Saturday, April 30, 2011

Professional Indemnity – It’s Not Just The Private Sector…

Say the words ‘professional indemnity insurance’ and it’s all too easy to think of a solicitor or accountant giving bad advice, or the latest ‘mis-selling scandal’ that’s hitting the headlines.

But today, the need for professional indemnity cover goes much wider than that and covers many sections of the public and not-for-profit sectors as well as the private sector. Social enterprise groups and community organisations are also affected.

With increasing sections of our society needing care and support – whether it’s the vulnerable child or the old person living alone – more and more organisations in the public and not-for-profit sectors are realising that they are going to need specialist and wide-ranging help with their professional indemnity cover.

This article was presented by Markel UK. For more information visit their website today


Whether you like it or not, we’re increasingly living in a ‘blame and claim’ culture – and that doesn’t just mean answering “yes” when the TV ads ask if you’ve fallen over on a wet floor. Today, many sections of the public and not-for-profit sectors have a duty of care to the vulnerable in society. But it’s becoming increasingly evident that even the most vulnerable members of society (or their relatives) are prepared to make a claim if they believe they have a case.

The number of groups who may be at risk from a claim is surprisingly high – it’s not just the local authority with responsibility for a care home, or the charity looking after clients with a learning disability.

Any organisation running an after school club or a nursery; charities offering help with rehabilitation, or any sort of children’s organisation – all of them will be at risk from claims and will need to seek expert help with their professional indemnity insurance. As the law becomes ever more complex, and opportunities for claims increase, even the small local charity will need to move away from the local insurance broker to companies who specialise in professional indemnity for the public and not-for-profit sectors.

Of course, for the directors and management of the organisations affected, the buck doesn’t stop with public liability insurance – they also have to worry about the vagaries of employment law, the duty of care they owe to staff… The list goes on, but the most likely source of a potentially devastating claim is their professional indemnity. Expert help from a specialist broker is an absolute essential: without it, they might not be able to carry on helping their vulnerable clients.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

The benefits of using price comparison websites

The popularity of price comparison websites isn't just a trend; it's now fast becoming a way of life for people up and down the country. Ensuring that you get the best deal, online resources like Money Expert are excellent to secure you deals on a wide variety of things, from credit cards to holidays.

Naturally, the advent of the internet as an accessible resource was always going to have a major effect on the way people shop. Just as e-commerce began to boom, people soon started to get sick of visiting various websites to buy what they wanted, knowing that they could miss out on one-time offers or great deals much in the same way they would on the high street. Comparison websites emerged off the back of this. Now, these portals are cleverly changing shopping for the better, while providing a raft of benefits to anyone who uses them.

Obviously, convenience is the number one benefit. After all, time is money, so saving both minutes and hard-earned cash is twice as good. All you need to do is turn to one reliable comparison website, type in the product you want for yourself and a list of every available deal online is made readily available. While you may enjoy keeping fit by walking between stores in a town or city centre, price comparison websites are nice and easy to browse and lengthen the lifetime of your shoes.

Many of the best deals are now found online, too - you only have to look at transport services, offering as much as a third off just because you use their internet services. Other service and product providers are much the same, and price comparison websites tap into this like no other. Additionally, they can link to product reviews and feedback on the stores themselves, making sure you don't make an error of judgement regarding your investment.

On top of this, users of comparison websites often get the best deals because of the interaction between sellers as part of a wider marketing strategy. Online portals can increase traffic to a website and therefore increase sales, effectively lowering prices.

Whatever you do, don't go with the first deal. You may not even go with the second, third or fourth; with price comparison websites, you know you'll get the best deal available.