Technology is like a genie that can’t be put back in a bottle. Technological innovations become more and more advanced.  Progress becomes inevitable to the point where realistically it isn’t possible to go back to a time when things were simple. Or simpler.  All in the name of increased leisure and convenience.  In the 1960s cartoon, The Jetsons, George Jetson commutes to work in an aerocar with a transparent bubble top.  At the time the futuristic prediction of how we may travel felt unbelievable or far fetched. The reality is that self-driving cars are no longer a dream of the…

What’s behind the rapid increase in car insurance rates? Typically, drivers might see an increase in their premiums for a few reasons: they got a speeding ticket or other moving violation, a new driver was added to the policy, or there was an increase in claims in their area of residence.  But without much of an explanation, car insurance costs continue to rise.  According to new Consumer Price Index data, car insurance premiums are up almost 21% for the 12 months ending in February. A report from Bankrate shows that the average premiums for full-coverage auto insurance hit $2,543 in…

In the case of an injury requiring medical attention, the medical and treatment costs for those on Medicare will be paid Medicare.  But what happens if the injury is caused by someone else, and the person injured receives a settlement or jury verdict for the injury – does the injured person need to pay back Medicare for all (or a portion of) the treatment costs that Medicare has paid? The short answer is that if Medicare pays for hospital and medical treatment, Medicare will have a lien (or right to collect for reimbursement) against any amounts that you may receive…

No one expects to be caught in a natural disaster like tornadoes, hurricanes, or devastating flooding. But if you find yourself in a dangerous situation, at least you can count on your home insurance policy to recover. Except insurance companies are up to their old tricks again.   Just when disaster-weary consumers need insurance protection the most, the insurers are jacking up rates by 50% or more, or dropping homeowner’s coverage altogether. “Instead of doing what they are supposed to do, which is serve their customers, they are cutting loose by the droves,” said one independent insurance agent in a recent…

Would you know a forced arbitration clause if you saw it?  Chances are the answer is no. How many of us, when we are handed a contract, actually take the time to run the language by an attorney before we sign on the dotted line? Be aware that they may, if they haven’t already, pop up in contracts with credit cards, cell phones, bank accounts, student loans, employment, nursing homes, home building, auto loans, healthcare providers, business franchises, cable and internet providers, and more.  What are forced arbitration clauses, anyway?  Forced arbitration clauses, now used by a growing number of…