The Web 4 People Of World

Life insurance is a necessity in our lives. Things being what they are, we are susceptible to all manner of accidents, illnesses, and misfortunes. The last thing you want to do is leave a financial burden in your absence. Let’s face it, it should be call FOR insurance, because it’s pretty for sure that you aren’t getting out of life alive.

1. Get in as good heath as you can. Life insurance can get expensive if you don’t take care of yourself. It used to be that people who were overweight paid the most in premiums, but guess who does now; smokers. Quit smoking, but make sure you do it at least 3 weeks before they give you a physical, or the nicotine will still be in your system and you’ll have to either take a physical again later, or deal with smoker’s rates.

2. Get it while you’re young. Not only are the premiums cheaper, but you can “lock in” your insurability. Some companies won’t insure you if you have major health issues, or the premiums will be huge to cover them, and you’re more likely to develop those kinds of issues later in life. Also, the younger you are, the more time your policy can build its value.

3. Decide what coverage you want. There are term policies, which will only cover you for a specified “term” of years. These are usually the cheapest, but don’t build any value. You do get your premiums back if you out live the policy, and its tax free. There are whole life policies, policies that you can invest the money and make a profit, policies where there is a floating “floor”, so that if you make money one year, the floor raises and you won’t make any less than that return even if your investments loose money. People have retired on what their life insurance policies had grown into, so it’s not your father’s life insurance anymore.

4. Decide the dollar amount you want to be paid incase of death. It is generally considered that a person’s life is priceless to themselves, so as long as you can afford the premiums, the sky’s the limit. However, you can get an insurance policy on someone else, and there are limits to that based on income and such. Basically, you want to consider how much it would cost to lay your mortal remains to rest, and how much income you would have brought into the household for the remainder of what would have been your life. That’s the part many don’t realize. It’s not just about the funeral; it’s about the quality of life of the people who survive you.

5. Think about riders. Riders are attachments to a policy that cover different things. Say you want to be covered if you get cancer. There’s a rider for that. Maybe you want to cover your spouse without getting them a separate policy. There’s a rider for that. Perhaps you want a living benefit, something that if you become disabled, will pay for your care, food, and living expenses. Yes, there is a rider for that also. They will cost a little extra, but can be worth it, especially if things run in your family.

6. Talk to a licensed financial advisor. Most of them have relationships with one or more insurance firms. The more insurance firms they deal with, the better the chance you’ll get the coverage you want, and the best price for your policy.

Policy and Access in State Interest Communities.

Berkeley Lab instituted a new policy effective June 1, 1997, for the purchase of gases. This policy covers the purchase and delivery of standard industrial gases, specialty gases, and toxic and corrosive gases. ALS users should follow the guidelines below when buying gases for experimental use.

Standard Industrial Gases

A supply of the most commonly used gases at the ALS–He, Ar, N2, and CO2 (large cylinders, standard purity)–is available for users in the gas storage racks by Building 6. Users may remove a bottle for use once they have signed for it in the Gas Log Book at the User Services Area in Building 6, and have placed the copper ring from the bottle on the hook beside the log book. When filling out the Gas Log, users must provide the following information: the date; their name and their account number; the beamline or lab where the gas is to be used; and the type of gas and the quantity (number of bottles) taken. ALS staff will reorder additional cylinders based on this information in order to maintain a readily available supply of common gases for all users.

All other standard industrial gas purchases can be ordered by contacting a Beamline Coordinator (ext 7464) or an ALS Receiving staff member (ext. 4494). Gas cylinders will be delivered to the gas storage racks at the ALS (or the building specified by the purchaser). All gas cylinders delivered to the ALS will be labeled with the name of the user or group who ordered them. Users ordering large cylinders should record their purchases in the Gas Log Book in the Building 6 User Services Area.

Below are some examples of available gases and their prices; a complete list of gases for purchase can be found in the User Services Area in Building 6.

Specialty Gases
Many nontoxic and/or non-corrosive specialty gases can also be purchased through the ALS. The gases available are listed in the Airgas Specialty Gases Catalog in the User Services Area. Lecture bottle quantities are generally not indicated but should be available on request.

* What: Purchase of Standard Industrial or Specialty Gases for Use at the ALS

* How:
For standard industrial or specialty gases, contact a Beamline Coordinator (ext 7464) or an ALS Receiving staff member (ext. 4494) and provide the following information:

a. Your name
b. Your account number
c. Your phone number
d. Destination building number (put “6″ for ALS floor)
e. Gas(es) and quantity required