Obama signing into law wide-ranging farm bill that trims food stamp program + MORE Feb 7th

Insurance is complicated at the best of times and, in the height of loss, it can be hard to settle on a dollar figure value for belongings with great sentimental value.
But what happens if the reimbursement decided on by the insurance company doesn’t cover your loss in a way you deem adequate and fair?
There certainly are options.
Pete Karageorgos, manager of consumer and industry relations for the Insurance Bureau of Canada – the industry trade association – walks us through the steps for disputing the results of an insurance claim.
Start From The Bottom
The first step is to try and work it through with the adjuster or broker – whoever it was that handled the initial claim.
“I’ve been in the insurance industry now for almost 20 years and inevitably the majority of disputes and problems arise out of shortcomings in communication,” says Karageorgos. “Sometimes it may be a simple misunderstanding or the insurance company may need more information.”
One of the most common causes for dispute is the value of the lost/stolen items…

Citigroup Inc has agreed to pay $110 million US to thousands of homeowners who were forcibly charged expensive property insurance premiums, a court filing showed, as several U.S. banks and insurers were criticized by regulators over such practices.

While RRSPs are a great way to build tax-sheltered retirement assets, some Canadians need to look beyond them, particularly if they already make a sizable workplace pension contribution – leaving them very little RRSP room to work with.
Although controversial, there is another tax-sheltered retirement strategy that provides an alternative to or even a substitute for an RRSP, suggests Ted Rechtshaffen, president of Toronto-based TriDelta Financial Partners.
Basically, it involves taking out a guaranteed life insurance policy on an older relative in reasonable health – with their cooperation, of course – and naming yourself the sole beneficiary. When this relative passes away, whether it’s in 10, 20 or 30 years, you receive the guaranteed payout, tax-free.
Smart Estate Planning
Some might suggest that it seems rather morbid to benefit financially from a relative’s death. But this is sound estate planning and really no different than anyone who’s waiting to receive an inheritance, Rechtshaffen maintains…

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is carrying out a presidential duty that he hasn’t had a lot of opportunity to perform recently: signing into law a major piece of bipartisan legislation.
Obama planned to sign a far-reaching farm bill Friday at Michigan State University, choosing heartland America for a rare celebration of Washington political compromise. The bill expands federal crop insurance and ends direct government payments that go to farmers whether they produce anything or not. But the bulk of its $100 billion per year cost is for the food stamp program that aids 1 in 7 Americans.
The White House says Obama plans to squeeze into his three-hour visit to Michigan a lunch with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who took office last month. The city is going through the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. They will be joined by Obama’s point person on Detroit, Don Graves, senior adviser at the President’s National Economic Council.
Obama has said the farm bill isn’t perfect, but will reduce the deficit “without gutting the vital assistance programs millions of hardworking Americans count on to help put food on the table for their families…