University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn or UPenn) is a private, Ivy League, research university located in Philadelphia. Incorporated as The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn is one of 14 founding members of the Association of American Universities and one of the nine original Colonial Colleges. Penn is one of several universities that claims to be the first university in the United States of America. Benjamin Franklin, Penn's founder, advocated an educational program that focused as much on practical education for commerce and public service as on the classics and theology although Franklin's curriculum was never adopted. The university coat of arms features a dolphin on the red chief, adopted directly from the Franklin family's own coat of arms. Penn was one of the first academic institutions to follow a multidisciplinary model pioneered by several European universities, concentrating multiple "faculties" (e.g., theology, classics, medicine) into one institution. It was also home to many other educational innovations. The first school of medicine in North America (Perelman School of Medicine, 1765), the first collegiate business school (Wharton School of Business, 1881) and the first "student union" building and organization (Houston Hall, 1896)were all born at Penn. Penn offers a broad range of academic departments, an extensive research enterprise and a number of community outreach and public service programs. It is particularly well known for its medical school, dental school, design school, business school, law school, engineering school, communications school, nursing school, veterinary school, its social sciences and humanities programs, as well as its biomedical teaching and research capabilities. Its undergraduate program is also among the most selective in the country, with an acceptance rate of 10 percent. One of Penn's most well known academic qualities is its emphasis on interdisciplinary education, which it promotes through numerous double degree programs, research centers and professorships, a unified campus, and the ability for students to take classes from any of Penn's schools (the "One University Policy"). All of Penn's schools exhibit very high research activity. Penn is consistently ranked among the top research universities in the world, for both quality and quantity of research. In fiscal year 2015, Penn's academic research budget was $851 million, involving more than 4,300 faculty, 1,100 postdoctoral fellows and 5,500 support staff/graduate assistants. As one of the most active and prolific research institutions, Penn is associated with several important innovations and discoveries in many fields of science and the humanities. Among them are the first general purpose electronic computer (ENIAC), the rubella and hepatitis B vaccines, Retin-A, cognitive therapy, conjoint analysis and others. Penn's academic and research programs are led by a large and highly productive faculty.Twenty-eight Nobel laureates have been affiliated with Penn. Over its long history the university has also produced many distinguished alumni. These include 12 heads of state (including one U.S. president); three United States Supreme Court justices plus a number of state Supreme Court justices; founders of technology companies, international law firms, and global financial institutions; and university presidents. According to a 2014 study, the University of Pennsylvania has produced the most billionaires of any university at the undergraduate level. Penn's endowment, at $10.1 billion as of June 30, 2015, is the tenth-largest university endowment in the United States and the thirtieth-largest on a per-student basis.

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford (informally Oxford University or simply Oxford) is a collegiate research university located in Oxford, England. While having no known date of foundation, there is evidence of teaching as far back as making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest surviving university.It grew rapidly from 1167 when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.After disputes between students and Oxford townsfolk in 1209, some academics fled northeast to Cambridge where they established what became the University of Cambridge. The two "ancient universities" are frequently jointly referred to as "Oxbridge". The university is made up of a variety of institutions, including 38 constituent colleges and a full range of academic departments which are organised into four divisions. All the colleges are self-governing institutions as part of the university, each controlling its own membership and with its own internal structure and activities. Being a city university, it does not have a main campus; instead, all the buildings and facilities are scattered throughout the city centre. Most undergraduate teaching at Oxford is organised around weekly tutorials at the self-governing colleges and halls, supported by classes, lectures and laboratory work provided by university faculties and departments. Oxford is the home of several notable scholarships, including the Clarendon Scholarship which was launched in 2001 and the Rhodes Scholarship which has brought graduate students to study at the university for more than a century.The university operates the largest university press in the world and the largest academic library system in the United Kingdom Oxford has educated many notable alumni, including 27 Nobel laureates, 26 British prime ministers (most recently David Cameron, the incumbent) and many foreign heads of state.

Insurance

Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss. It is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. An insurer, or insurance carrier (often called an "insurance company), is sells the insurance policy to customers. The customers, who are called the insured or policyholder, are the person or entity (which may be a private company or other organization) buying the insurance policy. The amount of money the customer pays for a certain amount of insurance coverage is called the "premium". Risk management, the practice of appraising and controlling risk, has evolved as a discrete field of study and practice. The transaction involves the insured making a payment to the insurer in exchange for the insurer's promise to compensate (indemnity) the insured in the case of a financial (personal) loss. The insured receives a contract, called the insurance policy, which details the conditions and circumstances under which the insured will be financially compensated. In the event that the insured experiences a financial or personal loss which is covered by the insurance policy, the insured makes an insurance claim to the insurer. Insurance company claims adjusters and other insurance company employees assess the claim. Insurance policies typically set out certain circumstances or actions which will void the insurance policy; if the insurance policy is voided, then the insurer may not have to pay out the claim. Some typical examples of insurance purchased by individuals include house insurance (which may protect the insured against loss or damage to the home due to fire or other hazards); car insurance (which protects the driver against damage to her car, other vehicles she may have a collision with, liability for damages suffered by others in a collision, etc.) and life insurance.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Life Insurance

Life insurance offers several advantages not available from any other financial instrument; yet it also has disadvantages - Life insurance offers several advantages not available from any other financial instrument; yet it also has disadvantages - See more at: http://www.gatewayfinancial.biz/node/133.html#sthash.2vfnDTl5.dpuf Advantages of Life Insurance Life insurance provides an infusion of cash for dealing with the adverse financial consequences of the insured's death. Life insurance enjoys favorable tax treatment unlike any other financial instrument. Death benefits are generally income-tax-free to the beneficiary. Death benefits may be estate-tax free if the policy is owned properly. Cash values grow tax deferred during the insured's lifetime. Cash value withdrawals are treated on a first-in-first-out (FIFO) basis, therefore cash value withdrawals up to the total premiums paid are generally income-tax free. Policy loans are income tax free. A life insurance policy may be exhanged for another life insurance policy (or for an annuity) without incurring current taxation. Note: All of the above statements are generally true; however the tax benefits of life insurance have certain limitations which under the wrong set of circumstances can cause the tax benefits mentioned to be lost. Please discuss with your insurance and tax advisor. Many life insurance policies are exceptionally flexible in terms of adjusting to the policyholder’s needs. The death benefit may be decreased at any time and the premiums may be easily reduced, skipped or increased. A cash value life insurance policy may be thought of as a tax-favored repository of easily accessible funds if the need arises; yet, the assets backing these funds are generally held in longer-term investments, thereby earning a higher return. Disadvantages of Life Insurance Policyholders forego some current expenditure to pay policy premiums. Moreover, life insurance is typically purchased for the benefit of others and usually only indirectly for the insured person. Cash surrender values are usually less than the premiums paid in the first several policy years and sometimes a policyowner may not recover the premiums paid if the policy is surrendered. The life insurance purchase decision and the positioning of the life insurance can be complex especially if the insurance is for estate planning, business situations or complex family situations. The life insurance acquisition process can be annoying and perplexing (e.g. Is the life insurance agent trustworthy? Is this the right product and carrier? How can medical underwriting be streamlined?).