto insurance polices? From a ‘financial planning viewpoint’ car insurance comparison should never be based on price only, and perhaps most people agree that cheap insurance is not necessarily the best car insurance. But what most people do not know is that an insurance policy with the best rated company may also be one of the most problematic contract. An auto insurance policy should be compared in reference with three factors:1. Price: of course the cheaper the better.2. Company Rating: Non standard companies are more flexible than their standard or preferred counterparts with regard to past violations found on the MVR activities of the drivers and the credit score of the car insurance applicants. However, non standard companies are harsher than others in customer service and paying claims. Most of complains come from non standard insurance companies. While preferred companies do not hesitate to quickly pay for smaller claims suck as seven or eight thousand dollars claim, or even little more; all companies from top to bottom will try to examine the application to see if they have to or do not have to pay a $100,000 claim.3. Liability Limits. This is the most ignored, least understood, but is the most important aspect of the policy which affect customers during time they need the insurance. It measures how much protection you have in the event you get sued. A professional financial advisor will never ever sell you an auto insurance policy at low limits if he/she has enough information that you and your spouse have enough wealth to be sued for in the event that you or a family household member cause a major auto accident and your car insurance pays the maximum on the policy which turns out not to be enough.There are many insurance policies sold with superior insurance companies at the lowest liability limits mandated by the state. In the State of Illinois these limits are 20/40/15, which means that in the event you cause an accident that is your fault and you get sued by others, then your company will pay to others on your behalf no more than $20,000 for bodily injury for one person, no more than $40,000 for bodily injury for all other people in the accident, and a maximum of $15,000 for any and all property damage you case in that accident. If you are a business owner and you cause a major accident resulting in a unbeaten lawsuit of $300,000 and your insurance company maxed the payment on the policy and paid $20,000, the difference of $280,000 will have to come from your own money!Financial Planners and Auto Insurance Marketers Are Not in HarmonyFinancial planners are not in harmony with insurance marketers about the weight that needs to be placed on limits of liability in auto insurance. Marketers like to stress the aspects of price and company rating, while financial planners like to stress the importance of liability limits first, then company rating second, and perhaps price at a later stage.Although financial planners and auto insurance marketers have the common goals of maximizing their earnings while providing their services, the scope of their operations is different. Auto insurance marketers make their money by selling as many polices as they can have. The marketer does his best to make as many sales as possible, hence making small amount of money on too many policies sold. Financial planners work differently as they try to make big money from each of the few number of customers they have. Selling an auto policy is not the primary concern of a financial planner, but for him or her auto insurance is one of the fundamental subjects of the financial planning process.Car insurance agents look at auto insurance as a way to protect the car itself in the event of theft, fire or another loss, besides the fact that it’s the law. Financial planners look at auto insurance as an integral part of their clients risk management process. To the financial planner an auto policy is not to repair the car in the event of loss, but is mainly about protecting the assets and wealth of the insured, especially against potential lawsuits.Some auto insurance marketers would even suggest to cut down on liability insurance as a way to save money. No sound financial planner will ever make such a suggestion. No way!When does height matter?How high your liability limits should be is the main issue that should prevail when you buy car insurance. You probably need only the minimum liability limits mandated by the states if /when(1) you shopped for higher limits and could not afford it, (2) your current assets or wealth is not big enough to expose you to further lawsuits in the event of at fault auto accident. (3) you are a high risk driver where no one else wants to insure you except at the minimum limits. But, if you have certain amounts of assets and wealth, or is expected to have sizable assets or wealth, then you need to worry about the height of your liability limits.What about if you are not wealthy with plenty of assets? Even for people with little or no wealth, the height of liability limits should be much of a concern to them. This is due to the fact that liability insurance contains certain coverages to pay for your bodily injuries in the event that you get hit by a vehicle that is legally uninsured, or is insured but the insurance on that vehicle was not enough to cover your bodily injuries. According to the Insurance Research Council, approximately 15% to 17% all drivers in the United States are uninsured. Coverages for Uninsured Motorist (UM) and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) vary from states to states with regard to their mandatory status and limit amounts. In Illinois UM is mandatory at the limits of $20,000 for bodily injury per person and $40,000 for bodily injury per accident. Underinsured motorists coverage is not mandatory in Illinois but insurance companies must offer it to clients for policies issued with liability over the state limits. Clients can still reject to have higher uninsured/ underinsured motorists but it must be in writing. As you can see, your liability only policy provides coverage for your bodily injuries, and making sure that you have high limits on both liability, UM and UIM can have tremendous effect on your life.

Now that you have created a burning desire to be fit, healthy and attractive, and have begun secretly conspiring to satisfy your desires, the obvious question becomes…How?There are so many different types of fitness products to choose from… all claiming to be your perfect fitness, health and physique solution.* So many recommendations…
* So many famous personalities…
* So many advertisements…But which fitness product will work best for you?Here are some characteristics to look for when choosing a fitness product.The more of these characteristics the fitness product has… the better the chance you will succeed in achieving your fitness, health and physique goals.Your Physical Fitness Program Must Be… EffectiveWhile this characteristic seems like a no-brainer… you would be surprised at just how many people are actively using a fitness product that will never give them the results they seek.Many people say they want improve their level of fitness… and get a bodybuilding product.Big muscles are not necessarily indicative of a high level of fitness.Many people say they want to lose fat… and get an aerobic endurance product.Aerobic training is only a part of the fat loss equation, and will not produce the lean, muscular, athletic body most people want… regardless of all the hard work. The point is, make sure the fitness product you choose is designed to get the results you want… or you are doomed to failure before you begin. If you want to increase fitness, improve health and develop an attractive physique… look for fitness products designed to produce these results.Your Physical Fitness Program Must Be… InterestingLet’s face it, if you are not interested in the fitness product you choose… you will not use it long enough to see results.I don’t care if the fitness product was proven to work by thousands of scientific studies… it will have no positive effect on your fitness, health or physique if you don’t do it.And you won’t do it… if it does not hold your attention and peak your interest.No matter how many times you say…”This time I’m not giving up until I get the results I want.”… you will eventually give up if the fitness product is not interesting to you.Don’t force yourself to struggle with a fitness product you hate… look for interesting fitness products that fit into your lifestyle and match your personality.You should look forward to physical training… not dread it!Your Physical Fitness Program Must Be… ModifiableThere is not one fitness product in existence that can be all things to all people… regardless of what all the slick-tongued advertisements say.Fitness products must be modifiable to your goals, needs, abilities and limitations… you must be given a degree of freedom to make the physical fitness program uniquely your own.You have different wants and needs.You have different strengths and weaknesses needing specific attention.You must be able to take an active role in the use of the fitness product… modifying it into your perfect fitness program.Cookie-cutter programs claiming long-term results do not work.Look for fitness products that can be easily modified to your unique situation.Your Physical Fitness Program Must Be… Sustainable The more the fitness product is dependent on machines, devices and other complexities… the easier it is to destroy.What happens when the machine is not available, the device breaks or the complexity you have based you entire fitness program on is lacking?Your physical training comes to a grinding halt!I am not saying you should stay away from fitness products that use machines, special equipment, etc… only don’t choose a product that makes you dependent upon them.You are responsible for your fitness success… not the availability of a piece of equipment, or access to a machine.Look for fitness products that help you sustain physical training in your lifestyle no matter what the circumstances.Your Physical Fitness Program Must Be… ProgressiveThere are many fitness products out there presented as a fixed workout.”Do this over and over again and you will get the results you want.”And the workout may be effective in the beginning… for some people and for a limited amount of time.Unfortunately, any workout program not part of a progressive over-all plan is doomed to failure.This is why you still need fitness products with all the free workouts out there.A workout without a progressive plan is little more than manual labor… and will fail to take you where you need to go.Any improvements you see in the beginning will quickly disappear, leaving you asking, “What do I do now?”Then it is off to look for another workout to try.Make sure the fitness product you choose is progressive in nature… and not just “add more weight” either.Progression on many different levels is probably the most important aspect of any successful fitness program.Your Physical Fitness Program Must Be… MeasurableThe pursuit of fitness, health and physique is a journey… and like any worthwhile journey, it should be documented.The ability to measure your progress will keep you on the track of success… enabling you to see where you’ve been and where you’re going.Make sure the fitness product you choose comes with a workout journal, or that one can be easily made… Don’t underestimate the importance of a workout journal.Your workout journal will help you…* judge if your physical training efforts are getting you closer to your goals…
* decide if you need to modify your fitness program…
* and determine if it is time to switch to something completely different…… ultimately guiding and documenting your fitness success.Look for fitness products making it easy to measure their effectiveness… how else will you really know if it is working for you or not?Use Your Common SenseIf the fitness product…* attracts you…
* speaks to you…
* excites you…
* and ultimately makes sense to you…… it is probably the right fitness product for you.After all, only a physical fitness program you actually do, and that becomes a part of your lifestyle, will give you the long-term fitness, health and physique benefits you seek.Now that you have a burning desire to be fit, healthy and attractive, have secretly conspired within yourself to achieve your goals and know what to look for in a fitness product, there is only one thing left to do… act!In part 4, I’ll show you how knowledge without action us useless.