The Dangerous and Deadly

OK, take this quick quiz:

What do Fishermen, Loggers and Pilots have in common?

Give up?

They work at the three most dangerous and deadly occupations in America! That means, if you’re a fisherman, logger or pilot, insurance is likely to cost you more than it costs a worker in any other occupation in the U.S.

When we first heard this statistic, we balked.

“How dangerous can fishing be?” we thought. “How can standing in the water or on a boat trying to hook fish be dangerous?”

We had it all wrong. Fishermen do much more than that. They work long hours on rough seas, in unpredictably bad weather and often in isolation—which makes it difficult to reach them in case of emergency. Together, these three factors make the job the most unsafe profession there is.

When it comes to logging, that one made more sense. It stands to reason that, when you’re in the forest cutting down trees, you stand a fairly good chance of a tree falling on—or at least near you, right? (But if no one was around, would it actually make a sound when it hit the ground? Sorry, that’s a topic for another day!)

Regarding pilots, we could totally understand the danger involved in their jobs, which often depend on clear weather and perfect communication to avoid mishaps. (One bumpy flight and you couldn’t pay us enough to stay in that cockpit!)

Because of the risk involved in these three jobs—which often require workers to perform perfectly in perilous or unpredictable conditions—insurance companies charge them higher life insurance rates than the average person to cover the added risk.

But job function isn’t the only determinant of insurance rates, either.

“Generally, high-risk jobs affect life insurance, but not health premiums,” says a spokesperson for a top U.S. Healthcare Insurance Company. ”Health status is much more predictive of medical risk than a high-risk job.”

On the other hand, a healthy person with a safe job would pay lower premiums for individual medical, life and disability insurance than a healthy person with a high-risk job.

If you’re shopping for lower insurance rates, we definitely don’t recommend fishing, logging or flying, to be sure. But other occupations are almost as deadly.

To find out what they are, and how they affect your premiums, read on...

At first glance, that may seem a difficult question. Could it be job location? Fishermen (and fisherwomen) work in the water; loggers work in the forest and pilots in the air. Nope, no similarities there.

How about job function? Fishermen catch fish and other aquatic animals; loggers cut down and trim trees; and pilots fly people from one place to another. Nothing there either.

So what do these three professions have in common?

Dangerous and Deadly

According to recently released information from the Department of Labor, they’re the three most dangerous and deadly jobs in America. Along with two other professions, there’s more risk in fishing, logging and piloting than any other profession.

But what’s so dangerous about fishing? Fishermen work long hours on rough seas, in unpredictably bad weather and often in isolation—which makes it difficult to reach them in case of emergency. Together, these three factors make the job more unsafe than any other profession in the U.S.

Loggers and pilots hold the second and third deadliest jobs, respectively. What makes them risky? For loggers, risk comes with falling trees, faulty cutting equipment and difficult terrain that pose dangerous conditions and can turn deadly. And for pilots, the most dangerous situations come while testing equipment, responding to emergency and, of course, with crashes.

Rounding out the top five deadliest occupations are structural and steel work, and farming and ranching. The most dangerous part of working with steel, according to statistics? Working at heights, using heavy materials and welding. And the danger in farming and ranching? Operating heavy machinery, like combines and backhoes.

Transportation, Construction, Finance—and Murder

More interesting details from the Department of Labor, courtesy of Forbes.com:

Transportation accidents are the most common cause of fatalities. More than half occur as a result of highway incidents, the most common killer since 1992, when results were first collected. The second most common causes are equipment- and object-related injuries.
Men make up 92.7 percent of workplace fatalities, presumably because more of them work in occupations with high fatality rates.
26 percent of female workplace deaths are murders, compared with nine percent of male deaths.
The largest number of deaths occurs each year in the construction industry.
Workers in the finance and insurance industries have the lowest fatality rates of any occupation.

If you’re jobless and considering changing occupations, it appears finance or insurance might be a great choice—for safety’s sake. But we recommend avoiding construction!

Deadly Jobs and Insurance

So what do fishermen, loggers, pilots and people in other dangerous occupations have to do with insurance?

Simply put, the deadlier the job, the higher the insurance premium. Compared to people who work relatively safe jobs, those in dangerous positions carry more risk for injury and death, and are more likely to end up in the emergency room, hospitalized or needing physical therapy or long term care.

That leaves insurance companies holding the bag when it comes to managing risk—and they pass that financial risk along to the policyholder in the form of more expensive rates.

If you work in a deadly occupation and are looking for ways to lower your rates, try Atkins & Associates for the most affordable insurance around. We’ll network among some of the top insurance providers in your area to get you the cheapest insurance premiums around. All you have to do is ask!

www.atkinsandassociates.net

(540) 286-2323

Posted by Billye Atkins on January 18th, 2010 1:43 AMPost a Comment (0)

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Go From Renting To Buying

January 24th, 2010 9:54 PM

Ten Cities To Go From Renting To Buying

In these metro areas, now is a good time to make the jump to homeownership.

In Pictures: 10 Cities To Go From Renting To Buying

The U.S. government has pushed hard to make homeowners out of one-third of Americans who still rent their homes. It introduced and later extended a tax credit for first-time home buyers, and has kept federal interest rates at their lowest levels since the 1940s.

Market conditions are such that now is a particularly good time for some renters to take the hint.

In Depth: 10 Cities To Go From Renting To Buying

In Portland, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., the premium to buy--the spread between what you'd spend on renting and what you'd pay each month for a mortgage--is far narrower now than its 15-year average. And economists predict a significant home-price hike in five years. So upgrading will cost much less than usual, and home buyers are likely to get a good return on their investment.

Note that buying isn't necessarily cheaper than renting in these metro areas. In fact, it often remains a more expensive proposition. But for those determined to own, that investment is a better one now than it normally is.

Take San Francisco. To live here has always required a hefty bump in monthly costs from renting; it's normally an incredible 296% more expensive to buy than lease a home, and the city's residents know this. That's why 42% of them stick to renting. Even though in the third quarter of 2009 the premium was still in the triple digits--233%--it had shrunk by 63 percentage points from the above 15-year average. As with the other cities we've highlighted, you're not getting nearly as good a deal by renting as you might have just a few years ago.

"Rents are falling, but not nearly as rapidly as home prices," says Ron Witten, founder of Dallas-based Witten Advisors, an apartment market consulting firm. "Part of the reason is a shift away from home ownership toward renting," he says, in part because mortgages have become harder for many to obtain.

If you want help securing the best mortgage possible...contact: Atkins & Associates~540-286-2323 www.atkinsandassociates.net

We're here to help & WE CARE!!!!

Posted by Billye Atkins on January 24th, 2010 9:54 PMPost a Comment (0)

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