Insurance Books - Page 6

Handbook of Asset and Liability Management: From Models to Optimal Return Strategies (The Wiley Finance Series)

Alexandre Adam

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Editorial Review:

In the Handbook of Asset and Liability Management: From Models to Optimal Return Strategies, Alexandre Adam presents a comprehensive guide to Asset and Liability Management. Written from a quantitative perspective with economic explanations, this book will appeal to both mathematicians and non-mathematicians alike as it gives an operational view on the business. Well structured, this book includes essential information on Balance Sheet Items and Products Modeling, Tools for Asset and Liability Managers, as well as Optimal Returns Strategies. Explaining, in detail, all the written and unwritten rules of Asset Liability Management, using up-to-date models and the latest findings, the Handbook of Asset and Liability Management is an essential tool for Asset and Liability Managers both for the present day and the future.

Modelling Single-name and Multi-name Credit Derivatives (The Wiley Finance Series)

Dominic O'Kane

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Editorial Review:

Modelling Single-name and Multi-name Credit Derivatives presents an up-to-date, comprehensive, accessible and practical guide to the pricing and risk-management of credit derivatives. It is both a detailed introduction to credit derivative modelling and a reference for those who are already practitioners.

This book is up-to-date as it covers many of the important developments which have occurred in the credit derivatives market in the past 4-5 years. These include the arrival of the CDS portfolio indices and all of the products based on these indices. In terms of models, this book covers the challenge of modelling single-tranche CDOs in the presence of the correlation skew, as well as the pricing and risk of more recent products such as constant maturity CDS, portfolio swaptions, CDO squareds, credit CPPI and credit CPDOs.

Auto Accident Personal Injury Insurance Claim: How to Evaluate and Settle Your Loss

Dan Baldyga

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Recommend book highly 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

My wife and I purchased this book some time ago as we prepared to settle our claim.

She had also bought a few others online and we spent quite a bit of time reading them all.

Each one had some helpful information, however, we both felt this book was the most concise and had everything we needed to know. I especially liked the fact that this particular author did not talk down to the readers, nor did he use the difficult to understand legal terms that some of the others did.

He took us step by step through the process, explaining what we needed to do at every turn.

Neither my wife or I had ever been through this wrenching process before. When we met with our adjuster we both felt a lot more confident thanks to this book.

I'm pleased to report that we just settled our claim for the amount we figured out with this book. It took some haggling, both on the phone and in person, but we held fast as the author said to do and we persevered.

For the benefit of others who find themselves like we did, struggling to learn the in's and out's of a claims process, I would recommend this book highly.

Editorial Review:

Eight out of ten Americans will have an accident in the next seven years. Baldyga delivers over three decades of personal injury, insurance claim experience in this easy-to-read book. Learn how to settle your "pain and suffering" for top dollar.

A Guide to Health Insurance Billing

Marie A Moisio

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Easy to Understand 4 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

I knew nothing about health insurance. This book is definitely worth the money. What makes it stand out is there are examples they give to make it more clear, as well as a CD and test questions.

Excellent step-by-step introduction to electronic medical billing 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The book presents medical billing employment opportunities, discusses biller's qualifications, introduces the ICD-9 and CPT concepts, teaches how to develop a claim, guides the completion of HCFA forms, discusses electronic data interchange, and offers separate chapters on managed care, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare, Medicaid, and workers compensation. Each chapter includes key terms and learning objectives as well as reinforcement exercises and examples designed to help learning the basics of insurance billing.

An excellent entry-level text for those learning about the insurance billing process.

Yuval Lirov, Practicing Profitability - Billing Network Effect for Revenue Cycle Control in Healthcare Clinics and Chiropractic Offices: Collections, Audit Risk, SOAP Notes, Scheduling, Care Plans, and Coding

Editorial Review:

A Guide to Health Insurance Billing, Second Edition is an introduction to medical billing, covering everything from patient registration to claims submission, with an emphasis on HIPAA issues. This valuable resource includes introductory concepts, examples, and application exercises designed to show you the basics of insurance billing. You will become familiar with health insurance terminology, understand the legal implications of insurance billing, develop a basic understanding of medical coding systems, and accurately complete insurance claim forms.

America's Health Care Crisis Solved: Money-Saving Solutions, Coverage for Everyone

J. Patrick Rooney, Dan Perrin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Logical alternative to nationalized healthcare 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.

This book is written by Dan Perrin and Pat Rooney. Pat has been called both "the father of Medical Savings Accounts" and "the father of school choice." He's a well known maverick who comes up with ideas that seem incredibly radical, and after they are adopted, everyone thinks "Well, that was obvious." Well it's not when Pat first thinks of it.

If you only read one chapter, read chapter 5. In it they outline a plan for the government to pay for health insurance for everyone who doesn't already have government sponsored insurance with a tax credit. This isn't the typical "let's spend more of the taxpayers money because it's free." They want to pay for it by discontinuing the tax givebacks which in 2008 are estimated to be $260 billion.

The three things that make it work are:
1. It is refundable - you don't have to owe taxes to get the money.
2. It's advanceable - you don't have to wait for their tax refund to get the money.
3. It's assignable - the government can pay it directly to the insurance company.

I'm an herbalist and a naturopath, so I prefer that people exercise, eat right, take their vitamins, minerals and herbs and stay out of the doctor's office and the hospital. But there is a time and a place for western medicine. It is so expensive that you do need health insurance in case something catastrophic happens. In this book they are recommending that the government pay:
* $5,000 a year for a family.
* $2,000 a year for an individual.

This is the most logical plan I have heard. I would much prefer this to the nationalized healthcare that is seen in other countries where they ration healthcare because of budget constraints.

Editorial Review:

America’s Health Care Crisis Solved highlights the major pitfalls of our current health care system and shows why, without changes, health care costs will soon demolish the American economy as well as the opportunity to receive quality care. However, contrary to the increasingly popular idea of a government health plan, the alternative presented by authors J. Patrick Rooney and Dan Perrin brings the self-interest of you, the American consumer, into the equation.

Social Security, Medicare & Government Pensions: Get the Most Out of Your Retirement & Medical Pensions

Joseph L. Matthews, Dorothy Matthews-Berman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Get the most out of the new Medicare drug coverage!

Everyone wants to get the highest possible retirement and pension income --not to mention the best medical coverage. This book is your guide to finding retirement benefits, figuring out the best time to claim them, and then doing so quickly and easily.

Social Security benefits
Find all the latest information and instructions you need to get your retirement and disability benefits, dependents and survivors benefits, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Medicare & Medicaid
Learn the nuts and bolts of both programs, plus how to qualify and apply for them. Understand Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage what it covers, how to apply for it and how to use it with your medigap policy, managed care plan or Medicaid.

Medical coverage options
Get the latest information on Medicare and Medicaid HMOs and other managed care plans, and learn about the different types of medigap health plans.

Government pensions & veterans benefits
Discover when and how to claim the benefits you have earned.

Practical advice for anyone thinking about retirement
Find out how much your benefits will be when you plan to claim them. Time your retirement to get the best benefits. Fill out and file important benefit forms. And more!

ICD-9-CM 2008 Professional for Hospitals (Icd-9-Cm Professional for Hospitals) (Icd-9-Cm Professional for Hospitals)

Ingenix

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Editorial Review:

Our experts track regulatory and coding changes to bring you a premier code reference that meets all your professional coding needs. The 2008 ICD-9-CM Professional for Hospitals, Volumes 1, 2 & 3 includes new features designed to simplify the Severity of Illness issue. Work smarter with our hallmark color coding and intuitive symbols and integrate coding and reimbursement into a single task.

Getting Started in Annuities (Getting Started In.....)

Gordon K. Williamson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

An acceptable primer on annuities 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I wanted to do some research on variable annuities, and I was surprised to find very few books on the subject.

I found Williamson's writing style acceptable, but not really enjoyable to read.

I found this book informative, with some attention to the pros and cons of annuities, but with some major issues.

When I first read the author's example of two investors (one invests $1M in a variable annuity and the other invests $1M in a regular stock mutual fund), my gut said something was wrong with his math. On page 65, he runs through these 2 cases and pronounces the variable annuity man the big winner over the regular mutual fund investor....$11M to $6.829 after 24 years.

The author mentions a 15% pretax rate of return and an average 12% return. From what I can tell he didn't use either number in his calculations.

My analysis of his example goes like this....

For the ordinary mutual fund investor to end up with $6.829M after taxes in 24 years, this gives an after tax return of 8.334% (using compound interest formula of FV = PV x (1+i)^n). This 8.334% after tax return equates to a pre-tax return of 12.5% if the investor is in the 33% marginal tax bracket. Note that my calculated return of 12.5% doesn't match the author's 12% or 15% numbers at all.

The variable annuity man invests $1M at a pre-tax rate of 12.5% for 24 years which gives $16.891M. The variable annuity man nets $11.26M after being taxed at a 33% marginal tax rate.

My first complaint is that the author used the wrong inputs for his model. My second complaint is that this example portrays an inaccurate picture of variable annuities. The author assumes 0% expense ratios for both the annuity investor and regular mutual fund investor. He points out correctly elsewhere in his book the average expense ratio of variable annuities is about 2.0%, yet he chose 0% expense rate for variable annuities. The average mutual fund expense ratio is about 1.38% with index funds from Vanguard at only 0.18% expense ratio. My third complaint is the author correctly applied an ordinary income tax rate of 33% to the variable annuity, but incorrectly applied the same 33% to the mutual fund investor. In 2007, the long term capital gains rate is only 15% and not 33%.

If we redo the author's example using a 2% expense ratio for the variable annuity man, a 0% expense ratio for the mutual fund investor (he uses Vanguard's stock index fund with 0.18% expense ratio), and a 15% capital gains rate to the regular mutual fund investor.....then the story reverses. The regular mutual fund man wins with $11.28M after taxes compared to the variable annuity man's 7.32M!

I was also very disappointed to see the author did not promote single payment immediate annuities as important tools in retirement portfolios. Many studies have been done which show that immediate annuities are advantageous to investors because they help prevent investors from outliving their money. The reason for missing this advantage of immediate annuities may be the book publication date of 1999. A lot of the key research papers on using immediate annuities in retirement portfolios did not start until around 2001 (Milevsky's papers).

I did know that most states guarantee annuities in the event the insurance company declares bankruptcy. I thought the limit was $100,000 per insurance company, but the author says 80% or $100,000....whatever is less......of the annuity is paid by the state. This state insurance guarantee only applies to fixed annuities because your money is mixed with other people's money. In variable annuities, your money is kept separate and you own the underlying investments within the annuity.

I found some of the author's logic a little ironic, or perverse, depending on how you look at it. Many studies (e.g. Dalbar) have found that investors only achieve a fraction of the stock markets return.......due to switching mutual funds in an attempt to chase the winners. The author contends that an investor would be better off in a variable annuity indexed to the S&P 500 or Wilshire 5000 because they will be assured of getting at least the general stock market return. I found this an odd way to promote the use of stock index funds.

One thing you realize reading this book is how complex variable annuities are. They are also laden with fees of all types. Uneducated investors have no chance of ever understanding or being capable of comparing variable annuities.

The general idea of variable annuities is that their tax free compounding advantage out-weighs their disadvantages of lower returns (2.0% compared to 1.38% expense ratios) and lower after-tax returns (33% marginal rate for annuities, 15% long term capital gains) when compared to taxable mutual funds.

In today's relatively low tax world, with high variable annuity expense ratios, I'm hard pressed to see where variable annuities make economic sense compared to conventional stock and bond mutual funds.


Over-all an acceptable primer on annuities.

I would suggest companion books to supplement this book including:
Should Immediate Annuities be a Tool in Your Retirement Planning Toolbox?
Who Wins the Variable Annuity Versus Mutual Fund Battle?
The Richest Man in Babylon
Bogle on Mutual Funds: New Perspectives for the Intelligent Investor
The Millionaire Next Door
The Four Pillars of Investing: Lessons for Building a Winning Portfolio
A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing, Ninth Edition
Index Mutual Funds: How to Simplify Your Financial Life and Beat the Pro's
The Coffeehouse Investor: How to Build Wealth, Ignore Wall Street, and Get On With Your Life
The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing.

Editorial Review:

Getting Started in annuities

One of the most popular retirement investment options, annuities are also among the most difficult to comprehend. This handy volume provides an in-depth, easy-to-understand look at these complex instruments, revealing exactly what they are, how they work, and what advantages they have over other investment vehicles. Along with performance tables, sample portfolios, and a helpful Q & A section, you'll find up-to-date details on tax law changes, as well as complete information on:

The Medicaid Planning Handbook: A Guide to Protecting Your Family's Assets from Catastrophic Nursing Home Costs

Alexander A. Bove Jr.

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Worthless after Feb 8, 2006 1 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

Dear Worried Reader,
On February 8, 2006, President Bush signed a law called the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. This law makes sweeping changes to the ability of seniors to transfer (gift) any assets to their children and grandchildren. Following the advice of any book written before that date can cause a catastrophic loss of Medicaid privileges when a senior citizen is most vulnerable..when they actually enter a nursing home. Do not use this book as a reliable guide to current law. elder law attorney Chicago, IL

Great book, but out-of-date 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I actually worked with Alex Bove on updating a book on estate planning, when I practiced law in Boston many years ago. I purchased this book back in 1996 (the date of the current edition), but since then the laws have changed several times, most notably in February 2006, with the enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. As a result of those changes, many of the examples and planning suggestions discussed in Bove's book no longer work. For example, all rules relating to gifting, penalty periods, look-back periods, "half-a-loaf" planning, and annuities, have been radically changed. Do not rely on the examples in the book!

That being said, his material on durable powers of attorney, trusts (other than the Convertible Trust, which no longer works), gift taxes, general eligibility requirements, and ethics of Medicaid planning, is still worth reading.

For an example of a book that incorporates all the latest changes in the law, together with case studies and numerous cutting edge planning ideas, take a look at How to Protect Your Family's Assets from Devastating Nursing Home Costs: Medicaid Secrets. It's pricey, but well worth it when you consider all the information and ideas packed into it!

Editorial Review:

A guide for seniors, disabled individuals, and their families explains how to preserve personal assets while ensuring long-term care, covering such topics as interfamily transfers and trusts. Tour.

Project Risk Management (Project Management)

Bruce T. Barkley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Long way to go 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Currently, books on project risk management are still in their infancy, and this book is no exception. The treatment is still inadequate in many areas such as market, financial, or contractual risks. Further, there is a tendency to claim a generic approach when it is clearly not possible; risks in different industries need to be managed differently. My advice is to read the specialized books in your area, such as construction contracts if you are in construction. Amazingly, risk allocation is written into contracts, and yet existing books on project risk management tend to neglect contracts. Perhaps the authors are unfamiliar with this area.

Editorial Review:

An essential reference for project and program managers, this book provides simplified concepts and the tools necessary to assess, prioritise, and manage high-risk projects and tasks. The author delivers hands-on, practical information including: proven methods of integrating risk management into business and project planning; clear templates and models for preparing risk management plans; hard-nosed but easily-applied risk assessment tools such as sensitivity analysis; and, tips for setting up risk management process and support systems.