| Does it sound incredible for you when an insurance | | | | insurance are risk transference and the law of large |
| company charges a 30 year old person $25 monthly | | | | numbers. |
| for a $200,000 term life insurance policy? In this | | | | Risk transference or "pooling" is what insurance is all |
| article we'll clear up this mystery and show that | | | | about. Insurers take responsibility to cover the losses |
| without going into details insurance is not so | | | | of their clients in exchange for regular payment that |
| complicated as it may seem. | | | | is called "premium". Premiums are considerably lower |
| Insurance is a powerful economic device that plays | | | | than the cost of the possible loss. Money from the |
| an important role in modern society. Typically under | | | | clients forms a fund, which is used to reimburse |
| insurance we understand a certain way of risk | | | | expenses of the insured in case of robbery, fire, road |
| management. Thus, before we look deep into the | | | | accident, health emergency or any other reason listed |
| insurance basis we should be clear about what the | | | | in the insurance policy. This is how the risk is shared. |
| word "risk" means. | | | | However, it would be obviously impossible for |
| Usually, where there is risk, there is uncertainty about | | | | insurance company to refund all its clients at a time. |
| an adverse outcome. But such definition is a bit | | | | One of the key goals for insurance companies is |
| obscure and does not explain how do we actually | | | | always to have a margin of assets over estimated |
| evaluate and manage this "uncertainty". In the | | | | liabilities in order to stay active in the industry and |
| insurance industry under "risk" it is customary to | | | | develop their business. And here the law of big |
| understand "a condition in which there is a possibility | | | | numbers is used. Insurers look at the odds of event |
| of an unfavorable deviation from an expected | | | | considered in the policy and thus estimate the |
| outcome". Risk is related to the actual financial loss, | | | | probability of the need to cover the loss. This |
| and therefore is measurable. Degree of risk is the | | | | information comes from statistics such as mortality |
| probability of the unfavorable event occurring, | | | | tables in case of life insurance or auto crash |
| whereas magnitude of risk is the amount of the likely | | | | frequency for the car insurance. For more accurate |
| loss. | | | | calculations insurers use a theorem of probability |
| Risk can be managed in several ways. For instance, | | | | theory - the law of big numbers: "The observed |
| an individual or a company may avoid risk by not | | | | frequency of an event more nearly approaches the |
| engaging in any form of hazardous enterprise at all. | | | | underlying probability of the population as the number |
| Risk may be retained, so that the potential financial | | | | of trials approaches infinity." In plain words, the more |
| loss is completely the responsibility of the person | | | | cars you insure, the more accurately you can predict |
| exposed to risk. One may also reduce the risk by | | | | the number of cars likely to be stolen. |
| certain precautionary measures, such as by putting | | | | Now with the basic knowledge of how the insurance |
| secure locks on the doors or installing a fire alarm | | | | industry operates you can make a weighted decision. |
| system. In this way the magnitude of the probable | | | | Online insurance quotes are a powerful tool to find an |
| loss can be limited. Finally, risk may be shared or | | | | insurance company in your area. You easily get |
| transferred to another person or organization, and | | | | information about several local providers, understand |
| that is where we come to insurance. | | | | their offers and choose the policy most suitable for |
| The two main principles that form the foundation of | | | | your needs and financial situation. |