Railroads are becoming an important method of shipping oil long distances, and a recent series of accidents has drawn attention to rail liability insurance issues.
Until the recent shale oil boom, virtually all oil was shipped from production to refinery via pipeline. But shale oil—particularly in North Dakota’s Bakken Shale region—lacks enough pipeline to handle all the oil produced.
Standard business general liability (GL) policies provide little coverage for pollution damage, including toxic spills like the one in West Virginia in 2014. Today most companies that store or handle potentially toxic materials purchase a separate environmental liability policy. These policies cover the exposure that the GL policy excludes.
Businesses that are forced to close down following a disaster run the risk of never being able to open their doors again. While there’s no way to lower the risk of a natural disaster like a hurricane, there are critical measures that can be taken to protect your company’s bottom line from nature’s fury. A disaster plan and adequate insurance are keys to recovery.
Most people would never consider opening a business without first purchasing property insurance to cover the cost to repair or replace a building or equipment that’s been damaged due to a covered peril. But too many business owners fail to think about how they would keep their business afloat if they were forced to temporarily close. Business income (interruption) coverage also known as business income coverage (BI), can help with operating expenses during the period of restoration, and includes:
Insurance companies selling business insurance offer policies that combine protection from all major property and liability risks in one package. (They also sell coverages separately.) One package purchased by small and mid-sized businesses is the businessowners policy (BOP). Package policies are created for businesses that generally face the same kind and degree of risk. Larger companies might purchase a commercial package policy or customize their policies to meet the special risks they face.
Both annuities and life insurance should be considered in your long-term financial plan. While both include death benefits, you buy life insurance in the event you die too soon and an annuity in case you live too long. In other words, life insurance provides economic protection to your loved ones if you die before your financial obligations to them are met, while annuities guard against outliving your assets.