So you are having a baby

Life Insurance
Life insurance is designed to provide your dependants with an ongoing income if you die. It will also provide emergency support for any legal, medical and funeral costs. There are several types of policy on offer and a variety of factors will affect the level of cover you need:

1. Are you a single parent?
2. How old are your children?
3. What is your income level?
4. What level of debt do you have?
5. What is the value of your assets?
6. What are your financial goals?

Life Insurance Beneficiaries
Ensure that you name the beneficiary of your insurance policy. The person named in a will cannot take precedence over the named beneficiary. You can name your partner as primary beneficiary and your children as secondary beneficiaries. A secondary beneficiary is the person who will receive payment if the primary beneficiary dies before you. Naming both your partner and your children as beneficiaries can make it easier for your children to collect should something happen to you and your partner at the same time.

Life insurance quotes

House insurance - Buildings
You may have bought a property to house your new family and if you have, remember that buildings insurance is essential if you have a mortgage. It protects the structure of your home, as well as permanent fixtures and fittings such as bathrooms, fitted kitchens, fitted wardrobes and interior decorations. Put simply, the insurance usually covers those items that won’t be taken away when you move home. You should purchase sufficient cover to pay only for the cost of rebuilding your home, excluding the value of the land on which it stands. In most cases this figure will be considerably less than the price you paid for the property

House insurance - Contents
Contents insurance provides protection for your household possessions including those new baby necessities you have bought. Most policies will cover your possessions from damage by fire, theft, water damage and many will also pay out for accidental damage (useful where babies and toddlers are likely to cause spillages and other damage to home contents). 70% of us under-insure our contents - avoid doing this because in the event of a claim, insurers will not pay out the full value of stolen items if you are under insured. If you have been on a big spending spree around the time your baby is born don't forget you may need to increase the value of your contents insurance - just think how prams, pushchairs, cots, highchairs, sterilising equipment, baby clothes and toys can all add up.

Home insurance quotes

Travel Insurance
Are you planning a holiday this year with your newest family member? Many insurers offer family polices where children go free. Since the definition of ‘family’ does vary between insurers, always double check the age limits and the number of children allowed per family to ensure you are ALL adequately covered. Annual trip policies can work out cheaper if you take more than two holidays a year.

Travel insurance is designed to provide you with financial protection if unexpected, serious circumstances affect your holiday. As with all insurance products, the best place to get travel insurance is directly from an insurance company, particularly via the Internet. The Internet will allow you to compare insurers quickly and buy the right policy at a competitive price.
A good travel insurance policy should provide cover if:

• you are forced to cancel you holiday before you have departed due to illness or family bereavement.
• you require medical attention due to illness or an accident while you are abroad.
• your luggage is delayed, lost or stolen and you need to purchase replacements.
• you cause injury or damage to another person or property while you are overseas.

Travel insurance is particularly vital when is comes to funding medical treatment.. Remember, there is no equivalent to the NHS and its free treatment when you are abroad. If you are travelling to Europe the European Health Insurance Card (which has replaced the E111 form) will allow you access to some free treatment abroad. However it should not be used as a substitution for travel insurance as it does not include any repatriation cost. Each family member will require their own separate card.

Travel insurance quotes

Car Insurance
Now if as a singleton or couple you revelled in having a sleek two-seater sports car and have now decided that you need to have a Volvo estate or an MPV so you can fit in the ‘baby kit’ such a baby seat, prams and toys, make sure that you get the best deal on your car insurance. Search the market to find a policy that is relevant for your needs and pay for the policy upfront to avoid monthly interest. Many companies offer discounts when you buy online, although the online purchase option is not available to every driver – it will depend on your profile and requirements. Visit the Tiscali Insurancewide.com MotorWizard to find insurers who are most suitable for your driver profile.

Be aware that careful drivers who build up a history of no claims will be rewarded with lower premiums so it pays not to treat the roads as a race track and obviously you want to take extra care when you have your precious cargo onboard.

Take a look at the safest cars in our gallery.