4 Things That You are Doing to Yourself That is Affecting Your Health Without Knowing

Several ailments are caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. Did you know that as much as 40% of India’s adult population and 20% of children are affected by obesity? These figures released by the World Health Organization (WHO) highlight the severity of the problem. In fact, there has been a startling increase in the incidences of diabetes and cardiovascular ailments in India, both of which are lifestyle diseases. It not enough to have a health insurance policy. One needs to consciously work towards preventing these ailments. Due to our busy schedules, we often forget to take care of our health and indulge in certain activities on a routine basis that can cause serious health issues in the future. Here are a few common things that we do which can have serious consequences on our health.

4 Things That Affects Our Health

1.      Sitting for long hours: Most of us lead a sedentary lifestyle. We work for long hours at a computer, travel home in a vehicle and relax at home by watching television. None of these activities result in any physical exercise. This can increase the loss of lean muscle tissue, make us more vulnerable to diabetes and heart disease and cause greater anxiety and stress. So, it’s essential to make some changes. Go for a short walk after lunch. Stand up at regular intervals and stretch your arms and back. Make it a habit to exercise every morning, even if it is for 5 or 10 minutes. You could even try going for a walk after dinner.

2.      Overuse of the phone: We depend heavily on our smartphone. Apart from attending calls, we check work-related documents, communicate with friends and family via WhatsApp, play a game and update our social status every now and then. According to studies, overuse of smartphones causes chronic back pain by putting the spinal disks under pressure. Light exposure can cause sleep disruption and also strain the eyes. Using the phone too much also results in weight issues as well as high stress levels. So, instead of watching YouTube on your phone before going to bed, it’s much better to read a book.

3.      Snoring: People generally ignore snoring as just an annoyance, but it can be an indication of a severe health issues. It can be an interruption in breathing during sleep because of a disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea. So, it’s important to not ignore snoring and consult a doctor if you snore and face tiredness during the day.

4.      Drinking tea/coffee on an empty stomach: This is the most common bad habit. It can increase acidity, which in turn can cause heart burn and a decrease in appetite, followed by chronic indigestion.

A little precaution and prevention can go a long way in ensuring better health. Of course, do consider getting a good health insurance plan in India to ensure you can afford better healthcare in case you do fall ill.

5 Things to do to Safeguard the Future of Your Child

Every parent wishes to ensure the very best for their children. If you too wish to ensure a good better standard of living for your child, you will need a little financial planning. Investments, such as child insurance plans, could be a good idea. Here are some basic things you should do to secure your child’s future.

1.      Ensure the Best Education

The first step is to decide the school in which you want to enroll your child. Their schooling can open up a plethora of opportunities for them. Unlike the West, in India, it is the private schools, rather than those run by the government, that offer higher standards of education, with a focus on the child’s higher education needs. In this cutthroat world of competition, it is one’s qualifications that can ensure a lucrative and fulfilling career.

2.      Open a Savings Account

Many parents are put aside a specific portion from their monthly income towards their child's future financial needs. While it is a good idea to open a savings account for your little one and put in small amounts at regular intervals, also consider investing in long term fixed deposits, where you can earn higher interest.

3.      Invest in Gold

In India, gold holds a special emotional value and investing in gold jewellery for one’s child’s wedding is what every parent looks forward to. However, given that gold investments can bear good fruit, also consider investing in gold ETFs, which can give you returns without you having to risk owning tand storing physical gold. But make sure that your investment doesn't exceed 10%-15% of your overall investments.

4.      Buy Them an Insurance Policy

Do a little research online about child insurance plans or make a direct inquiry from a reputed company. Choose the right insurance policy, taking into account inflation and your child’s specific needs, while also keeping in mind the premium you can afford. Make sure the child plan offers you waiver of premium, in case you're unable to pay premium because of a disability due to an unfortunate event like an accident or the early demise of the parent. The policy should continue and the child should receive a fixed sum of money after a certain age.

5.      Insure Yourself for a Large Sum

The aim is to fulfill the everyday needs as well as cover your child's future expenses like education and marriage. Certain insurance policies provide money to you or your child when they are in the age group of 18-26 years, in your presence or absence. Life insurance can provide financial support in case of any unforeseen events and keep your family financially secure.

4 Simple Ways to Achieve Inner Peace

The Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) suggests that out of 100 working class professionals, more than 40 are victims of depression and anxiety disorders. And the root cause for depression is nothing but mental stress, which in turn restrains you from attaining peace.

Peace is a term that is often misunderstood by people. Most people think that peace is an endpoint, or a destination, whereas peace is a constant journey of positivity and inspiration.

Stress is the only barrier that stands between you and that journey. It’s a silent killer that gradually erodes us mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But most people are not aware that eliminating stress doesn’t require too much effort. For instance, did you know that by using a simple thing such as an insurance premium calculator, you can ensure adequate financial backup for your loved ones after you depart this world?

So, we present you 4 simple ways in which you can get rid of the excess baggage you’ve been carrying all this while.

4 Tips to Start Your Journey of Peace

1. Accept the Things You Cannot Change

The past is history, the future is a mystery, and therefore try living in the present as because getting stuck in the past or future could damage your inner self and cause extreme levels of despondency and despair.

2. Don’t Let Others Control Your Mind

Be in charge of your own happiness. If you let other people’s comments affect you, you’re not doing justice to yourself. It’s like that quote from renowned spiritual author, Pema Chödrön, “Inner Peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions.”

3. Peace, Even after You’re Gone

We all dream of leaving this world without the burden of guilt for not having made clever and responsible investments for our loved ones that would sustain them and give them a life of dignity even long after we are gone. So, right now is the best time to use an insurance premium calculator to choose a plan that fits your requirements aptly. Opting for the appropriate life insurance ensures reasonable financial coverage for your family, in case any unforeseen circumstances occur.

4. Be in the Driver’s Seat of Your Success Vehicle

Don’t let others determine the future course of your success. Realize your true potential, spend time cultivating it, and simply put it into action.

Do keep these tips in mind if you want to live a peaceful life. And don’t forget that your loved ones will always be protected with the simple use of a life insurance premium calculator. Protect you family, and free yourself from stress and anxiety.

Understanding cashless hospitalization

The most useful insurance plans in health care are cashless hospitalization plans. We decode their meaning and significance.

With living expenses going through the roof every single month, it is important for every family in India to budget for the future. It is not enough to rely merely on your income to see you through a rainy day. You must actively invest in such instruments that help pay all your expenses during times of financial uncertainty.

The single most important factor that drains your precious savings is the area of healthcare. Medical treatment, diagnosis and medicine costs are quite high in India. The costs are exponentially higher for prolonged treatment of critical illnesses. Even just one visit to the hospital can empty your savings created over months. Hence, many people resort to buying health insurance plans that protect them and their loved ones from the high costs of healthcare in the future.

What is a cashless hospitalization plan?

A growing area of interest in health care insurance is the cashless hospitalization insurance plan. The advantage of investing in it is that it helps you start treatment on yourself or a loved one without having to pay admittance or treatment costs.

This is how it works: If you have a cashless hospitalization plan and you need to get admitted to hospital, you can simply show your policy credentials to the hospital and get admitted at once. The hospital also starts treatment immediately. This saves precious time during critical health issues; there is no need to scramble to collect money for admittance. Meanwhile, you do not need to pay treatment costs or the room/bed charges. The hospital settles the bills with your insurance provider.

What you must know about cashless health plans

• They are applicable to both emergent and non-emergent cases. Some policy holders actually plan their surgeries well in advance for a convenient time, if they have cashless hospitalization to back them.
• They cannot be used in every hospital or treatment centre. The cashless plan can be used in network hospitals only (also known as ‘participating hospitals’). Your insurance provider will give you a list of network hospitals in your city or town, so you can avail of cashless hospitalisation only at any of the listed facilities.
• The policy holder(s) must only hire an ambulance and reach the closest network hospital in an emergency. This is beneficial for people who are new to a city and do not know any people who can help transport them or their loved ones in case of a medical emergency.
• Cashless hospitalization plans are available for individuals, families and even senior citizens. 

The importance of being earnest…about your future

What would you rather choose – an uncertain future or financial security for your family? The choice is obvious, and the answer lies in term insurance.

Of all the things in the world, what is most important to you?

• Financial security
• The health of my family
• Freedom from financial worry for my parents
• All of the above

If you choose Option #4, it means that you are sufficiently invested in your loved ones’ security to provide them with whatever they need to stay happy and healthy always. This includes investing in your children’s education, maintaining your parents’ home, setting up a savings account for your spouse, investing in property for your family…the list of things to do for your loved ones’ happiness is endless.

And yet, you may have missed out on the most important investment of all – taking a term insurance plan to look after your family in your absence.

Why taking term insurance helps

You can guarantee that all of your loved ones – parents, spouse, children, siblings – will realise their dreams while you are present with them, but what happens when you are not? Do you have a lot of money stashed away in savings that will pay all your loved ones’ expenses for years to come? Will your investments be enough to fund their every need? If not, it is time to take a term insurance plan.

A term insurance policy is one of the simplest life insurance products in India today. It has an affordable premium amount, a high sum assured and a term (tenure) of 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. Generally, term plans are beneficial for those who do not wish to spend a large amount of money on expensive policies, while also receiving sufficient life coverage. Also, you can easily buy a term policy online. Many premier insurance providers in India allow customers the chance to purchase a term plan online without a medical examination first.

Thus, though the term insurance plan does not have maturity benefits, its high sum assured is more than sufficiently prepared to deal with your loved ones’ many requirements in your absence. From paying for children’s education to their weddings, from financing parents’ or spouse’s medical emergencies to repaying unpaid debts, term insurance plans have a lot of important uses for your loved ones. Their primary function is to keep your family safely protected from any financial uncertainty in your absence.

What could be a better plan than that?

Did you just buy a car? Here’s what you do next

Your duty as a car owner is complete when you get your car documentation right and take motor insurance.

Most people who do not own cars can scarcely comprehend the psyche of those who do. The average car owner might seem obsessed or even borderline fanatical about his car, and with good reason, too! For a car owner, his car is not just his private vehicle that transports him around the city. It is also his sanctuary, companion and guide every time he takes the wheel. Naturally, he is a little protective about his dream machine!

But for most car owners, the idea of ‘car maintenance’ starts and ends with servicing the car regularly and driving safely. Other tasks like getting the PUC done and insurance premium payment flit in and out of their horizon occasionally. If you are a car owner who thinks like this, here’s what you need to do:

Take insurance first, do other things later

After you purchase your car and get the necessary documentation ratified, it’s time to move to the next step – taking car insurance. But many people try to skip this step, deeming insurance an unnecessary expense. However, taking car insurance is mandatory in India, so every car owner must have a motor insurance plan. Take an insurance plan before you throw a celebratory party for friends and family.

How to take insurance

You can easily take online insurance for your car. All major insurance companies in India offer car owners the option of purchasing and renewing car insurance online. It is fairly simple to take online insurance for your car. Just log on to the insurer’s website, fill in the car details and the plan you want in the application form provided, calculate your premium payable, make your final selection and pay for the plan online.

But why take insurance at all?

…Because you need to be protected from accidental injuries and potentially fatal wounds every time you take the wheel. Your car insurance pays the costs of treatment and hospitalisation in case of an accident.

…Because other drivers and pedestrians must also be protected, in case of an inadvertent accident caused by you. A comprehensive car insurance plan includes a Third Party Liability (TPL) component that helps take care of legal costs and liabilities in such a case.

…Because it gets your car serviced for free. Insurance providers have a network of service centres where you are liable to get a free annual service and any repair work done by lieu of being a policy holder. Without an insurance policy, you would have to shell out these costs from your own pocket.

Besides, taking car insurance gives you and your loved ones peace of mind every time you take the wheel. This is an important benefit that far outweighs the cost of insurance. 

Endowment policies: Safeguarding future generations

Taking an endowment plan ensures protection and stability for your loved ones. We explain how they work.

Life is such that it tests one at various points in time. It can be sweet and rosy one moment, and depressing the next moment. But while one may have no control over one’s destiny, one may at least try to wrest some control over how one fares financially during an obstacle.

There are ways to secure one’s finances for the future, so that the family’s dreams may remain on course for successful fruition! We refer to a useful insurance product known as the ‘endowment policy’. Read on to know how it can help one realise their loved ones’ goals with not much expense in the present moment.

Understanding endowment insurance

An endowment life policy is a policy that has the dual benefit of life protection as well as regular savings to grow your wealth for the future. It encourages and rewards the savings habit by helping the policy holder create a large corpus of money over a period of years. This corpus is given to the policy holder when the plan matures, and it is in reality an appreciation over the money invested through the years.

The premiums paid by the policy holder are split in two parts: one part pays the premium, while the other is invested in equities. This latter component gets capital appreciation and helps pay the bonuses on the policy.

The calculations in endowment policy

When the endowment insurance matures, the policy holder gets the money in the form of a terminal bonus and a reversionary bonus, plus the sum assured. The bonuses are paid annually.

• If the policy has a premium of Rs 21,000 with a Policy term of 25 years and Sum assured = Rs 5 lakh, with the average bonus declared during these years as Rs 48 per Rs 1,000 of the sum assured, it would amount to Rs 24,000 per year.
• Thus, the bonus would be Rs 6 lakh for 25 years. Assuming the plan pays a terminal bonus of Rs 5 lakh (this is an arbitrary number for calculation), the total monies the policy holder gets are Rs 15 lakh. However, the holder has paid premium of Rs 21,000 x 25 years = Rs 5 lakh.
• This means that the endowment plan has given returns at 12% [Total gains/total premium x 100 / Total tenure]

Helping to strengthen the family’s finances

Not only does the endowment life insurance provide life protection, it also gives stable and steady returns over a period of time. The money that comes by way of the plan maturity can fund a variety of expenses, from children’s education to making a down payment for a house. More importantly, it helps keep the family afloat during a financial emergency.