President@Toastmasters

I was elected president to the Gurukul Toastmasters club and was inducted to office last week. The induction ceremony went well and we had the Gila Division Governor DTM Matt Jones visiting us. I feel I have a good officer committee with me this year with everyone committed to their respective job and I hope to achieve most of the objectives that we have outlined.

Some of the challenges that await us include

- Retaining members

- Bringing in new members

- Improving the quality of speeches and to have winners in Area, Division and other contests.

There is a new "Mentoring Program" that the VPE and myself are currently working on, which will help assign an appropriate mentor to the new members based on their level of public speaking skills.

From the last meeting, I see a good level of interest amongst the current members and I hope to build upon that interest. Its said - Success of any club or organisation depends on people who DO things that they had thought they cannot do. My biggest priority is to develop such a feeling amongst the members. Once done I think it should be a smooth ride from then on and we should be able to achieve our goals.

Auto Insurance

As the time for renewal of my auto insurance came up, I looked about to find which insurance company gives me the the best and cheapest coverage. I also looked up at the coverage numbers and what should I opt for my car.
I came up with some material which I would like to share here.

1. Get Sample quotes : Go to naic.org and select your state insurance website. There is an Automoblie premium comparison guide whic hyou can download for free. This list certain hypothetical cases and the premium corresponding to each case by the different isurance companies. You will get some idea about the premium you should expect. The drawback is you cannot have exactly the same scenario as yours (year/type of car, mileage, number of drivers etc)
2. Get five best quotes: Go to insweb.com and submit your car and driver information. It will give you a listing of five companies with the best quote.
3. Call for addition discounts : You can call agents of these companies to see if you are eligible for more discount.

Coverages on your vehicle

1. Bodily Injury liability : (Description taken from Geico.com) This provides protection to you if you injure or kill someone while operating your car. It also provides for a legal defense if another party in the accident files a lawsuit against you. In the event of a serious accident, you want enough insurance to cover a judgment against you in a lawsuit, without jeopardizing your personal assets. Bodily injury liability covers injury to people, not your vehicle.
2. Property Damage: This liability protects you if your car damages someone else’s property. It also provides you with legal defense if another party files a lawsuit against you.
3. Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury: This coverage pays for your injuries caused by an uninsured driver or, in some states, a hit-and-run driver, in a crash that is not your fault.
4. Comprehensive and Collision: Comprehensive and Collision options provide compensation for damage inflicted to your vehicle in the event of an accident. Collision provides coverage in the event of an accident. Comprehensive provides coverage in the event of car damage from other perils such as storms, theft and some other non-accident damage inflicted to your car. Comprehensive and Collision are sold with deductibles which needs to be paid first. For older cars, one should consider dropping this coverage, since coverage is normally limited to the cash value of your car.
5. Medical Payments: This usually pays for the medical expenses of the injured driver and passengers in your car. There may also be coverage if you are injured by a vehicle as a pedestrian. You can avoid this if you believe everyone sitting in your car has medical insurance.
6. Rental Reimbursement: This coverage pays for a rental vehicle (around $25 a day) when the insured vehicle is out of commission as a result of a loss covered under comprehensive or collision coverages.

As a general note, I have read that, once your vehicle is worth less than 10 times what you pay each year to insure it you should get rid of comprehensive and collision coverages.

I hope to add on to this as i find new things.