General Business and Finance Blog

In the world dictated by global economy demand things are getting quite close and inter-related no matter where your business is. And unpleasant things like political instability, riots, wars and revolutions within one country can strongly influence the business in another part of the world. That’s why businesses working at the international market need political risk insurance in order to cope with such risks.

What is political risk Insurance?

Political risk insurance is a form of business insurance that covers the financial losses influenced by social or political instability within a give country. Political risk insurance can also act an investment stimulation tool when working with international partners at it delivers a high degree of stability to any financial project. From this point of view, even small businesses may require political risk insurance when working overseas.

Let’s take an example. Say, a small American importer wants to take advantage of cheap labor in another country and set up a shipping facility there. But the constant social unrest has made it quite hard to set up any business there and the last coup has lead to seizure of all foreign investments in the region.

The business can use political risk insurance for this particular project. This type of business insurance will cover the damage to the property if it were taken or destroyed during a political or social event. By ensuring that this damage is covered, it will be much easier to draw investments into the project.

What will the political risk insurance policy pay for?

Political risk insurance isn’t quite similar to typical business insurance. Each policy is usually tailored for a certain project or company in order to cover the exact events that need to be insured against. Still, besides the highly customizable nature of such large and small business insurance policies, a typical political risk insurance policy will include coverage against three major factors:

• Expropriation – This is when the government of a given country is converting any private property into state property by simply taking away any business even from foreign investors. There are many examples to this in the 20th century, one of the most recent ones being the nationalization of oil production in Bolivia.
• Political violence – This form of coverage will pay for the losses caused to your assets during political or social events such as riots or revolutions. Street battles in Iran can be a very good example for such events.
• Currency inconvertibility – This coverage will help assure your business with necessary financing in case the local currency is impossible to convert into a hard one, or its devaluations strongly affect your business or project.

Whereto get political risk insurance?

Political risk insurance is not your typical big or small business insurance so it will be hard to get such a policy from a common insurance provider. Quite often these policies are sold through private-public partnerships at host countries that are interested in attracting new investment projects to the area. A good source of information on brokers and intermediaries offering political risk insurance is the World Bank report.

Business owners really need insurance to protect their investments and valuable assets, especially if it is a small business, because there are numerous factors that can ruin the enterprise and turn all of your efforts into nothing overnight. Business itself in essence is connected to a lot of risk, but when a small business uses loans and credits for day-to-day operations, any financial loss no matter what causes it may be devastating both for the business and the individual behind it.

Looking at all the risks involved it is evident that insuring a business is a must. Small business owners need special protection in six key domains that pose special risk for any enterprise: property, liability, worker compensation, autos, theft, and capital. There are other domains such as errors and omission that require additional security as well. Insurance companies understand the need of small entrepreneurs and that is why there are so many insurance offers for small and medium businesses on the market these days. There are numerous factors that may influence the choice of insurance for a businesses and local business condition is just one of them. In order to get the best policy it is recommended to follow these simple five tips that will assure your enterprise with the right coverage it really requires:

• Most business insurance policies are designed to cover against a wide set of risks, but they have their limits. In case your business has a specific type of risk that is not included in typical policies, you may want to purchase additional coverage against this risk or get a separate policy namely for it. The main goal is to have your business insured against the particular risk and protect your funds by using insurance.
• Small business insurance provides financial protection against such common things as power shortages and natural disasters. These risks are unpredictable and have the power to put you out of business for good in no time in case you don’t have the necessary coverage.
• Most businesses need special type of insurance to keep them protected against customer lawsuits arising from errors and omissions. Error & Omissions (E&O) business coverage is particularly useful to enterprises dealing with clients on a regular basis by providing services or producing goods.
• For those enterprises that need extensive coverage against a very wide range of risks and perils there are special business owner polices that provide protection against virtually all types of risks. Of course, it is hard to be protected against just everything and it has its price, that is why you should learn the details about such a deal before signing the policy. Pay attention to exclusions, they may matter when you face an insurance situation.
• Evaluate the amount of coverage your business needs for each type of risk. It’s not wise to have maximum amounts from the cost point of view as such policy will have hefty premiums. Also, make sure to compare offers from different insurance providers as it often turns out that different companies have different rates for the same amount of insurance coverage.

Hopefully these tips will help you in finding the best insurance deal your company deserves that will have perfect protection against different risks for a reasonable price.

In a modern society, it is sad to have to protect yourself against litigation. You would always hope people would naturally become more forgiving of mistakes and accept modest compensation for the losses they have suffered. Sadly, the US is one of the most aggressively litigious societies in the world and, for a small business, even a small claim can be the difference between success and bankruptcy. It is not just the value of any award of damages. It is the costs payable to both your own attorney and the attorney on the other side if you lose the case. Although it is an extreme example of the problem, you may remember Pearson v. Chung in which a judge sued his dry cleaner for a lost pair of pants. The amount claimed? Only $54 million. The problem was the $100,000 cost of the defense. Fortunately, public fund-raising covered those costs with the Chung’s attorney acting pro bono in the appeal hearings. Not every attorney will act without payment. The public does not often rally round to help a small business. That is why you should review your insurance portfolio.

In general terms, almost every business should carry property insurance, e.g. to cover fire damage, general liability to cover third party claims, a reasonable amount of workers’ compensation in case your employees sue you, and Errors and Omissions to protect you against the kind of mistakes you make when following your standard business routines. Suppose, for example, you write down the wrong delivery address and ship the order to the wrong place. Or the software you lovingly craft for your client crashes his PC when uploaded. The number of possibilities are infinite which is why this type of insurance has real benefits. It is so difficult to predict all the different errors and omissions that might occur. But there is one thing of which you can be certain. The majority of your customers will sue. Even though some of these cases will be vexatious and frivolous, your own costs are covered. Fending off these suits keeps you in business and makes the premiums a good investment.

E & O insurance tends to be classed as for “professionals” and it is true that lawyers, doctors, accountants and others with professional status depend on this type of insurance in their day-to-day lives. No one can afford to lose a case affecting their reputation. But that is just as true of ordinary small businesses. Everyone depends on their good name to get and keep clients. But the amount you buy will depend on the scale of the risk. Small business insurance must be affordable. To keep it so, review the way your business deals with complaints. Often, a sympathetic ear and immediate action to make good, will defuse the anger and head off the litigation. You should also look at the way you market your goods or services. Avoid anything that looks like a guarantee or warranty. If a customer has false expectations about the quality of what you sell, this will add fuel to the fire. Finally, check all your business processes and operations to reduce the chances of making a mistake. That said, small business insurance can keep you in business long enough to become a big business. It all depends on giving good service and developing your business model to match your customers’ needs and expectations.

You have heard about Errors and Omissions Insurance (E&O Insurance) from your insurance agent and now think whether it’s useful to your business or not? No matter how big or small your company is, whether it’s a small home business or a large production facility you own, not having any insurance is a risk that you just can’t afford. Moreover, if you produce products or services, your business is automatically exposed to Errors and Omissions. Even if you already have Commercial Liability Insurance policy you still aren’t fully protected against liability due to personal negligence. General liability simply doesn’t pay for errors and omissions you or your workers make when producing goods or delivering services.

Why should you buy E&O Insurance?

Errors and Omissions Insurance is quite simple to understand if you refer to it as “Malpractice” or “Professional Liability” Insurance. The list of professionals who should purchase E&O Insurance include lawyers, engineers, doctors, accountants and any other enterprises that work with clients, providing either services or products that may become the cause of liability if there is a professional error. As you may understand there are countless types of businesses that fall into this category, ranging from real estate to advertising agencies, financial consultants to hardware manufacturers, from appraisers to repair shops. Errors and Omissions Insurance is delivered through a separate policy and assures financial protection against any claims that are filed by third parties, who are dissatisfied or injured by your products or services that were the subject of professional negligence. Thus, this type of business insurance will pay for the court fees, attorney fees and any settlements that the court will stipulate you to pay to the third party.

Will E&O Insurance protect your enterprise from financial loss?

Error and Omissions Insurance won’t protect you from direct financial loss due to bad sales or drop in income. However, taking into account the high costs of lawsuits and attorney fees, even if the case is absurd and you aren’t guilty at all, the process itself could be a heavy financial burden for your business, making up to tens of thousands of dollars you have to pay after everything is settled down. And this amount of money could be vital for most small and medium sized businesses. In that sense, Error and Omissions insurance is a great form of business insurance that protects your most important assets and your enterprise as a whole against the financial impact of a lawsuit.

It’s impossible to not make any mistakes while doing business and every smart business owner knows that very well. That’s why you need Errors and Omissions Insurance to deal with respectful claims from your clients. It’s always better to pay for business insurance, even if you think that the rates are high, rather than have to pay the court costs that may require you to sell your car or your house, and put you out of business for good. There’s not sense in saving money on Errors and Omissions coverage, especially if you are exposed to such situations on a regular basis. What you will save today can be multiplied by thousands and be legally requested from you due to your actions or personal negligence of your employees. If you want to run your business for a long time and become prosperous, it’s evident that the first option is for you.