 Pssst - Want To Know A Secret That Banks and Car Insurance Companies Don't Share With You
Every single driver in the U.S. is required to have Car Insurance. And most of us drive around confident that we have adequate coverage to protect us should we ever be involved in an accident.
Yet, almost 97% of all drivers are not adequately protected....and don't even know it. Here's what I mean.
Let's say you're involved in an accident and it's serious enough that the car is considered a "total loss" by your Insurance Company. Or, maybe your vehicle gets stolen. A few weeks later, you get a check from your Insurance Company.
When you look at the amount, you're shocked. It's thousands less than what you owe on your car. How can that be, you ask?
Well, like most, your policy has this short clause buried somewhere in all that legalese -
"In the event of a total loss, the policy holder will receive the actual cash value of the vehicle, minus any deductible."
Did you catch the 3, very important words in that clause? The three words are - "actual cash value."
Actual Cash Value means you're going to get a get a check for....
"What it's worth" not "What you owe.”
Isn’t that a nasty little surprise.
And like most, you owe quite a bit more than what the car or truck is worth. What would you owe your Bank or Credit Union if your car was totaled today?
So, how do you avoid this situation?
Well, when you buy a new or used vehicle, add a "rider" to your policy or purchase a separate "rider.”
If you have Homeowners or Rental insurance, a "rider" might sound familiar. For a homeowner’s policy, if you own expensive items, like fine jewelry, you need to add a rider to your policy. The reason - Insurance Companies won't cover those types of items as part of a regular insurance policy.
So, you pay an extra $5 or $6 a month to have those items fully covered by the "rider."
If anything ever happens to the jewelry, it gets replaced.
A rider for your car or truck is called GAP Insurance or GAP Protection. It's just like the rider for your Home - except it's only for cars, vans, trucks or suv’s.
It covers "What You Owe", not "What its worth.”
It doesn't matter what the reason is - if it's ever totaled due to theft, fire, accident, flood, tornado, vandalism, hurricane, it's covered - and paid-in-full!
You can protect yourself four different ways.
1. Put at least 20%-30% down on any new or used car purchase to erase any gap;
2. Purchase a "Rider" - AKA GAP Insurance from your Car Insurance Company or Bank;
3. Purchase Gap Insurance from another Insurance Company;
4. Buy Gap Insurance from the Dealership you're buying at.
Any one of these options is great way to protect yourself. Whether you're getting ready to purchase a new car or truck, or purchased a vehicle in the last 12 months, make sure the "gap" between what your vehicle is worth and what you owe is covered. About the Author: Tom O'Leary is an Automotive Portfolio Analyst based in Cincinnati, Ohio and Publisher of mynewcarpurchase.com, a consumer focused web site that offers assistance with a new car purchase, gap insurance strategies and is Author of the best selling guide "How To Get Low Cost Car Insurance For Life". |
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