I’ll be studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa and traveling for 5 months. I want to insure my laptop, digital camera and similar things. Which travel insurance plan do you think is my best option to insure these items? Thank you, Jesse
Hi Jesse,
My answer might surprise you since I sell travel insurance, but I don’t want you to spend $450 – $550 on a plan that won’t give you what you want.
In my opinion, it’s not worth buying travel insurance to just insure your laptop, digital camera, etc. That’s because travel insurance plans limit what they pay for categories or the items. You’re better off insuring them with a special items rider on your renter’s or homeowner’s insurance policy.
However, if you also needed medical coverage & emergency transportation, then the baggage coverage would be a good supplement to your renter’s or homeowner’s policy.
And, take a look at this blog post Guard Your Laptop While Traveling.
I hope this makes sense. If not, call us at 1-888-407-3854 and we’ll help you figure it all out.
Now, a word from our sponsor: TripInsuranceStore.com (the World’s 2nd Most Popular Travel Insurance Comparison Site)
PS – If you liked what you read, please subscribe to my Blog. You can also connect with me on Facebook, even follow me on Twitter @ SteveDasseos.
Technorati Tags: travel, travel insurance, trip insurance, cruise, cruises, cruise insurance
by Steve Dasseos, The Trip Insurance Guru on June 26, 2009
in Money
I used to be a Certified Financial Planner. I gave up all my Securities Licenses (Series 6, 7, 63 & 22) in September 2004 once TripInsuranceStore.com was well established.
I still keep close tabs on what’s happening in the economy. This is the first of a series of blog posts about what I think you should be aware of in respect to the US economy and your own finances. What follows is a simplified overview.
You’ve heard of inflation and deflation. What’s the difference? And why should you care? Here’s what the dictionary says:
Inflation:
in⋅fla⋅tion
/ɪnˈfleɪʃən/ [in-fley-shuhn] –noun
In Economics: a persistent, substantial rise in the general level of prices related to an increase in the volume of money and resulting in the loss of value of currency (opposed to deflation)
Deflation:
de⋅fla⋅tion
/dɪˈfleɪʃən/ [di-fley-shuhn] –noun
In Economics: a fall in the general price level or a contraction of credit and available money (opposed to inflation)
The USA’s Great Depression in the 1930s was a deflationary depression. Prices went down which had a severe dampening effect on the US economy. If my Great-Grandparents and Grandparents had buckets of money they could’ve bought a lot of land in the center of any US city for pennies on the dollar.
Around the same time Germany was in a Depression. However, it was an Inflationary Depression. Prices shot up and destroyed the purchasing power of the German Mark. Buckets of money could barely buy bread.
Why This Matters to You
You need to prepare differently if the USA is entering a period of high inflation versus entering a period of deflation. I don’t know where we’re headed.
On one hand, an argument could be made that “Helicopter Ben” has created so much money that inflation’s on the way.
(From Wikipedia: In 2002, when the word “deflation” began appearing in the business news, Bernanke gave a speech about deflation. He mentioned that the government in a fiat money system owns the physical means of creating money. Control of the means of production for money implies that the government can always avoid deflation by simply issuing more money. (He referred to a statement made by Milton Friedman about using a “helicopter drop” of money into the economy to fight deflation.) Bernanke’s critics have since referred to him as “Helicopter Ben” or to his “helicopter printing press.” In a footnote to his speech, Bernanke noted that “people know that inflation erodes the real value of the government’s debt and, therefore, that it is in the interest of the government to create some inflation.”)
On the other hand, deflation appears to be on the horizon. The Dr. Housing Bubble Blog has a good article called Deflating our way to Prosperity: Five Major Sectors of our Economy Pointing to Demand Destruction Price Deflation
The argument between deflation and inflation is still raging like a wildfire. It would seem that there is still no clear consensus as to what is going to happen long term. Just think of how many experts actually saw the housing bubble forming. Not since the Great Depression have we seen consumer prices contract so severely. Much of the argument for inflation comes from the actions taken by the US Treasury and Federal Reserve. Without a doubt, we have never witnessed such massive injections of liquidity and bailouts happening all at once. The argument goes that with so much money pumped into the system we must see prices rising at a certain point. Maybe but that will be for another day. Yet the current facts point to a disturbing menace that is deflation.
Read Deflating our way to Prosperity: Five Major Sectors of our Economy Pointing to Demand Destruction Price Deflation.
Where is the US Economy headed? I don’t know. I think it’s wise to think about both inflation and deflation. Ideally we have neither is in our future.
I hope this makes sense and helps you protect yourself.
This text is provided with the understanding that Steve Dasseos is not rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice or service. Professional advice on specific issues should be sought from an accountant, lawyer, or other professional.
Now, a word from our sponsor: TripInsuranceStore.com (the World’s 2nd Most Popular Travel Insurance Comparison Site)
PS – If you liked what you read, please subscribe to my Blog. You can also connect with me on Facebook, even follow me on Twitter @ SteveDasseos.
Technorati Tags: deflation, inflation, economics, cpi, fed, federal reserve, economy, recession, depression, helicopter ben, bernanke, ben bernanke