Archive | June 2015
June 24, 2015  

June Tips

When summer arrives, many people leave the day-to-day routine behind and go on vacation in June.  Hopefully you’re planning a trip sometime soon too!

But what do you need to know before you hit the road? Consider these special situations:

Rental Cars  – If you choose to rent a car, make sure you understand how your insurance works. A rental car company will want to sell you special coverage to cover the car while you are driving it. The insurance will cost you a certain amount extra each day. But did you know that your current insurance will typically also cover you at no additional cost?

However, if you have a claim filed on your current policy, your rates could go up in the future.  And rental car companies could file a claim for very minor damage.

Obviously it is a risk either way, but make sure you know your options. And please contact us BEFORE renting a car to find out what is specifically covered on your policy.

Hosting A Barbecue  – It’s always fun to throw a summer barbecue. It’s even more fun when you aren’t worried about your insurance! Your homeowners and renters insurance covers you if someone is injured on your property due to your negligence. That means that if they trip on a step, fall on the patio, or cut their hand on a glass, you don’t have to worry.

But, as always, you need to discuss this with your agent and go over exactly what coverage you have. If you have a lot of assets, then you might need additional liability coverage too.

Notice a pattern here? The general rule is that you need a personal insurance agent who is looking out for your particular needs! There is not a “one size fits all” approach when it comes to protecting your family and your belongings.  Take just 5 minutes to give us a call today to discuss your policy!

June 22, 2015  

Insurance For Your Wedding Rings

Did you know that June is the most popular month for weddings?

I’ve seen many of my clients planning weddings over the next few weeks.  So I thought I’d share an insurance tip this week just for engaged couples and newlyweds.

You’re spending a lot of money on your wedding and those new rings.  Make sure they’re covered!

Jewelry is covered under your Homeowners or Renters insurance.  But the coverage amount can be limited.   If you don’t cover the individual piece of jewelry specifically, you might not have enough insurance if it were to be lost or stolen.

Here’s what I recommend.  Get an appraisal of your rings from the jeweler.  Then bring in a copy and we’ll add the rings to your policy.  (We can also discuss deductibles or special coverage.)  Depending on the value of the ring, you might spend only a few dollars a year to know that your valuable jewelry is insured.

If you are renting or getting ready to purchase a home and don’t have a policy, now is a great time to schedule a free consultation to discuss what coverage you’ll need and give you a ballpark figure for what it will cost.  Renters Insurance is very inexpensive and can give you a lot of peace of mind as you combine your two households.

But the best tip I can give?  Get a local insurance agent you can trust!  We’ll look out for you and help you get the right coverage at an affordable rate.  Call today for a free quote.

June Blog 3

June 18, 2015  

Fact or Fiction? Only some renters need renters insurance.

If you are currently renting your home or apartment, it’s time to learn more about renters insurance!

Homeowners insurance covers the house itself and the items inside.  But if you don’t own the home, you don’t need insurance to cover it.  All you need is coverage for your actual personal belongings.

It might not seem like a lot, but all those little items add up!  When you think about the cost to replace your furniture, dishes, sheets, clothes, books, and everything else filling up your home, it’s probably a lot more than you thought.

Renters insurance is an affordable way to protect what you’ve worked hard to acquire.  And it’s probably a lot cheaper than you’d expect!  In fact, many times the discount you receive on your auto insurance for having multiple policies can almost pay for the entire renters policy!

Renters Insurance will cover personal belongings within your home as well as a limited amount of property off premises (such as items in a storage building) or your laptop when it’s in the car.

It also includes important liability coverage.  If you accidentally cause a fire that burns down the property, your insurance pays the landlord to replace it (protecting you from a damaging lawsuit).  In fact, many landlords now require that tenants carry a certain amount of liability insurance before they approve the lease.

So if you’re renting, it’s time to look at protecting your valuables.  Give us a call today and ask for a no obligation quote on renters insurance.  And don’t forget to find out how much you’ll save on your auto insurance too!

June Blog 4

June 15, 2015  

Business Referrals

Here are just a few of our trusted business partners. If you need other referrals, just call, text or email us.

Dominique Bloom

Billie Branstetter 

Bobby Chien 

Douglas Clark 

  • Information Technology at IT Central
  • 816-217-3620

Lynn Corbett 

  • Payroll Services at Heartland Payment Systems
  • 816-838-2044

Pat Curnow 

Dennis Decker

James Finch

Kandy Grimes

Steven Hamadi

Dana Hopkins

  • Supplemental at Employee Benefit Professionals
  • 913-890-4335

Scott Horstmann 

Josh Hunt

  • Dry Cleaning at Mayfair Cleaners
  • 816-462-3753

Timothy Munyan

Lanna Radke

Craig Sheller

Dr. Strouf 

Melissa Strub

Chad Taylor 

Josh Vickery

  • Garage Doors at JV Garage Door, LLC
  • 816-516-8872

Mark Werner 

  • Website Development at Turn the Page Online Marketing
  • 816-825-3183

John YoungHanz 

June 1, 2015  

The Biggest Risk To Your Home (And How To Prevent It)

Most people think the biggest risk to their home is a fire or a bad storm.  It’s why they buy insurance (and the fact it’s required by their mortgage lender). But in reality, the biggest concern is protecting your assets from a liability claim.  Consider this…

Warm weather has arrived and everyone is beginning their yard work. Mowing, planting, flowers, and digging those vegetable gardens. There is a lot of work to be done.

So let’s say that you dig a large hole in the front yard so you can plant a new tree. You walk away for a moment and while you’re gone the kid next door runs through the yard, falls in the hole, and breaks his ankle.

Unfortunately, you could be held responsible for his injury. But not to worry, your homeowner’s liability insurance is made for these kind of situations. It will pay if someone is injured on your property. It’s also the coverage that protects you if the dog bites your child’s friend (as long as it’s not a restricted breed) or if your cousin falls down your front steps.

If you have a large number of assets, then you’ll want higher liability coverage. If the injury exceeds your liability coverage amount, then you could be sued for the difference.

Work with us to determine the amount of coverage that you are comfortable carrying. No one can protect themselves by just being careful alone. There are too many possible scenarios that you could never avoid. But with the right insurance coverage, you’ll never have to worry.

Call us today for a free review and to discuss how much liability coverage you need.