Life Insurance and the Law. A laymans introduction.

Author: Luke Ashworth

There are no laws in the UK that require a person to have life insurance. It's an entirely voluntary insurance. About 40% of the UK's working population are covered by life insurance either through their own policy or via an arrangement through their employer.

So the simple things first. You have to be a UK resident in order to buy a life insurance policy from a UK based insurance company. This is not a requirement laid down in UK law, but UK laws and tax arrangements make it impossible for a UK based insurance company to offer insurance to anyone other than a UK resident. But be aware that if, having taken out life insurance, you later live abroad, your policy will be invalidated. Naturally, invalidation does not apply if you are on holiday but if you have a short-term work assignment abroad you are well advised to inform your insurance company before you go.

All UK Insurance Companies are subject to UK Corporate Laws. However, there are special regulations that only apply to insurance companies. These control the value of the risks the companies take on in relation to their financial reserves. These regulations are designed to ensure that your insurance company will be in a position to pay if you claim.

The Data Protection Act 1998 is concerned with way all UK businesses store, safeguard and use the data they collect about people. This is particularly important within the life insurance industry as the companies store significant amounts of very personal information about you - including your age, health record and life style. One of the key provisions of the Data Protection Act says that if a business wishes to pass on your information for marketing purposes, the business collecting the data must tell you of its intention and give you the opportunity of refusing permission for your data be used in that way. Incidentally, all reputable web sites selling life insurance will have a "Privacy Statement" which tells you how they handle your information and how it is used.

The Financial Services and Markets Act (2000) is the most important piece of legislation affecting the promotion of financial services in the UK including life insurance. The Act is highly complex but is primarily concerned with protecting you the customer. The implementations of the Act is overseen by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA regulates all forms of the promotion of financial products and services including the activities of financial and mortgage advisors in the UK. Their aim is to ensure you receive clear professional advice that reflects your personal circumstances. They also ensure you have a route to compensation should it be proved that you received inadequate or poor advice.

For the layman, the FSA's biggest impact is reflected in the advisors they talk to. The FSA seeks to ensure that all financial advisors are trustworthy and competent which includes being well supervised and well trained, and that any advice is given in your best interests. The FSA also ensures that you are given full and accurate information about the products you are being advised to buy both before and after you have bought them. They also closely oversee the organisations that actually create the financial products.

In fact everyone and every organisation giving financial advice in the UK must be authorised by the Financial Services Authority.

However, the Act makes a distinction between financial products bought as a result of a recommendation from a Financial Adviser and "Execution Only" business. Execution Only is where a customer is wholly responsible for the selection of the investment and therefore the financial advisers' sole responsibility is to process the purchase efficiently. Under Execution Only, the Adviser bears no responsibility for the products suitability for the clients needs.

You should be aware that many of the web sites promoting life insurance operate on this Execution Only basis. However, most web site operators provide extensive information to enable the client to make an informed choice. Sometimes the information is published on the web site and sometimes provided during a follow-up telephone call. Either way, within their Terms of Business the web site will have to tell you on what basis they provide financial services and as part of your application, you will normally be required to confirm that you have read those Terms.

Those Terms of Business will always include details of a complaints procedure. In outline, if a customer wishes to complain, then the customer must detail the complaint in writing and send it to the Compliance Officer for the business employing the advisor. That business then has to investigate the complaint and reply to the customer in writing. If the Compliance Officer upholds the complaint, and the customer has suffered a financial loss as a result, then the business must agree a financial settlement with the customer. Ultimately, if the customer has suffered financial loss and cannot accept either the organisations' conclusions or their proposed financial settlement, then the situation can be referred to the Financial Ombudsman. The Financial Ombudsman's service is free to the customer and they are wholly independent. The Financial Ombudsman's decision is usually binding on both parties.

The other central piece of protection for the customer is the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. This provides the customer with a level of protection if a financial organisation regulated by the FSA becomes insolvent and cannot properly meet its financial responsibilities to its clients.

Postscript The above information represents the legal aspects we think you will have found most useful. The information is neither definitive nor exhaustive but is simply an introduction for the layman.
If you would like more detailed information relating to the regulation of life insurance companies, insurance brokers, or financial advisers you should visit the Financial Services Authority's web site at: www.fsa.gov.uk


Luke Ashworth writes for Protected.co.uk, offering views on life insurance in the UK, visit www.protected.co.uk today and compare life insurance plans in minutes.


This article is free for republishing
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_250247_19.html

PA Lemon Law - Do I need an Attorney?

Author: gregartim

The Pennsylvania Lemon Law is a consumer oriented law that protects purchasers of defective motor vehicles. It applies to new model vehicles that are registered for personal use in PA, and can apply to cars, trucks, vans or SUV’s. The Lemon Law sets forth protections and rights for purchasers of new vehicles which exhibit defects or non-conformities which substantially impair the use, value or safety of the vehicle.

To be honest, the PA Lemon Law does not require you to hire an Attorney. You very well could proceed with a claim on your own, provided that you follow the letter of the law, the contractual obligations and the manufacturer requirements in doing so. The mistake in doing that is three-fold. To begin with the obvious, you do not have a license to practice law and are not overly educated on the subject, at least not to the level of an experienced practitioner. Second, you do not know the intricacies and nuances of handling such a claim and further do not have the established relationships with the Manufacturers that Lemon Law Attorneys do. Third, and this is the big one, it is absolutely free to hire a Lemon Law Attorney in PA. Read that again, a FREE attorney to handle your very important legal matter. So the question becomes “Why would you proceed without one?”

The reason that you can receive free legal representation on this type of case is that the PA Lemon Law provides that the manufacturer of your vehicle must pay your attorney fees if the vehicle is found to be a lemon. An experienced Lemon Law Attorney knows that and accordingly will not request an out-of-pocket retainer from you. He/She will take on your matter, provide quality legal representation, and then provide a bill directly to the manufacturer for his fee. Most Lemon Law Attorneys only charge a client when a recovery is made (i.e. a refund, replacement or cash settlement) so there is absolutely no risk on your part in hiring a Lemon Attorney.

I think we all can agree that free legal representation is a good thing, and that a matter involving such an important issue is best left to the professionals.

Greg Artim is an Attorney based in Pittsburgh PA. He handles Lemon Law and Breach of Warranty matters in all of Pennsylvania. Visit his website at http://www.ihatethislemon.com for more answers to your Lemon Law questions.

This article is copyright
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_263355_18.html

Law of Attraction Article: Freedom From The Opinion Of Others

Author: Janeen Clark

As if it isn’t stressful enough dealing with the critical voices we hear in our own minds all the time, we also find we have to deal with the criticism and opinions of others on almost a daily basis.

While we can sometimes benefit from the advice of others, we can also make the mistake of letting their opinions carry far too much weight in the decisions we make and how we decide to live our lives.

It is necessary to take a step back once in awhile and ask ourselves the reasons behind so much of what we do.

For instance:

Why do you have the job or career that you have? Is it something you always wanted to do? Or is it a job or career that others such as your parents, spouse or friends think is the right job for you?

I have a friend who always wanted to be a writer. After she graduated high school she intended to look for a job in the publishing industry. Her parents however had a different idea. They didn’t think the writing field was solid enough. Jobs were hard to come by and easy to lose. Newspapers and magazines paid very little. Getting a book published was a one in a million shot. (This was all before the internet by the way.)

They convinced her that taking a job as a writer would be irresponsible on her part and that she should work as an administrative assistant on Wall Street instead. Plenty of positions available, good solid income, security. After enough pressure she caved and took their advice and became an administrative assistant for over 15 years. And hated every minute of it. The ironic part was when years later she decided to give her writing career another shot, it was now her spouse who didn’t want her to give up the steady income she was making as an assistant.

Even though they all knew she was miserable doing what she was doing, they wouldn’t or couldn’t, look past their own opinions of how she should live her life.

Luckily she finally came to the realization that this was in fact, her life, and not theirs. She started writing and submitting pieces in her spare time and eventually started earning enough to make it her full time job. She is now very successful and happy! But it was only when she realized that she had been sacrificing her desires because of the opinion of others that she was able to make the move.

So how about you?

Are you in the career you want to be in? Or have you been convinced by others that it is the best thing for you?
Are you getting married or trying to have a baby because others are telling you “it is time” or because you really want to?
Are you single because you want to be? Or is it because your friends are single and do not want to see you in a permanent relationship?
How about the person you are dating or married to? Is it a person you want to be with or is it a person others are telling you is “perfect for you.”
The clothes in your closet. Are they clothes you enjoy and are comfortable in, or is your closet filled with what others are saying are the “must-have” item of the season?
How about where you live?
Your religious affiliation?
Your political party?
How and what you eat?
How you look or how much you weigh?

It is important to take stock once in awhile and notice why you are making the decisions you have been making in your life. You need to remember that you came down to this Earth to live your life and to create what you want and to make yourself happy.

It is your natural entitlement to create your life any way you want to just by your being here! It is not only something we are all naturally entitled to - it is our reason for being in the first place. To create whatever we desire!

It is not your job or responsibility to live your life to please others. It is not your job to make others happy. It is their job to make themselves happy and to create the life they are desiring.

It is also very important to remember they other people do not live the consequences of the decisions that they want you to make. Only you do. Just like the example of my friend up above. Her parents wanted her to be an assistant. And she became one. And then they went off nice and happy and didn’t give it another thought, while she ended up being miserable every day for 15 years!

If you want true freedom in your life you need to remember that other people opinions are just that. Their opinions. It doesn’t matter if it comes from your enemies or most loving friends and family members.

They base their beliefs on their own personal experiences which could be completely opposite of what you have experienced in your past or what you believe. What decision might be right for them could be the absolute wrong thing for you.

Another thing to remember is to start trusting your own opinion more. You are an intelligent person. You’ve had enough life experience to know what you are wanting or do not want.

And refuse to accept any guilt about it. If someone tries to make you feel bad or guilty for not following their advice, it is more important than ever for you to remember who has to live with the consequences - you or them.

With practice you will find that making your decisions based on your own happiness will bring you an incredible feeling of freedom. And after awhile others will also start to know you as a person with your own mind who can not be swayed to do anything you do not want to do.

And they will either respect you for it and stop trying to change you, or move on and find someone else they can try to mold in their image. Either way, you end up living the life you truly desire to create.

If you would like to read about more ways to purposely create your dream life please visit http://www.theveryhappyhuman.com

Happy Creating!




This article is free for republishing
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_244394_24.html

What does employment discrimination law offer the disabled

Author: Gary Talbot

Employment discrimination laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of various things; this article discusses discrimination against those with disabilities. There are a number of acts covering discrimination, the primary one is the Americans with Disabilities Act. Its purpose is to define who is protected by law, what is illegal discrimination and remedies under the law. The law aims to protect, a person who has a mental or physical impairment that limits one or more of life's major activities, those things an average person can do without too much difficulty like seeing, working, walking, hearing, even breathing.

Employment discrimination laws cover the hiring, promotion and firing processes. This which means, a well-qualified applicant cannot be denied fair consideration for employment. Current employees cannot be denied promotion or terminated on the grounds of their disability. Training, benefits, and employee compensation cannot be waived or in any way altered due to a disability. If an employee or applicant makes a claim of discrimination, they must first be a "qualified individual with a disability", which means if the person is disabled, they must be able to perform the job or task before they can claim they are being discriminated physically.

Employment discrimination laws do not stop at you having a disability and being qualified and capable at your job. There is also a requirement that you be able to perform the job with or without reasonable accommodation. What is reasonable accommodation? It can include things such as making the facilities more easily accessible to people with disabilities, modifying equipment, job restructuring, a modified shift timetable, extra unpaid leave, having qualified people on hand. The employers' obligations in complying with employment discrimination law, is not required to lower production standards or safety levels to make an accommodation, nor are they required to provide items including glasses, hearing aids or special wheel chairs that could be considered as personal use.. as the term suggests employers are required to make reasonable accommodations for a qualified candidate, they are not obligated however, to do something if it would cause undue hardship on the operation of the business. Undue hardship covers things that could cause significant difficulty or expense when compared to overall the size of the business, the current financial status and the operation. This unfortunately provides a loophole that unscrupulous employers can use to discriminate.

No matter why you feel you have been discriminated against, it is important to always check all employment discrimination laws on existing statutes and any relevant case law prior to making a final decision on whether or not to file a complaint.

NOW you need more information on employment discrimination and a copy of the Free report "Employment Discrimination: Are You A Victim Of Discrimination?" so head over to YourEmploymentGuide.net
This article is free for republishing
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_253818_36.html

Do You Understand the Law of Attraction?

Author: Oscar

Article by Oscar, creator of Adult Sexy Friends Interactive Online Dating and Adult Personals community with advanced powerful features. Meet sexy singles for chat, romance, love or casual dates. Joining is easy and 100% free!



For women attraction isn't a choice, they either feel it for you or they don't, it's that simple. If a woman doesn't feel attraction for you from the start, they more then likely never will.


You cannot convince a woman to feel attraction for you. Let me explain.


Just because you're rich, attractive, successful, drive a nice car, take her to fancy dinners, buy her expensive things, that won't make her feel attraction for you. I know, it's not logical I get it, but women don't choose mates on logic. They might say they do, but they don't.


Women choose mates by their level of attraction they have for them (unless they are money hungry women after you for only your wallet) and not for what you can give them in return.


Men seem to think bribing women with gifts will make them fall in love with you, but it has the total opposite effect, women see this as you needing their approval because you don't think you are worthy enough to date them without having to buy them things in return.


Why do you think so many women get into relationships with bad boys who treat them terribly? Because these guys trigger an attraction inside these women. It's not logical, I know, but it's a fact. I'm not saying you have to treat women terribly to make them feel attraction for you, but you don't have to cater to a womans every need.


Women would rather date a poor guy with no money who's charming, funny, cocky and just a fun date then a guy who's rich, buys them things and is stuffy and boring. Women want what women want and you can either be what they want or be what they don't want, it's your choice.


This book isn't about changing you to suit women, it's about showing you that you don't need to do all these things to make women attracted to you, you don't need to bribe them, you don't need to stress if one woman doesn't like you, this is your life, you choose who you date, not the other way around.


What Qualities Do Women Find Attractive In Man?


Women when asked will say they want a nice guy who treats them like a pricness and pretty much has no balls of his own. They like the idea of getting flowers and having a sensitive guy to talk to about their problems.


All women will tell you they want to date the nice guy or that they can never seem to find a nice guy to date.


The problem is, this isn't exactly correct. These women arn't lying when they say they want these things.... on the surface they do, because it makes sense, it makes sense to want a guy like this, but on a subconscious level, they really want a man who takes control and acts like a man should So what qualities do women want in men? What they've always wanted and always will want. Women want their men to be men and not wussy boys who ask for approval to scratch their noses.


I know this sounds harsh, but it's true. Have you ever noticed the following? When you give a girl a compliment or tell a girl how beautiful she is she shys away from you?


BUT


When you notice a flaw about her she will get more involved in the conversation and take you more seriously.


Have you ever noticed....


When you buy girls gifts and take them to expensive dinners they end up later that night thanking you for a great evening and going out with another guy?


BUT


If you just go for a quick drink and act like you are equals she feels attracted to you because you're not catering to her every whim.


Have you noticed when.... You call a girl often after a date and she seems distant and funny


BUT


When you don't call her and you act like you're busy and could live with her or without her, she won't stop calling you.


WOMEN DON'T WANT TO BE CATERED TO, HOUNDED, TREATED LIKE PRINCESSES OR ANY OTHER RUBBISH YOUR MOTHER TOLD YOU ABOUT DATING.


This is from my experience what women want from a man.....


They Want You To Be Confident


They Want You To Lead


They Don't Want You To Get Emotional


They Want You To Be Fun With No Hang Ups


They Want You To Make Them Laugh


They Want You To Make Them Wonder


They Want You To Be Interesting


They Want You To Know What You Want From Life..
This article is free for republishing
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_252393_39.html