Most people have come to realize that insurance is a necessary evil, but few have a clue as to how to dance with the devil!

Event Insurance – A Prudent Option or Necessary Evil?

Introduction

Insurance is a subject which can leave you cold – rather like doing the VAT returns with your accountant or discussing a legal dispute with your lawyer, you fear that at the end of the conversation your bank account will be a little lighter, and for what purpose? It’s something you know is necessary, but you don’t really want to buy it unless you have to. Event insurance is one element in the management of risk in events, and a well written and carefully structured insurance can rescue an event, or if the worst happens may even be called upon to refund the whole value of the event. Ironically, the cost of insurance represents a tiny fraction of an event’s turnover. Organisers of corporate events may be pleasantly surprised – the insurance can cost less than the room gifts.Before deciding what cover you need, consider the reasons why it is necessary. Some people buy insurance with a clear reason in mind only to find that a loss is caused by something completely different. So is it a necessary evil? These examples show it is necessary, and the cost isn’t evil, so it’s really a matter of what is your attitude to risk?

The process of insurance has been evolved to safeguard the interests of people from uncertainty by providing certainty of payment at a given contingency. The insurance principle comes to be more and more used and useful in modern affairs. Not only does it serve the ends of individuals, or of special groups of individuals, it tends to pervade and to transform our modern social order, too.

THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF INSURANCE TO THE SOCIETY

1. Insurance Provides Security and Safety:

The insurance provides safety and security against the loss on a particular event. In case of life insurance payment is made when death occurs or the term of insurance is expired. The loss to the family at a premature death and payment in old age are adequately provided by insurance. In other words, security against premature death and old age sufferings are provided by life insurance.

Similarly, the property of insured is secured against loss on a fire in fire insurance. In other insurance, too, this security is provided against the loss at a given contingency. Insurance provides safety and security against the loss of earning at death or in golden age, against the loss at fire, against the loss at damage, destruction or disappearance of property, goods, furniture and machines, etc.

2. Insurance Affords Peace of Mind:

The security wish is the prime motivating factor. This is the wish which tends to stimulate to more work, if this wish is unsatisfied, it will create a tension which manifests itself to the individual in the form of an unpleasant reaction causing reduction in work.

The security banishes fear and uncertainty, fire, windstorm, auto-mobile accident, damage and death are almost beyond the control human agency and in occurrence of any of these events may frustrate or weaken the human mind. By means of insurance, however, much of the uncertainty that centers about the wish for security and its attainment may be eliminated.

3. Insurance Protects Mortgaged Property:

At the death of the owner of the mortgaged property, the property is taken over by the lender of money and the family will be deprived of the uses of the property. On the other hand, the mortgagee wishes to get the property insured because at the damage or destruction of the property he will lose his right to get the loan replayed.

The insurance will provide adequate amount to the dependents at the early death of the property-owner to pay off the unpaid loans. Similarly, the mortgagee gets adequate amount at the destruction of the property.

4. Insurance Eliminates Dependency:

At the death of the husband or father, the destruction of family needs no elaboration. Similarly, at destruction of, property and goods, the family would suffer a lot. It brings reduced standards of living and the suffering may go to any extent of begging from the relatives, neighbors or friends.

The economic independence of the family is reduced or, sometimes, lost totally. What can be more pitiable condition than this that the wife and children are looking others more benevolent than the husband and father, in absence of protection against such dependency? The insurance is here to assist them and provides adequate amount at the time of sufferings.

5. Life Insurance Encourages Saving:

The elements of protection and investment are present only in case of life insurance. In property insurance, only protection element exists. In most of the life policies elements of saving predominates. These policies combine the programs of insurance and savings.

6. Life Insurance Provides Profitable Investment:

Individuals unwilling or unable to handle their own funds have been pleased to find an outlet for their investment in life insurance policies. Endowment policies, multipurpose policies, deferred annuities are certain better form of investment. The elements of investment i.e., regular saving, capital formation, and return of the capital along with certain additional return are perfectly observed, in life insurance.

Importance of Insurance to the Business

1. Uncertainty of Business Losses is Reduced:

In world of business, commerce and industry a huge number of properties are employed. With a slight slackness or negligence, the property may be turned into ashes. The accident may be fatal not only to the individual or property but to the third party also. New construction and new establishment are possible only with the help of insurance.

In absence of it, uncertainty will be to the maximum level and nobody would like to invest a huge amount in the business or industry. A person may not be sure of his life and health and cannot continue the business up to longer period to support his dependents. By purchasing policy, he can be sure of his earning because the insurer will pay a fed amount at the time of death.

Again, the owner of a business might foresee contingencies that would bring great loss. To meet such situations they might decide to set aside annually a reserve, but it could not be accumulated due to death. However, by making an annual payment, to secure immediately, insure policy can be taken.

2. Business-Efficiency is Increased with Insurance:

When the owner of a business is free from the botheration of losses, he will certainly devote much time to the business. The care free owner can work better for the maximization of the profit. The new as well as old businessmen are guaranteed payment of certain amount with the insurance policies at the death of the person; at the damage, destruction or disappearance of the property or goods.

3. Key Man Indemnification:

Key man is that particular man whose capital, expertise, experience, energy, ability to control, goodwill and dutifulness make him the most valuable asset in the business and whose absence will reduce the income of the employer tremendously and up to that time when such employee is not substituted.

The death or disability of such valuable lives will, in many instances, prove a more serious loss than that by fire or any hazard. The potential loss to be suffered and the compensation to the dependents of such employee require an adequate provision which is met by purchasing adequate life-policies.

4. Enhancement of Credit:

The business can obtain loan by pledging the policy as collateral for the loan. The insured persons are getting more loans due to certainty of payment at their deaths. The amount of loan that can be obtained with such pledging of policy, with interest thereon will not exceed the cash value of the policy. In case of death, this value can be utilized for setting of the loan along with the interest. If the borrower is unwilling to repay the loan and interest, the lender can surrender the policy and get the amount of loan and interest thereon repaid.

5. Business Continuation:

In any business particularly partnership business may discontinue at the death of any partner although the surviving partners can restart the business, but in both the cases the business and the partners will suffer economically. The insurance policies provide adequate funds at the time of death. Each partner may be insured for the amount of his interest in the partnership and his dependents may get that amount at the death of the partner. With the help of property insurance, the property of the business is protected against disasters and the chance of disclosure of the business due to the tremendous waste or loss.

6. Welfare of Employees:

The employer has to look after the welfare of the former which can be provision for early death, provision for disability and provision for old age. These requirements are easily met by the life insurance, accident and sickness benefit, and pensions which are generally provided by group insurance.

Importance of Insurance to the Society

1. Wealth of the Society is Protected:

The loss of a particular wealth can be protected with the insurance. Life insurance provides loss of human wealth. The human material, if it is strong, educated and care-free, will generate more income. Similarly, the loss of damage of property at fire, accident, etc., can be well indemnified by the property insurance; cattle, crop, profit and machines are also protected against their accidental and economic losses. With the advancement of the society, the wealth or the property of the society attracts more hazardous and, so new types of insurance are also invented to protect them against the possible losses.

2. Economic Growth of the Country:

For the economic growth of the country, insurance provides strong hand and mind, protection against loss of property and adequate capital to produce more wealth. The agriculture will experience protection against losses of cattle, machines, tools and crop. Similarly in business, too, the property and human material are protected against certain losses; capital and credit are expanded with the help of insurance. Thus, the insurance meets all the requirements of the economic growth of a country.

3. Reduction in Inflation:

The insurance reduces the inflationary resource in two ways. First, by extracting money in supply to the amount of premium collected and secondly, by providing sufficient funds for production narrow down the inflationary gap.