An expose of insurance injustice and a plan for consumers and lawmakers to fight it Over the last two decades, insurance has become less of a safety net and more of a spider's web: sticky and complicated, designed to ensnare as much as to aid. Insurance companies now often try to delay payment of justified claims, deny payment altogether, and defend these actions by forcing claimants to enter litigation. Jay M. Feinman, a legal scholar and insurance expert, explains how these trends developed, how the government ought to fix the system, and what the rest of us can do to protect ourselves. He shows that the denial of valid claims is not occasional or accidental or the fault of a few bad employees. It's the result of an increasing and systematic focus on maximizing profits by major companies such as Allstate and State Farm. Citing dozens of stories of victims who were unfairly denied payment, Feinman explains how people can be more cautious when shopping for policies and what to do when pursuing a disputed claim. He also lays out a plan for the legal reforms needed to prevent future abuses. This exposé will help drive the discussion of this increasingly hot- button issue.
"Counseling Unmarried Couples will give you the tools you need to serve the legal needs of this growing segment of society. It's not just about knowing the legal rules and writing competent agreements; as a lawyer working for unmarried couples, you will need to know how to integrate and interpret the legal rules for your clients in a realistic, comprehensible, and meaningful manner. Only by doing so can you effectively guide your clients, straight and gay, in making wise decision about their homes, their children, and their assets. The fourteen chapters discuss everything that an unmarried couple is likely to encounter, including: living apart, living together, and the option of marriage; financial assets, debts, and insurance; tax consequences, liabilities, and benefits; real estate ownership and management; cohabitation and financial agreements; the rules and practices of parentage; illness and disability planning; estate planning concerns and practices; breaking up: substantive doctrines and procedural tasks. The second edition also features completely new and updated sections covering federal recognition of same-sex marriage, the DOMA ruling, and California's Proposition 8, as well as an entirely revised state law chart. Included is a CD-ROM containing all the documents you'll need to represent these couples, from co-ownership agreements to co-parenting adoptions to sample wills"--Unedited summary from book cover.
From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together
Many Americans believe that people who lack health insurance somehow get the care they really need. Care Without Coverage examines the real consequences for adults who lack health insurance. The study presents findings in the areas of prevention and screening, cancer, chronic illness, hospital-based care, and general health status. The committee looked at the consequences of being uninsured for people suffering from cancer, diabetes, HIV infection and AIDS, heart and kidney disease, mental illness, traumatic injuries, and heart attacks. It focused on the roughly 30 million-one in seven-working-age Americans without health insurance. This group does not include the population over 65 that is covered by Medicare or the nearly 10 million children who are uninsured in this country. The main findings of the report are that working-age Americans without health insurance are more likely to receive too little medical care and receive it too late; be sicker and die sooner; and receive poorer care when they are in the hospital, even for acute situations like a motor vehicle crash.
In order to succeed in a construction business you have to be able to mark up the price of your jobs to cover overhead expenses and make a decent profit. The problem is how much to mark it up. You don't want to lose jobs because you charge too much, and you don't want to work for free because you've charged too little. If you know how much to mark up you can apply it to your job costs and arrive at the right sales price for your work. This book gives you the background and the calculations necessary to easily figure the markup that is right for your business. Includes a CD-ROM with forms and checklists for your use.
The financial planning industry needs a spanking and I'm declaring myself the one to do it. I'm going to piss a lot of people off and I'm OK with that. I don't need you or anyone to like me. If you are an open-minded human being, interested in the truth, no matter how shocking it may be, you are going love this book.
When someone suffers a serious loss at their home or business, one of the first things they often think is this: "At least I have insurance." But the claims process is deviously designed to pay only pennies on the dollar for losses. Furthermore, if you take an insurance company to court, you'll find that the legal system is stacked against you. David Skipton brings his many years of claims adjusting experience to help you avoid the pitfalls in the claims process. Learn how to: recognize the tricks insurance companies play to cheat you out of money; take steps to improve your chances of enjoying a favorable outcome on a claim; and receive fair compensation in the event of an insurance payout. It doesn't matter if you own a business or a home-if you have an active claim or not-it's important to demystify the claims process. It begins by learning how to protect your best interests and learning how to play The Claims Game.