Tax season has come and gone for most of us (did somebody say extension?), but even if you already filed, if you didn’t get it all right, you can expect to hear back from the IRS telling you to try again. One particularly confusing area involves the premium tax credit offered as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obamacare. The tax credit is a signature piece of the ACA, providing access to health insurance for millions of Americans who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it. Read More

There is still no free lunch, but state laws guarantee you a free look when you buy life insurance. It’s not exactly try-it-before-you-buy-it; first you buy it, then you try it. But if you don’t like what you see during your free look period, you can cancel your policy and get back any money paid, and it’s like you never had a policy in the first place. No harm, no foul. Sound good? Let’s explore more. Read More

Companies get bought and sold all the time, and insurance companies are no different. When any business is acquired through a merger or acquisition, the assets (and liabilities) of the acquired company go along for the ride and become assets of the new company. In the case of an insurance company, this means your insurance policy will be assigned to or acquired by the new company and stay in full force and effect, so long as you continue to render your premiums to the new company. Read More

First things first: what is a rider? You start with your basic insurance policy, which for most people will meet all their needs and cover them just fine. But some people have special requests and want to customize the standard policy to meet their specific needs. A rider is an additional insurance policy provision that is attached to your main policy and rides along with it. Riders are sometimes called endorsements as well. Endorsements generally refer to a designation on the main document, such as an additional letter on a driver’s license that allows you to operate a motorcycle or different types of commercial vehicles on a... Read More