You might not have a car, but that doesn't mean you don't need auto insurance.
Take Sandy, a Baltimore resident who occasionally rents a car but finds insurance from rental agencies cost-prohibitive.
She writes in an e-mail: "I usually rent a car about twice a month for a day or a weekend, sometimes longer. The loss damage waiver offered by the car rental companies often costs as much as the rental fee - and sometimes even more. I know that many credit card agreements provide insurance coverage for car rentals, but this does not always mean full coverage. Is there a policy available from any insurance company that would provide coverage on a yearly basis for people in this situation?"
Yes, it's called a nonowner auto liability policy. It can run $200 to $300 a year, according to the Insurance Information Institute. That can be cheaper in the long run for frequent renters like Sandy, who says she's charged about $23 a day for insurance from car rental agencies.
If you're in an accident, the policy will cover damages to the other driver's car, as well as injuries to you, the other driver, all passengers and pedestrians. It also protects you in case the other driver is underinsured or has no insurance.
But you won't have collision coverage, meaning the policy won't pay for any damages to the car you're driving.
You can buy collision coverage from the car rental agency. But check your credit card, which might include collision coverage if you use the card to pay for the rental, says Carolyn Gorman, a spokeswoman for the insurance institute. Each time before you rent, make sure the card's coverage hasn't changed, she adds.
Stopping solicitations
Joseph of Severn wants to know what he can do to stop the flood of charitable solicitations in his mailbox. Everything he's tried hasn't worked. Even playing dead.
"I usually write a note stating that I am no longer with us, meaning that I have crossed over to the other side, or stating that I have moved to a retirement state," he writes in an e-mail. "I have also sent notes to the different charities that I contribute to stating I do not want my name sold to other organizations, but to no avail."
Turning down a plea makes him feel a little guilty, he says.
"But I'm on a retirement income," the 73-year-old says. "You can't do it all."
Joseph should call the charities, rather than writing them, to make sure his request gets into the right hands, says Peter Berns, executive director of the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations.
"Go onto the Web site of the charity, find the name of the executive director and the development director, and call them up personally and ask them to remove the name from the list," Berns says.
Of course, it might be easier to reach the top executive at a local charity than a national nonprofit. Still, even with big players, Joseph should call and ask for the person in charge of direct mail or development, Berns says. By calling, Joseph is more likely to be routed to the person who can honor his request.
"Most charities want to respect the privacy of the donor," Berns says.
Berns says it might not be charities that are sharing Joseph's information. Magazines, catalogs and retailer's Web sites could be the culprits.
As you buy something online, Berns says, read the retailer's privacy policy and read the check-off boxes to make sure you're not authorizing the retail to use your information.
Joseph also could reduce mail solicitations by signing up for the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service at www.dmaconsumers.org.
Joseph's name would be taken off the prospecting lists of the association's 5,000 members, including several hundred nonprofits, says Pat Kachura, senior vice president of corporate responsibility.
Or, Joseph could file a complaint through the Direct Marketing Association to get his name removed from a specific charity's mailing list, even if the nonprofit isn't a marketing association member, Kachura says.
The complaint form can be downloaded from the association's Web site.
Of course, there's the traditional way of getting rid of unwanted solicitations: Toss 'em in the trash.
Questions? Comments? Write personal.finance@baltsun.com. MORE AMBROSE: Find Eileen Ambrose's column archive at baltimoresun.com/ambrose.
MORE AMBROSE Find Eileen Ambrose's column archive at baltimoresun.com/ambrose