TipDeck.com » Legal Matters http://tipdeck.com Home of the how to videos and instructions Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:59:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 How to Choose a Car Insurance Companyhttp://tipdeck.com/how-to-choose-a-car-insurance-company http://tipdeck.com/how-to-choose-a-car-insurance-company#comments Sun, 31 Jul 2011 10:01:27 +0000 Sofi http://tipdeck.com/?p=11288 007 300x204 How to Choose a Car Insurance CompanyMost of the car owners want to buy insurance coverage for their cars based on the requirements and budget of their family. You may be looking for a car insurance company to insure your newly purchased car or to change your existing insurance carrier to save some amount of money, but it is very much important to spend some time in evaluating the car insurance companies based in individual pros and cons. When you select the right insurance company, you can avail various options to save money. However, individual requirements and criteria differ from one person to another, while selecting the right car insurance company. But you can always consider a number of common points while choosing a car insurance company.

Instructions

When you are looking for car insurance options, you can always consider purchasing the policy from a local insurance provider. The office of the local insurance service provider can be accessed in an easy and convenient manner to clarify various doubts, queries and problems relating to the insurance policy. Further, you can easily visit the local insurance carrier to file your insurance claims in case of any future accidents or mishaps with the car. A number of insurance companies offers services in various locations through the 24/7 customer care service, but none of these facilities can match to a face-to-face and personalized discussion to handle insurance policy related issues.

You also have to check the financial strength ratings of the insurance carrier before buying the car insurance policy. Some of the companies like Standard & Poor publish the financial strength rating of the insurance companies on a periodic basis. The financial strength of the carries is of great significance due to its direct impact on the company’s ability to pay out the insurance claims. When you select one of the established and well-known insurance companies, you can avoid checking their financial strength. But while buying the insurance policy from a comparatively new, smaller or lesser known insurance provider, you must check its financial standing before buying the policy.

You can find a good car insurance company in a simple, easy and effective manner based on the reference and feedback received from your friends, relatives and colleagues. They must have done the evaluation and analysis in the past before buying insurance policies for their cars. However, you should not trust an insurance company blindly based on the feedback received from the people known to you. You have to compare the insurance carriers based on individual feedback and information before paying them money to buy insurance policy.

While comparing the different insurance companies, you need to consider a number of specific criteria. The terms and conditions of the insurance policies differ from one company to another. So you have to check whether the companies are offering any personal injury coverage, the types of deductibles you are allowed to use, and the cost of the insurance policy with monthly as well as annual premium payment plans. You can even consider the additional cost involved to add multiple drivers to a single insurance policy and the conditions applicable if you are using the cars for frequent travels or providing the car on rent. Once you understand the terms of a specific car insurance policy, it will be much easier to choose the right car insurance company.

Watch a video instruction on car insurance : how to choose the best car insurance

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]]> http://tipdeck.com/how-to-choose-a-car-insurance-company/feed How to Become an Insurance Underwriterhttp://tipdeck.com/how-to-become-an-insurance-underwriter http://tipdeck.com/how-to-become-an-insurance-underwriter#comments Sun, 26 Jun 2011 15:03:16 +0000 Sofi http://tipdeck.com/?p=10564 How to Become an Insurance Underwriter How to Become an Insurance UnderwriterThe professional insurance underwriters are an integral part of the organization structure of each insurance company. These professionals are responsible for deciding whether the insurance cover is provided to the policyholder along with the exact terms of the policy. As an insurance underwriter, your services will be availed during a number of insurance related events like illness, vehicle accident, and property damages. You will identify, evaluate, and calculate the exact amount of loss sustained by the policyholder. Further, you will also be required to establish the legal identity of the person receiving the policy along with the quantum of insurance premium and risk coverage. So to become a professional insurance underwriter, you have to possess strong communication and customer service skills in addition to strong knowledge in accounting and computer operations.

Instructions

  • No formal educational qualification is recommended to become an insurance underwriter. But most of the insurance companies prefer to hire candidates who have a bachelor’s degree or experience in any insurance related jobs. Further, you also need to have storing skills to operate computer and customized software. A number of large insurance companies also prefer to hire a graduate having a degree in finance or business administration. If you have a done any course in business law and accounting, the same will add to your educational background. You have to join the organization as a trainee for an entry-level underwriting job. Once you gather the required on-the-job experience and training, you will gradually be promoted to the post of an insurance underwriter.
  • When you join an organization as an assistant underwriter or underwriter trainee, you will be working under the supervision of an experienced risk analyst. You will start working on collecting information from the routine applications and familiarizing yourself with various types of insurance risk and the techniques uses to measure these. Once you gather some experience, you will be assigned with the responsibilities evaluate risks of more complicated and larger nature. During the initial training you have to familiar and master the various computer programs and software used to assess the risk. It is also very much important to pay attention to the minute details and use your judgmental skill to take sound decisions. Further, as you will be frequently dealing with the insurance agents and other professionals, you have to work on improving your communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Along with the practical on-the-job training, you need to master the changes in tax laws and government benefits programs along with the other changes in the insurance related regulations implemented by the state or federal authorities. You can even consider joining some of the certification training courses offered by the Associate in Commercial Underwriting (ACU) and the Associate in Personal Insurance (API). The ACU offers courses to initiate a career in underwriting business insurance policies, whereas the API offers courses to start a career in underwriting personal insurance policies. You can enroll to a course of your choice and obtain a professional certificate after clearing a series of courses and exams.

Watch a video instruction on  life insurance : how to become a life insurance underwriter

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]]> http://tipdeck.com/how-to-become-an-insurance-underwriter/feed How to Become an Estate Plannerhttp://tipdeck.com/how-to-become-an-estate-planner http://tipdeck.com/how-to-become-an-estate-planner#comments Sun, 26 Jun 2011 04:59:47 +0000 Sofi http://tipdeck.com/?p=10556 How to Become an Estate Planner How to Become an Estate PlannerAs an estate planner you will be responsible for the conservation, utilization and deposition of another person’s wealth and property. The profession also requires you to take the required measures to reduce and minimize the amount of estate or gift tax payable to the authorized because of the ownership of a person’s properties and wealth passing over to another individual during the lifespan or after the death of the real owner. Further, you will be required to allocate the provisions required for raking acre of the deceased person’s spouse and family members. So as a professional estate planner, you have to handle situations that are both complicated and interrelated in nature. It also becomes very much important for you to understand and master the basic estate planning principles, techniques and practices. However, you need to possess the required educational background and the professional certificates to start as a professional estate planner.

Instructions

  • To pursue the career of an estate planner, you must possess a degree in law. Many people can even pursue the career after having an advanced degree in finance and accounting. When you are going to handle estate planning, you will be required to handle some operations relating to accounting, finance as well as law. If you have a master’s degree in any of these subjects, you will have the required qualification to handle most of the responsibilities associated with estate planning. So you must join a reputed college and study these subjects relevant to the estate planning careers.
  • Once you got the required degrees, you can further enroll into the career related courses and programs offered by the Certified Estate Planner Association. You have options to select from a variety of courses administered by various companies. Based on the course structure and tests, you can choose an program that suits to your educational background and preferred area. National Institute of Certified Estate Planners also conducts professional test to offer certificates. When you sign up for a professional course, you can learn a number of important topics like living trusts, trust provisions for special situations, funding, revocable living trust, and joint ownership accounts.
  • These courses also cover the various factors associated with the estate planning profession. But you can study and clear in required tests in a straight-forward manner. Some institutions even allow students to attend most of the classed in an online manner. You can avail these facilities to study for the profession, based on your own convenience. Further, you will be required to proctor your exams and tests at the end of each lesson or module to gain the required scores.
  • Once you achieve the professional certificate, you will be asked to sworn to uphold the code of ethics of estate planning. After that you can seek employment in various companies dealing in estate planning services. You can even consider advertising for your professional services to work as a freelancer. Based on your preference to join an organization or work on your own, you can choose the venue of your professional work and pursue your career goals as a professional estate planner.

Watch a video instruction on estate planning : the probate process explained

 

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]]> http://tipdeck.com/how-to-become-an-estate-planner/feed How to Become a Mortgage Bankerhttp://tipdeck.com/how-to-become-a-mortgage-banker http://tipdeck.com/how-to-become-a-mortgage-banker#comments Sat, 25 Jun 2011 15:16:29 +0000 Sofi http://tipdeck.com/?p=10546 How to Become a Mortgage Banker How to Become a Mortgage BankerAs a mortgage banker, it will be your responsibilities to help and guide the people to buy the commercial properties and homes of their choice. You will be helping people to choose the most appropriate mortgage plan and assist them in filling up the various types of applications and documents associated with a mortgage transaction. A mortgage banker also evaluates the credit worthiness and lending risk of the borrower based on his past credit scored, profession and employment status. These professionals also play a significant role in arranging the funds through various federal government schemes and programs. So many people still require the professional services of a mortgage banker in spite of the implementation of the convenient online methods and standard and streamlined application processes. However, to become a professional mortgage banker, you have to posses the required educational qualifications in addition to a set of professional skills and expertise.

Instructions

  1. A professional mortgage banker is required to complete his high school diploma course and have a degree from a college. If you have cleared the certification test conducted by the Mortgage Bankers Association, it will help in pursuing such careers in the USA. In other countries, you have to follow the respective laws and legal restrictions related to the professional merchant banker licenses. You can even join some elective business management courses to master the business processes and models associated with this form of banking.
  2. If your state or territory makes it mandatory to obtain a mortgage banker license to pursue this profession, you have to clear the state exams and education programs prescribed by the authorities. Further, if your have a college degree in economics, finance, accounting or any other subjects related to business and finance, it will further help in pursuing the career of a mortgage banker. You cane even study for the professional certification courses offered by the Mortgage Bankers Association through its residential, commercial and a regular master’s programs. Further, you can also gain some professional experience by working in the mortgage industry to understand the professional duties and responsibilities of a mortgage banker.
  3. In addition to the educational and professional education and training, a person is also requires to possess some additional skills and expertise to become successful as a mortgage banker. As most of the modern transactions are being conducted by using a computer having internet connection, you must master the basic computer applications along with the special software used in mortgage transactions. It is also important for the professional to possess effective communication skills along with the ability to convince your client about the various schemes and plans offered by the bank.
  4. Further, as you are going to evaluate the creditworthiness of your client, you must possess the required accounting knowledge to understand and analyze various types of financial and income documents. You also need to practice the skill to provide your clients with advices and suggestions that are sound morally and ethically. It will also further help your profession, if you possess a positive attitude and exercise patience while dealing with your clients.

Watch a video instruction on Mary Ellen Doyle, Austin, TX. – mortgage banker

 

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]]> http://tipdeck.com/how-to-become-a-mortgage-banker/feed How to Create Your Own Willhttp://tipdeck.com/how-to-create-your-own-will http://tipdeck.com/how-to-create-your-own-will#comments Mon, 02 May 2011 10:08:42 +0000 Sofi http://tipdeck.com/?p=9254 How to Create Your Own Will How to Create Your Own WillA will is a very important document in possession of someone. Creating a will is a legal requirement done by a lawyer but some people can make it their own by applying some jurisdiction process. The fundamental thing one must adopt while creating a will understands the legal instructions and implementation .Someone can create a will by following some useful hints given below:

State identification clearly

In some cases, any individual of legal age with the proper mental capacity and sound knowledge of law may take on the task of drawing up a will. It is a matter of attorney to look it over but while it can be done without the aid of an attorney, it is usually a good idea to engage a legal professional to review the document for form and content. There are some additional requirements that are dependent upon the jurisdiction in which it is written. Generally, as long as one follows the criterion of the area in which it is issued, it can be considered valid. Otherwise it will make no relevance for the legal requirement.

Arrange document

Buy a standard paper will for your need. Statutory will forms have the same terms and clauses lawyers use to make it. Add some personal information and express the wishes. Make a list of what and whom like to will it to in plain language and it will be legal. Include the names, locations and dates of birth of immediate family members and all beneficiaries. Good lawyers can sometimes tell how to avoid a proceeding. In many cases, it is an unnecessary aggravation and expense and the process in which the will be admitted in the court in case of need.

Appoint personal representative

Executor or representative is the person who carries out your instructions and administers of the state after death of the will taker. Every state has rules over differently. In most cases, if the person is living in one particular area over that will do the will but obviously want a person who will honest, thrifty, prudent and resourceful to look after. Empower the representative to pay all the debts on behalf of the will if something happens.

Sign the will before witness

The witnesses can be anyone, but they must be able to legally sign a document typically in the meaning they are adults. If someone has two adult children, they may act as witnesses even if they receive something in the will. Two strangers willing to sign the will are also acceptable if it is a matter of law and can affect its validity. Check on this but in all cases, the will be fine if sign in the presence of three witnesses and a notary. All of them must watching while sign and present at the same time and all of whom are related to the will and not beneficiaries.

Writing a will is a difficult thing best handled by an experienced attorney. Law changes time to time and it makes difference from geographical point of view. So be cautious and collective while making a will for someone.

Watch a video instruction on legal information : how to make a will

 

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]]> http://tipdeck.com/how-to-create-your-own-will/feed How to Write an Inspection Reporthttp://tipdeck.com/how-to-write-an-inspection-report http://tipdeck.com/how-to-write-an-inspection-report#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:00:23 +0000 Sofi http://tipdeck.com/?p=5644 How to Write an Inspection Report2 How to Write an Inspection ReportNormally inspection reports are written by qualified inspectors describing the overall condition of a property along with evaluation of its structure and mechanical systems. This report is also prepared to indicate any hidden defect in the property which may not be detected by the buyer as he is not qualified to detect the defects. Some present reports also contain the termite activity present in the home and detected by the home inspector while inspecting the property. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires the inspection reports to be in the proper format communicating clear and concise information detected in the property at the time of inspections. Many individuals, businesses and agencies perform business purely based on the inspection report. So you have to keep in mind certain criteria and its effect on concerned parties while writing an inspection report.

Instructions

  1. While writing an inspection report you must consider the basic points that must be included in the report. There will be some points which you have to include as per the legal requirement. And there will be some subsidiary points you have to include in the report based on your observation and inspection of the property. So you have to start by preparing the list of requirements by referring to the governing legislation as well as some past reports prepared by yourself or your seniors. There are some manuals like the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Inspection Manual of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which lay down guidelines for preparing a home inspection report.
  2. After listing down the required criteria, next you have to consider amount of details you want to provide to the other party. Some people like to provide a lot of details about issues in their inspection report. There are also some clients who want to know everything about the property they are going to buy. At the same time, there will be clients who may know some aspects but are totally ignorant about others. Even some clients don’t want to know everything while buying the house but came back to you each time with doubts after taking possession of the property. So ensure that your inspection report is always layered. The report should contain the first layer of an executive summary or bottom line. The second layer should explain the issues to the client along with steps explaining how to handle the issue. The third layer in the inspection report should provide details of the reference material which your client can drill to avail more data.
  3. Also make sure not to mix limitations, defects, descriptions and maintenance tips together. Mention the job specific limitations in a separate section with clarity and backed by facts. You should also be consistent in your report and should not detail a particular topic in depth just because you know more on the topic on others. Always make sure to include the implications of a particular act so that the client will not come back asking “So what?”
  4. There will be times when you have to give some comments or an initial oral report while visiting the site. Ensure that you must have in your report what you have already said to the client at the time of site visit. This will make your report more believable and the client can use the report confidently. Also don’t explain any point in codes as the same can be interpreted differently by each individual. Also you can later be blamed for a code which is taken by your client in a different sense.
  5. Include a summary at the end of your inspection report. Also summarize all your conclusions in brief while writing the summary. This will make the intention of your inspection report clearer. But you have to mention that the person has to go through your whole report and cannot understand all the details by reading the summary.

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]]> http://tipdeck.com/how-to-write-an-inspection-report/feed How to Change your Namehttp://tipdeck.com/how-to-change-your-name http://tipdeck.com/how-to-change-your-name#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:00:17 +0000 Sofi http://tipdeck.com/?p=4761 How to Change your Name How to Change your NameThere are a variety of reasons why you would want to change your name. It could be that you seek a change, due to your marital status, may be your name coincides with someone you do not really appreciate or you simply are unhappy with your name. While you may have decided what you want to be called there are a set of rules one needs to follow in the U.S. Although the rules may differ from one state to another, the process is a general one that remains the same.
Here’s help on what you need to do if you need to change your name.

Choose a name

The most important thing to do is choose a good name. Pick a name that you are going to be happy being addressed by. You can just name your first name, middle name or last name or may be even all of them. But whatever you choose, choose carefully.

  • You can consult a professional numerologist to study the numbers that your name adds up to.
  • Check your favourite alphabets
  • Do you want to be named after someone you look up to or love
  • Avoid fraud names and faking someone else’s name, after a name is about your true identity.
  • Avoid using some brand or trademark names
  • Prevent yourself from creating an obscene name

Always consult an appropriate office of the local government. Find everything about the legal paperwork and consultation to make the name change.

Fill up all required forms

  • Get a petition for a name change. It is usually a mandatory step.
  • Apply for an order for a name change
  • A notice required to announce the change to the public
  • An affidavit of consent from the government
  • A form or affidavit to notify the authorities

Get the papers notarized

Get the notary done on all the documents that need to be notarized.

Maintain duplicate copies

Always maintain duplicate copies of all your documents. You never know when you would need to submit extra copies. You will always have a back up if you lose the originals.

Name submission
Submit required papers to the correct offices with all the details required to be fulfilled.

Wait for approval

Just in case your name change is not approved you may have to approach the court. If it is then you need to follow the next step.

Announce your name change

Advertise your name change in the newspapers and make a public announcement. This allows public to object or accept your new name.

If the name change is not approved
Approach the court and seek the name change you want to make. Fill up an affidavit and give it to the court clerk. Make the required changes and submit. Once you get the approval, make a public announcement.

Use your name
You will have to send your changed name to various administrative offices with an application and the name change document issued to you as proof. Approach the department of motor vehicle for a licence; apply for a new birth certificate, Social security administration and Bureau of records of vital statistics.

Approach the Social security department before you approach the department of motor vehicles to match all documents.

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