HOW WE HAS CHANGED IN INSURANCE

If we express all the amounts in euros for 2019, that is, we eliminate the role of inflation, we will find that the Spanish GDP, in half a century, has multiplied by 4.2, while the population has multiplied by 1.4. However, insurance revenues have grown much more: globally, they have multiplied by 11; by ten those of the compulsory automobile insurance; for 24 those of health; and no less than 60 life insurance premiums. This means that Spaniards cover our backs with insurance between 10 and 60 times more than our grandparents.

Successes such as that of the television series Cuéntame are a good demonstration that today's Spaniards have a high curiosity about what life was like decades ago; for example, half a century. This has made us think that, in reality, insurance also has its own Tell me how we have changed; because, the truth is, in half a century we have changed a lot. We are going to tell you some things.

From indemnity insurance to service insurance

Another thing that has been turned around like a sock is the level of service. Half a century ago, compulsory car insurance took care of 180,000 accidents; today it takes care of about three million; The automobile insurance of today, then, has already performed on January 21 of each year the same services that it provided in the entire annuity half a century ago. Likewise, health insurance was responsible for the services contracted in 1.4 million policies; today there are 7.8 million contracts. Finally, funeral insurance attended 179,000 burials, but today it attends 275,000.

In the period, the population has grown at an average annual rate of 0.7%. Car policyholders, however, have grown six times faster than that rate each year; those of health, five times faster; death rates, twice as fast; and the life insured, finally, have grown nine times faster than the population itself.

The difference between the growth rates of the population and of insurance clients gives a good measure of the enormous socioeconomic change that has taken place in Spain in these five decades.

Why has insurance grown so much, even outpacing the economy and the population? Well, there are several reasons for this.

First, as a society grows richer, the things it wants to protect are more, or more valuable.

For the creation of new insurance and coverage. For example, half a century ago there was no home insurance as we know it today.

For legal reasons. The main one in this period was the entry of Spain into the European Economic Community, which meant assuming the minimum insurance limits for compulsory automobile insurance, much higher than those then in force in Spain.

In general, terms, because insurance, half a century ago, was very little present in Spanish society and economy. In fact, after all this road, still, to this day, Spanish insurance is still less dense than that of the main European countries.

Next stop, the year 2060

COVERAGE AND MOST COMMON ACCIDENTS FOR SKI INSURANCE

 If you are one of those who enjoys sliding on the snow, take note of what we tell you in this post and add good insurance to your skier backpack. Statistics tell us that, in addition to enjoying yourself like a child, many other things can happen to you on the snow. In fact, according to our data, in January there is an unforeseen event every 23 minutes at ski destinations.

In the mind of a daydreaming beginner, powder snowfalls in slow motion as he imagines going off-piste. But when you wake up from that dream, things change. There are many things that can happen to you on and off the piste when you go skiing and, although we hope it never happens to you, the truth is that you must be prepared in case it happens.

There are several types of insurance that can protect the skier:

Ski insurance -

It is specific insurance for the practice of this sport that can be contracted on the slopes themselves or previously at any specialized insurer. Throughout this post, we will tell you about its most common coverage.

Ski pass insurance -

 It is the ski resort's own insurance and protects you from the moment you hire the ski pass, that is, the identification pass that gives you permission to use the slopes and facilities. It is basic insurance both in coverage and in limits because it actually acts as the mandatory insurance for travelers. With it, you are protected against the damage you suffer due to the poor condition of the slopes or facilities but not, for example, from the fall that you suffer due to your clumsiness on a downhill or from the damage that you cause to another skier when you hit him in your fall.

Other insurance -

There are other insurances that can protect you against unforeseen events on a trip to the snow, such as an accident or health insurance, but it is VERY IMPORTANT that you check before that it is specified in the coverage of your contract since, in fact, many companies they exclude it because it is considered a risky sport that requires specific insurance. Travel assistance insurance It is another of the products that can come to the rescue when you go skiing since it includes the transfer of the injured person, the early return of the injured person and those accompanying them, and even reimbursement for the crutches or medications that you have to purchase. This type of insurance also protects you in everything related to your trip to the slopes: loss of luggage, overbooking, or cancellation of the flight.

What coverage should ski insurance have?

 The liability is one of the most interesting coverages that insurance should include skiing since a bad fall can have consequences for the skier himself but also for the rest. If, for example, with your fall you take another skier ahead, you will have to pay out of pocket for their medical care and even compensation in case the injury has subsequent consequences. It is better to have insurance to protect your pocket in such a case.

This type of specific ski insurance can be contracted in the resort itself or previously through any insurer and depending on the product offer it may include other coverage or higher compensation limits. We speak, for example, of the breakage or loss of ski equipment, transfer to another place in case the slopes you go to for technical reasons or even accidents that happen to you off the slopes.

Accidents in the snow from a blow to a torn meniscus are a chore, but a problem that can be less if you have ski insurance. In case they have to help you on the track, the insurance covers the pick-up from the tracks, medical care, transfer to the health center, diagnostic tests, and even the medication you need. covered reimbursement for crutches and medications. In fact, the insurance even covers the refund of the amount of the ski pass and the ski lessons not taken if you cannot return to the slopes.

Be careful, if you have a fall on the slopes, the station technicians will pick you up and offer the basic health care you need, but these costs will be your responsibility if you do not have insurance.

The most common ski accidents

According to the travel assistance insurance statistics drawn up with data from the insurance companies themselves, accidents in the snow show seasonality. The winter months are the ones that clearly mark the ski season. January is when there is the highest number of accidents. This month an accident occurs every 23 minutes and 20 seconds. And it is that 7.5 out of 10 accidents occur during winter.

ON A RENTAL HOME WHO PAYS FOR INSURANCE

 If you plan to rent or rent an apartment that you own, you may have ever wondered if it is mandatory to take out insurance for the house for rent; and, if so, who should do it, the landlord or the tenant. The answer is not simple but what is clear is that, by renting or renting, you are not obliged to take out home insurance. What is no longer so clear is that it is a good idea not to. We tell you why and we also explain who should sign it, whether landlord or tenant.

The landlord is the one interested in protecting the continent, that is, the floor. The content, what is inside the apartment, should be concerned both landlord and tenant

Whose liability is in a rented home?

If we take into account the other great coverage of home insurance, which is third party liability, it is obvious that the landlord would do well to look for damages that the house may cause, as in the case of the famous leak that ends leaking to the neighbor below. Since the house is yours, the responsibility to repair the damage to the neighbor will be yours. However, watch out for the tenant, because he can also commit acts that cause damage to third parties, and will not necessarily be included in the policy that the landlord contracts. For example, a tenant's negligence could cause a fire, for which he would logically be responsible. If you are a tenant and you like to be calm thinking that any damage you cause will not weigh you down, then you should think about hiring specific insurance that covers civil liability.

Home insurance includes specific coverage for rent such as non-payment of monthly payments or vandalism caused by tenants

Landlord and tenant must insure in rental housing

One of the main coverage of home insurance is the integrity of it. The insurer undertakes to compensate if something happens that generates a cost. Taking this into account and given that the person responsible and interested in keeping the home in good condition is the landlord, it is he who should take out home insurance to protect the building itself, that is, what is usually called the continent or property. In the case of content, what is inside the house, things are not so clear.

n the first place, among the contents of the house there may be many things that belong to the landlord: the kitchen, for example. But it is also logical to think that the tenant has things (for example, a television or a computer). It is advisable, therefore, that everyone looks for their own and has their own home insurance. We are talking about insurance that protects damage to that content but also, of course, theft.

Specific coverage for rent in home insurance

Finally, do not forget the coverage's offered by many home insurance that is specific to the rental. The landlord, for example, can ensure the payment of the monthly payments, in order to avoid surprises. Likewise, you can also ensure vandalism damage to the house, especially its contents; In this way, you protect yourself against the eventuality of having a tenant who is not very careful with the house and cover the costs of repairing it and putting it in order when you have left.

In fact, if we think about cases of conflict between the landlord and the tenant, it will not hurt both of them to have acquired good legal defense coverage.

WHAT SHOULD I WATCH OUT FOR RENTERS INSURANCE

 Have you been lucky enough to find the rental you were looking for? Congratulations; Now, in addition to going crazy organizing the move and other issues, you will have to negotiate the conditions of the rental contract with your landlord: whether electricity and water are included or not, whether a month or more of deposit and all that move.

Well, among the many issues that are addressed in a rental agreement, one of those that you should keep in mind is whether your landlord has home insurance, which is independent of the renter's insurance. And if so, if this is only to cover what we call the continent (that is, the structure of the house, water and electricity pipes, elements fixed to the facade ...), as is usual, or if it also includes the content (everything in the house: furniture, appliances, jewelry, computer equipment, trousseau, etc.).

In this case, it is important that you seriously value, at a minimum, hiring a renter's insurance that provides coverage for your liability against third parties, for the damages that you could cause them. For example, if one day, demonstrating your skills as a Michelin star cook, you set fire to the kitchen, and this causes damage to your neighbor's home, even if your landlord has his insurance, as you are responsible, you could face the payment of the damages caused.

On the other hand, it does not hurt that if the landlord leaves any type of property in the home (furniture, electrical appliances, power strips, etc.), these are duly reflected in the rental contract. With this, you can avoid many headaches in the future, in the event of an incident that causes harm to other people

As we said, normally the owner's insurance will only cover the structural elements of the house, giving the tenant freedom to subscribe to a tenant's insurance that covers their assets and their responsibility regarding the damages that they may cause to third parties.

HOW MUCH DO YOU SAVE FOR RETIREMENT IN EUROPE?

 Some people think that saving is something for the rich; that, however, would mean that the USA is a country that is literally full of millionaires. In our country, 8.2 million people save through insurance, to which must be added the 7.5 million who have opened a pension plan. Is this enough savings?

As to establish a sufficiency or insufficiency it is always necessary to compare with something, we have proposed to see what our neighbors are doing, that is to say, other Europeans. Do we save more or less than them?

The first answer we can give you is the Galician one: the truth is, we save more than some Europeans, and less than others. The problem is that, in general, those Europeans who save more than us are those Europeans whom we, for the most part, want to resemble.

 Denmark, Switzerland and, Netherlands,  at the head of savings

Think about this: the flow of savings that Swiss households make, or that someone (usually, their employer) accumulates in their favor, is equivalent to 19% of all the income of that household or family. The Swiss, who leads the European ranking in this, save practically one out of every five euros they earn. But, that 19%, with what does it compare in Spain? Well, with 2%, which is our own ratio. So we strive to save nine times less than they do.

The Swiss top the European savings ranking: they save 1 out of every 5 euros they earn

On the European podium, together with Switzerland, we find the Netherlands, a silver medalist with a ratio of 16%; In other words, Dutch families stop spending in the present, in order to be able to spend it in the future, 16% of their income. The bronze medal goes to Denmark, with 11%. Olympic diplomas are for countries like the United Kingdom (11%), Sweden (9%), or Norway (7%). You must remember that all these percentages are compared to 2% in Spain.

European families save 2% of their income for retirement

It is evident that to reach some of these levels, things would have to turn around rather than change. For example, assuming that those who save are basically those who have income, that is, work, to emulate the Swiss, each employed person in Spain should save 6,400 euros a year on what they are already saving. A fortune, the truth, which would be 5,300 euros to emulate the Dutch, or 3,400 in the case of the Danes. But let's not kidnap each other. The differential with Germany is 953 euros per employed person and year, and that is 79 euros per month, two and a half euros a day. We are therefore two and a half euros from being German and, better still, 85 cents from being French. Equating us with France, then, would not cost us even a daily coffee. Everything is putting on.

If you want to start saving and you don't know-how, you could stop by our section Save a Lots of Life where, with four simple questions, we will guide you on which savings insurance is best suited to your needs.

WHAT IS LIABILITY INSURANCE, DO YOU NEED ONE?

  LIABILITY INSURANCE, DO YOU NEED ONE?

 Liability insurance is the most common of insurance. In fact, there are many insurance coverages for the house, car, health, etc. that protect civil liability. This insurance is translated as the one that protects you against damages that you may cause to third parties.

There are some types of liability insurance. These are five questions that can help you know if you need specific liability insurance.

Here we go!

1. Do you drive?

If you drive, it is mandatory that you have liability insurance. The commonly called "third party insurance" is this insurance and you must contract it in a mandatory way so that, in the event of causing an accident, even involuntarily, you can take charge, through your insurance, of the damages that occur. If you don't drive, you get rid of insurance and you need a good friend to take you everywhere.

If you have a vehicle, you have to take out liability insurance

2. Do you live for rent or do you own a house?

This one has a trap. Actually, it does not matter if you live in rent or in your house, you will do very well to have liability insurance.

If you live for rent, the renter's insurance will cover you if you cause damage to the property where you live, and that your landlord will claim you.

You live for rent or in your own home, you need home insurance with liability coverage

If you are the owner, the insurance will cover the damages that your tenants may cause to a third party. Finally, if you are an owner and you live in your own home, the civil liability insurance will cover you against the damages that you may cause to your neighbors, for example, if you leave the taps open.

You should know that neighboring communities also have this insurance in case the damage occurs in the community areas of the house.

3. What do you do?

There are professions that need civil liability insurance to be able to be exercised. This is the case of doctors, dentists, architects; Professions, therefore, that, in short, provide a service to a third party and that, if they go wrong, need protection that protects them.

If you are one of these professionals, you must take out liability insurance

4. Are there animals at home?

If you have a dog, it is good that you have pet insurance or, at least, civil liability insurance that protects you against damage that you may do to third parties; Your home contract may already cover it. It may unintentionally bite a neighbor or break something in the house. It is for these types of mishaps that it is good to have this protection.

If you have a dog, take out liability insurance.

Some breeds, especially dogs, considered in national or regional legislation as potentially dangerous, generate, by the mere possession of the animal, the obligation to have civil liability insurance. In these cases, then, the thing goes from recommended to mandatory.

5. Any hobby that requires being federated?

If you practice a sport that requires being federated, you will have civil liability insurance. There are sports such as football, mountaineering or climbing, athletics, cycling, and even hunting, which need a federation in a club. In the case of hunting, you need a license and compulsory civil liability insurance for your practice.

Whether you like the mountains, football, or hunting, you need civil liability insurance

5 Basic tips to avoid home fires

 The insurance figures allow us to estimate that every day, more than 350 fires of varying importance occur in Spain in insured or uninsured homes. Fire is something that can occur, but what does happen at the present time is that it is difficult for it to occur by mere chance. Most of the time, fire is the result of something we are doing wrong. Therefore, with the experience we have in dealing with the fires suffered by our clients, we present you with five fundamental tips to avoid home fires.

Don't overload the plugs

It is good that you are careful not to overload the plugs. You may be one of those people who is enough with a couple of plugs in the wall, or who are chaining one "thief" after another, as they need to plug things in. Well, no. If you overload the plugs, you're playing the game.

Keep your children away from fire

First of all, if there are any in the house, be careful with small children. Many children are fascinated by fire and like to play with it. For them, then, matches, lighters, kitchen lighters, flammable substances, etc., must be prohibited objects. It is your responsibility to get those things out of their hands.

Be careful with the iron

Although we have just told you that you have to be careful with all appliances that work with heat, there is one that is critical: the iron. The iron differs from the oven or the glass-ceramic in that you can leave it anywhere. Every time you are going to use it, make sure that you provide yourself with a non-flammable surface where you are going to leave the iron on. Also, turn it off when you're not using it; And yes, that includes things like the phone ringing or a knock on the door.

Gas, only when you need it

Go ahead and recover the good habits of your grandmother, who surely turned off the gas when she was not using it. You may be one of those who close it when you leave home but, in reality, the appropriate measure is to close it when you go to sleep. And it would not hurt to include in your routine when you go to bed the habit of checking the stove, oven, toaster, any appliance that works with heat, to make sure they are turned off. If there are small children in the house, the search is mandatory. Don't forget, either, that a gas heater must have a blue flame. If you see it red, you should call an expert.

Goodbye to tobacco

Last but not least, if you are a smoker we assume that your doctor already gives you enough rattle. But, in addition to the fact that it is desirable that you quit, it is much more so that, as long as you don't quit, you refrain from smoking in bed. Shrouded inflammable clothing as you are is certainly not a very good idea.