Last month, my parents went to Florida for two weeks against the advice of their four children. We were worried that my father, who is on oxygen and has multiple medical problems, would take a turn for the worse and end up in a hospital. They decided to go anyway (parents today...they just don't listen).

Before they left, I urged my father to buy medical evacuation insurance, a specific type of travel insurance that retrieves "members" from anywhere in the world and transports them to the hospital of their choice. Last year, I edited an article for a website called Traveling Mom about the benefits of an insurance plan provided by a company called MedJet Assist. Afterward, I told my parents about the company and the week before they left for Florida, I spoke with them again and my father said he bought similar insurance via American Express.

You know what happened next. My dad, who has a blood disorder that makes his hemoglobin count drop to life threatening levels (among other medical problems brought on by 40 plus years of smoking), ended up in the hospital. It got so bad he needed a blood transfusion. They stabilized him but he just wanted to get back home to New Jersey.

Ken and Daria Dolan, America's First Family of Personal Finance, answer your money questions every Friday.

Dear Ken and Daria,

I realize it's important to stay up-to-date on your credit score, but is it necessary to pay for a credit monitoring service?

Jeff

Want to learn more about protecting and improving your credit score? Visit our Credit Center at Dolans.com.

Click here to ask Ken and Daria your question.

About seven years ago, shortly after my wife and I moved into our house, it started raining, and the roof began leaking. We hadn't been in the house a year, and so naturally we wondered if the previous owners of our home knew anything about this. But I hardly had time to dwell on the dampness of our new dwelling. About two months after filing a claim to have some roofers make some repairs, a lightning strike took out our sump pump in the basement in the middle of the night, and when I came downstairs in the morning, I was stepping onto a wet, mushy carpet underneath about two inches of water.

Before the water even receded, we filed another claim, foolishly thinking that that's what a home owner should do. What can I say? We were young and stupid. Almost needless to say, we were told that our policy wouldn't replace the soon-to-be-molding carpet and received a check for a few hundred dollars to replace my damaged fax machine and other random items in my home office. Then, as anyone experienced in this sort of thing can predict -- our insurance dropped us. Our crime? Filing too many claims. Two in about six months, in fact. I still sometimes lie awake at night, feverish and guilt-ridden for having the temerity to use my home owner's insurance.

It's been a tough couple of decades for marriage. Facing a current divorce rate of approximately 50%, pundits and analysts have blamed everything from secularism to birth control to same-sex marriages. One study has even noted a connection between divorce and being a "born again" Baptist! However, regardless of the reason, the one thing that everybody seems to agree on is that marriage is on its way out the door.

There might be a light at the end of the tunnel. Recently, Kaiser Permanente conducted a study in which it sought to explore the potential connection between marriage and health care. The poll revealed that 7% of Americans admitted that, within the last year, they or someone in their household had decided to get married so they could get health benefits through their spouse. This ties in with the 28% of respondents who admitted that they had experienced problems because of the cost of health care. Respondents were more concerned about health care than housing and food costs.

While 7% is a very small fraction, it highlights a major issue: people appear to be making long-term life decisions based upon their worries about health care. On the bright side, however, the decline in health care may accomplish what alimony, societal approbation, and religious tirades have failed to do: it may strengthen the institution of marriage. After all, while many people don't have a problem with adultery and others aren't worried about going to hell, nobody wants to have an untreated case of strep throat!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. His wife has great insurance and has told him that, if he sticks around for a few more years, she'll put him on her policy.

This week, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is sponsoring Cover the Uninsured Week, a program launched in 2003 to raise awareness of the plight of the 47 million Americans who lack health insurance.

The foundation's web site is packed with helpful information and resources, as well as moving personal stories and facts and figures documenting the problem. Perhaps most helpful are the state profiles with specifics on eligibility and coverage information, and state-by-state guides on how to find low-cost and free health insurance programs. The site also links to events happening across the country to provide health education and to sign up families for health insurance. For example, ten health fairs are being held in California this week and weekend by various community organizations. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also sponsors back to school week in August to help uninsured school children enroll in health plans.

Here in Connecticut, I read about the campaign in a local paper, which mentioned that Americares runs three free clinics in the state, in Bridgeport, Danbury and Norwalk. To find out if you're eligible, visit the Americares free clinics website. The Stamford-based charity opened its first free U.S. clinic in 1994 to serve the medical needs of the working poor, although it is better known for its international relief work.

PrePaid Legal Services and companies like it sell plans that are billed as "legal insurance." These plans supposedly help the average consumer received "free" legal services in many cases, and discounted services in other cases. They're often marketed as offering help to the "little guy" who might otherwise not be able to afford a lawyer.

The truth? These plans offer very little real help to consumers. Many types of cases are excluded under the plans, so you won't be receiving any "free" services related to them. If you do happen to qualify for services, you'll find out quickly that the services are very limited and are mostly only for time spent on trial. Many hours of legal services will be needed prior to the trial, but most of this is excluded from the plans, and plan participants will have to pay out of their pockets for those services.

More details in this video. (Disclosure: I was paid by Fraud Discovery Institute to help research the issues raised in this video.)



Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

Yesterday it was reported that Whirlpool Corp. suspended 39 employees for lying about tobacco use. The employees had signed paperwork indicating that they did not use tobacco, but they were seen smoking or chewing tobacco on company property.

The company's stance is simple: They have employees fill out paperwork that asks them about tobacco use. The paperwork says that they could be suspended or terminated if they lie. Whirlpool then uses the paper to charge tobacco users an extra $500 per year toward their health insurance premiums.

Personally, I don't care if people smoke or not. But I do care if they lie to their employer about it. The simple fact is that health insurance premiums are higher for tobacco users. The reasons are obvious: They cost insurance companies more. I think that employer should have every right to recover part or all of that additional premium based upon the smoking factor.

After a 5.4 magnitude earthquake shook southern Illinois this morning, I wondered what would happen if my home were caught in a strong tremor. Like most people, my home insurance doesn't cover such an eventuality. Ohio is in blue on the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program map of earthquake risk, so I probably won't go shopping for coverage.

Earthquake insurance is available, though. Usually sold with a large deductible, the coverage might be a good investment for those in highly vulnerable areas. Of course, the higher the risk, the higher the premium. Californians are assured that coverage is available thanks to the creation of the California Earthquake Authority The CERA points out that there is no part of the state that is immune from earthquakes.

"For many California homeowners, their home is their biggest financial asset," The CERA says on its Web site. "Without earthquake insurance, how do you plan to protect that asset from the costs of earthquake damage?"

I have a high deductible health insurance policy, so I am very cost-conscious when it comes to purchasing health care. At least twice a year, my doctor makes me get a comprehensive blood test. The amount I pay for that test can range from $100 to $250, depending on how the lab bills the test and how the insurance company decides to apply discounts. Oddly enough, the exact same blood test has netted me about 6 different prices over the last few years. Most of the time, I end up paying about $200 or $225 for the test. Until now!

My doctor's assistant turned me on to a company called Direct Laboratory Services, Inc. The concept is simple. You order a test, pay for it in advance with a credit card, get a list of laboratories near you, take the paperwork to the lab, and have your test done. You can select a lab from a huge list of participating labs, so you can essentially go where you want. The cost of my regular blood test is only $89... less than half of what I usually pay.

The benefits of Direct Labs are twofold. First, you get a bargain basement price on a lab test at the exact same lab you've always been going to. Second, you get the test results sent directly to you. No more having to call your doctor to see if they've received (or lost) your results.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

Insurance is a necessity of modern life. Face it, there is, as yet, no way to guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen to you or that you will live forever. Oftentimes, though, people forget that simple fact and discover all too late that they did not adequately protect themselves.

The good news is that getting proper insurance coverage does not have to be expensive. Even the most pricey insurance is a pittance compared with the costs that could be incurred if you lack sufficient protection. Below are 10 types of policies that are worth the money:

Life insurance
This is especially important if people count on your salary to pay the bills, whether it's your spouse or your kids. "Many people put off getting life insurance," said Jeanne Heisler, a New Jersey agent. "It's very inexpensive, especially if you are young." Single people may not need the coverage if they have enough money to cover their funeral expenses and pay off their debts.

Homeowner's insurance
Banks require that people get this coverage before they agree to underwrite a mortgage, since it protects homeowners from damages caused on their property to other people. The key for homeowner's insurance is to make sure that there is enough to cover the replacement value of the home, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Personal items such as furniture, sports equipment or clothes are also protected under these policies from "insured disasters" such as a fire or hurricane.

Ken and Daria Dolan, America's First Family of Personal Finance, answer your money questions every Friday.

Dear Ken and Daria ,

I want to bypass my husband in my will (with his permission!) to leave everything to my three children. Can I write a will myself? Can I change it?

Darlene

Ken and Daria Dolan offer advice on all of your estate planning questions and concerns at Dolans.com.

Click here to ask Ken and Daria your question.

Most of us will have the urge, as we age, to put our affairs in order so that when we die, our estate is apportioned as we direct. However, what is to become of your beloved pet? More and more people, unwilling to depend on sympathetic friends or family to properly take care of their cats or dogs, are choosing to set up pet trusts.

Why not, you may wonder, simply leave some money in the will for Pookey's care? Two reasons; the money could be held up in probate for months or years, and Pookey would get very hungry waiting for his Alpo. Secondly, the will may not contractually bind the person to whom you will Pookey's care. Can you count on their cooperation?

A pet trust can be set up with an organization such as the New York not-for-profit Bideawee animal welfare organization. For $15,000, they promise to look after Pookey for the rest of his life, providing the atmosphere and care that will help him recover from the loss of his master. There are even attorneys that specialize in setting up pet trusts. Since the trusts are not recognized in all states, checking with one might be worth the money.

So if you fear that your deadbeat son-in-law can't wait to squander your estate on the blackjack tables of Las Vegas, a pet trust might bring peace of mind to both you and your favorite lap warmer.

The storm season is rapidly approaching for my part of the country, and that got me thinking. Because our locality seems to be rather prone to lightening strikes, we had better make sure we have proper insurance coverage on our computers.

I've already had one modem fried by lightening. Luckily enough the manufacturer's warranty covered that one occurrence. But now, we have two rather expensive computers which are each used for generating income. You can bet that I'll be making sure they're protected by proper insurance before storm season hits.

Generally, homeowner or renter's insurance will provide adequate coverage for the average personal computer in the event of damage or theft. However, it's a good idea to check to see if the policy covers actual value or replacement value. Computers depreciate very quickly once we put them into service. In my own case, I'll gladly pay the modest up-front charge for a policy which provides replacement of my machine at current market prices for new equipment, if something unsavory should happen.

Among the followers of Christianity there is a belief that prior to the apocalyptic end of the world, a majority of the believers shall be taken in an instant to their heavenly home. It's referred to as "The Rapture", and they say the time is near. Whether or not this happening shall come to pass is far beyond minds such as mine to know. However, it brings to my thinking the possibility for an unequaled opportunity for the insurance industry, such as the world has never known.

It would seem to me that there are plenty of Christians out there who are in doubt about which, if any, of their loved ones shall be taken along with them in The Rapture. It's safe to assume that every Christian believer has at least one person close to them of whom suitability for rapture is in doubt. This brings about the reasoning for my idea. Isn't it reasonable to expect that good Christian folks would want to make provision for the loved ones they leave behind when they're beamed up to their heavenly home? Rapture insurance could pay a benefit to those who are left behind when the saints go marching in.

Life insurance won't do the job because the insured party has not died. There would be no death certificate to base a claim on. All there will be is just one big POOF, and then an empty spot. Conversely, rapture insurance claims wouldn't be too hard to prove because the supposition is that all the pre-approved believers are going to be taken at the same time. That is, all except 144,000 of them who will be left behind to accomplish some yet undisclosed tasks.

I hereby call upon the insurance industry to make rapture insurance available soon. I myself won't need to purchase a policy because, for lack of a better way to put it, unfortunately I think I'll be sticking around until the final bell.

Now where'd I put my bible...

The concept of automobile insurance is simple: You pay the insurance company a premium. They invest your money, hope to earn something on it, and if you have an accident, they pay for the damage. Of course, the limits they will pay and the things they will pay for depend upon the specifics of your policy.

But what if your insurance premium was $5,000 to $10,000 a year? Could you afford it? Would you cry foul?

The sad truth is that insurance companies must charge premiums that are high enough to compensate them for the risk they take with you as a driver. If you've got a history of reckless driving, there's a higher chance that you'll cost them money down the road. So they're going to charge you more money in the form of your insurance premium.

It makes sense, doesn't it? Those who cost the insurance company more should pay more. And believe me, insurance companies have huge departments called underwriting that are paid to analyze data and determine how big of a risk you are. Then they tell you exactly how much you'll have to pay.