Question

The annual insurance premium for a car Nicole bought 6 months ago is $756.00 with a $500 deductible for collision. Nicole had just paid the bill for her sixth month of insurance before she was involved in a car accident resulting in $2,000 in damage to her car. Because she had collision insurance in her policy, the insurance company took care of all of the repairs less the $500.00 deductible.

Considering how much she paid in insurance premiums and deductibles, would you say the purchase of insurance over the last 6 months was a good investment for Nicole? Why or why not?

Answers

GPT-4o mini
To evaluate whether Nicole's purchase of insurance over the last 6 months was a good investment, we need to look at her insurance costs relative to the damages she incurred due to the accident.

1. **Total Insurance Premium Paid**:
- Nicole's annual premium is $756.
- For 6 months, she has paid:
\[
\text{Total Premium for 6 months} = \frac{756}{12} \times 6 = 378
\]

2. **Deductible**:
- Nicole has a deductible of $500 that she must pay out of pocket due to the accident.

3. **Total Out-of-Pocket Costs**:
- Incurred damages due to the accident: $2,000.
- Amount paid by insurance after the deductible:
\[
\text{Insurance Payout} = 2000 - 500 = 1500
\]
- Total out-of-pocket costs (deductible + insurance):
\[
\text{Total Cost} = \text{All Premiums} + \text{Deductible} = 378 + 500 = 878
\]

4. **Net Gain/Loss from Insurance**:
- Considering the insurance payout, Nicole received $1,500 for the repairs.
- Her total investment in insurance and deductible is $878.

5. **Analysis**:
- Insurance benefit: $1,500 (for repairs)
- Costs incurred: $878 (insurance premiums + deductible)
- Profit from insurance:
\[
\text{Profit} = \text{Insurance Payout} - \text{Total Investment} = 1500 - 878 = 622
\]

Putting all this together, Nicole benefited significantly from having insurance. She incurred a total cost of $878 for insurance and the deductible but received $1,500 for the repairs. Thus, she made a net gain of $622 from her insurance purchase.

**Conclusion**:
Yes, purchasing the insurance over the last 6 months was a good investment for Nicole. It helped her cover the majority of the repair costs after her accident, leaving her financially better off than she would have been without the insurance.