10 Ways to Pay for Your Life Insurance
Think life insurance is “TOO EXPENSIVE”??? Well it’s really not. Even if you get a 10 year term policy for $150,000 your rate is going to be between $20-$100/month depending on your age, nicotine use, driving record, and overall health. To put it bluntly your cell phone and your cable bill are easily $100/mo each if not double that.
So for the budget conscious let’s look at some options. I use that term budget conscious loosely, because if you’re spending $200-$300/month between your cable and cell phone you should be able to spend a few dollars on YOUR FAMILY and protecting them.
1. Create a budget. Track your expenses: knowing where your money is going may help you identify areas where you can easily reduce your spending. There are many free money management tools and apps that can assist you with this.
2. Quit smoking. It benefits your health, and a pack-a-day smoker can save over $2,000 per year based on the average cost of a pack of cigarettes. Non-smokers can also expect lower life insurance rates – all other factors being equal – than smokers.
3. Bring your lunch to work. By not spending just $5 a day you are looking at saving about $1,200 a year. You don’t have to bring your lunch every day: even bringing your lunch every other day can result in savings that can help cover the cost of a life insurance policy, and possibly even more.
4. Eat out one less time per month. If it costs you about $30 on average each time you go out, reducing this number by once a month will allow you to save over $300 a year. If you eat out and have 2-3 children with you this figure will be even more staggering.
5. Bring coffee from home. Do you spend $3 a day on coffee during the work week? If so, this can add up to $720 per year. Cutting this number in half can result in significant savings.
6. Save your loose change. It may not sound like much, but setting aside fifty cents a day over the course of a year will allow you to save more than $180.
7. Take advantage of all company benefits and discounts. Your company may offer corporate discounts on gym memberships, cell-phone data plans, hotels, concerts, etc. that can help you save.
8. Organize your closet and garage. This can have a number of advantages. You can save time in the long run knowing where everything is located, and you may find forgotten items, reducing the need to purchase new ones. Consider consignment for items you no longer want to keep. Go ahead and donate old and unwanted/unused items and write that donation off on your taxes. If you are the type of person to hold a garage sale, you can sell those items for cold hard cash.
9. Research major purchases. Check product reviews, price comparisons, features, and other aspects of any product you are looking to purchase. Wait for sales for additional savings and discounts. A little research and timing can save big on a purchase.
10. Start small to save big. Starting with some small steps, you can easily find the money to pay for life insurance.
The hardest part of any change is getting started. Once you do, things usually start to fall into place, the process becomes much easier, and you can begin to recognize the positive impact it has on your life.
Moving and Selling Your Home? What To Do When Your House Is Vacant
Selling your home can be a stressful process, especially when it doesn’t move quickly. With a new job looming, you may have no choice but to leave the home vacant for a short time until it sells.
So is there a problem? Truthfully there can be. When you have a homeowner’s policy, on of the insurance company’s requirement is that the property is “Owner Occupied.” Since you no longer occupy the property, generally these now vacant homes fall under different insurance rules and can leave you at risk. Homes are typically considered vacant when the utilities are shut off and/or furniture has been removed.
Insurance companies view a vacant home as a higher risk. There are more opportunities for vandalism and no one living there to protect the home from fire or storm damage should they occur.
So what should you do when moving?
First you need to talk to your insurance agent and get the details on your policy. Since policies vary by state and insurance company, there is no single right answer.
Explain the situation to your agent. Ask what coverage is included and what is excluded (specifically for vandalism as well as water damage). And find out what changes can be made to protect your home.
Selling a home doesn’t always follow a quick timeline. If you’re facing the possibility of leaving your home vacant, contact us first and find out how to best protect yourself and your property.
We are always here to answer your questions. Call 816-795-5977 or email anytime-jolson3@farmeragent.com
Are you looking for a career rather than looking for “just another job”?
Our Agency is expanding and we are looking to add an additional inside sales/customer service representative.
Job Purpose: This is a small insurance business environment that is very fast-paced and requires an Inside Sales / Customer Service Rep. who is creative, a self-starter, and a hard worker. Must be able to be punctual, multi-task, and work well under pressure with great customer service skills. This can be a career rewarding opportunity for you to grow with us!
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:30am-5:00pm
Responsibilities includes (but not limited to):
1) Provide prompt, accurate, and friendly service by responding to inquiries from existing policyholders and the general public regarding insurance, policy changes, billing clarification, and payment plans.
2) Timely and courteous follow up with prospective and current clients regarding current insurance policies as well as additional insurance policies.
3) Provide service in a pleasant and courteous manner.
4) Meet customer service goals and assist with marketing goals as directed by the upper management.
5) Perform other related duties as assigned by the upper management.
Qualifications:
-High School Diploma minimum. 4 year college degree preferred.
-Technological Savvy: Computer experience with Word, Excel, and Outlook is mandatory
-Experience in Social Media-Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, Blogs, Pinterest
-Communication Skills: Strong listening, oral, and written communication skills
-Initiative and Self-Reliance: Make decisions on a timely basis and take necessary actions without directions from others
-Problem solving ability: Apply and balance conceptual and analytical thinking by breaking down complex problems, evaluating alternative sources of action and their likely outcomes, and selecting the best alternative.
-Goal oriented: Highly motivated and resourceful to achieve results
-Truthfulness & Respect: Proven track record of trustworthiness, dependability and ethical behavior with the ability to learn and apply product and customer knowledge to professionally service policy holders
-Experience in service, sales, and/or retail sales is desirable.
-Must be able to pass a background check and be able to pass 2 tests for insurance licenses with 60 days of hire (this includes Property/Casualty and Life/Health).
Starting pay DOE and pay increase and opportunity to earn commissions after successfully passing insurance exams.
Please email resume, references, and cover letter to careers@olsoninsurancekc.com
The Worst Part of My Job is….
Want to know the worst part of my job? Telling people it’s too late. Here’s a fact. We will ALL die. Everyone of us. We will get sick and assuming we aren’t killed in an accident we will be too sick for anyone to insure us at some point. And you know who will be left to figure out the puzzle?
YOUR KIDS. YOUR HUSBAND. YOUR WIFE. YOUR FAMILY.
DO NOT do this to them. The most heart breaking of conversations that happen in my office are the ones that are too late. Work life insurance policies are great, but they don’t last beyond retirement, OR if you get sick, OR if you quit them OR if they let you go. Does that seem like a lot of variables to you? It does to me. But I HAVE A SOLUTION-Purchase a life insurance policy that YOU OWN, not your employer. You pay for it directly, you can see the policy and hold it, You can update beneficiaries easily as needed. Trust me and start something now, so your kids don’t have to beg someone later.
#WhoIsYourAgent?
Still not convinced? See our other article on “Fool’s Gold”
Click on the picture for simple, easy ways to help pay for your life insurance.
To set up a personal assessment and to get coverage in place that is the correct coverage for you and your family call 816-795-5977 or email jolson3@farmersagent.com to set up a meeting. We can meet in person at our office, at your home, or even talk over the phone.
I Am Starting a New Business and Need Insurance, What Should I do?
Congrats on starting your own business! It can be exciting, nervous, scary, and overwhelming all at the same time!
One of the first things that you need to do before you sign a lease, sell a product, or open your doors to the public is to get proper business insurance set up.
Most people will go straight to their auto, home, and life agent for a policy quote and then buy the policy without completely understanding the coverage and the risks of their business and this can be a HUGE mistake.
The issue at hand is having the correct coverage. Most State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, American Family agents know auto/home/life policies but don’t completely understand commercial or business policies. This equates either paying too much for the coverage or paying for a policy that WILL NEVER help you if you truly did need it. Also all of the above companies only carry general liability and NOT professional liability. Not every business needs professional liability but quite a few do and often they don’t realize it. I represent Farmers Insurance and we write quite a bit of commercial policies with Farmers but if it’s a hard to place business or something that we cannot write thru Farmers I can broker it to a carrier who will help place the risk. If you’re are either starting a business or if you’re not comfortable that your agent sold you the correct coverage at the correct price, give us a call at 816-795-5977 or email at jolson3@farmersagent.com.
You can also find us on:
Facebook
Twitter
You Tube
Linked In
Pinterest
Google Plus
Fool’s Gold-What your employer did not tell you.
Many people think that their employer is supposed to provide ALL their family’s benefits, including life insurance coverage for the employee, and maybe even life insurance coverage for the spouse and kids.
Here are some TRUTHS behind group life coverage thru work:
You don’t own it. The company you work for owns it.
You don’t control it. Has an employer ever changed their benefits plan? Did they consult you first?
You don’t get to take it with you. Will you work at this job forever?
Insurance Tip: Sit down with an agent and figure out the exact amount your need to cover your family correctly. This is YOUR responsibility NOT your employer’s. Make sure you cover 10-12 times your income OR 5 times your income + paying all your debts.
As always if you would like to review all your options call or email and we can talk over the phone or set up a face to face meeting. We are here for you!
Contractor’s Insurance? Yes we can help!
Combining insurance coverage in one policy generally leads to a better value, and we help contractors every day create an attractive insurance package for helping insure their small business.
For contractors–primarily HVAC, landscapers, painters, plumbers, electricians, carpet installers/carpet cleaners, we have a policy that is especially attractive.
A lot of insurance “brokers” offer just liability insurance for contractors, but our policies include tools and equipment and more.
For example, our policy even covers theft of a contractors’ supplies. For example: a HVAC company buys a new furnace or AC puts it in their shop. The shop is broken into and the unit is stolen. If they have our policy the first $3,000 of protection comes automatically, but you can increase it up to $100,000 of coverage.
The protection doesn’t end there.
A lot of contractors work out of a den or third bedroom in their house, but a typical homeowner’s insurance policy won’t cover anything to do with a business. If there is theft, water or fire damage, our policy covers $2,500 automatically, and it can be increased if needed”
The convenience factor is huge.
If a contractor has company vehicles, a lot of insurance carriers have separate liability for commercial vehicles, a separate policy for tools and equipment, a separate general liability policy, and a separate worker’s compensation policy. What we can do is package it all together; we can also provide them a contractors bond if they need that too. We keep in all in house so they have 1 central point of contact for all their insurance coverage.
Does the best coverage for your business matter to you? Of course it does! Call 816-795-5977 or email jolson3@farmersagent.com today to see how we can help you customize the best package and lowest premium for your business.
No matter what you think you don’t have FULL COVERAGE for your auto insurance. Your agent lied to you.
Bear Up!! Helping Children Have a Great Christmas!
Hello everyone,
In efforts to ensure NO CHILD goes without a Christmas Gift in 2015, The Jon Olson Agency will be donating Bears this year to families in need. This is our inaugural “Bear Up!” event and we are excited to share this with you! Our goal is to donate 20+ Bears for “Bear Up!” so THANK YOU for helping and participating!
What do you need to do to participate?
Our Agency will donate two (2) Bears for every Yelp and/or Google review received. So PLEASE take a few moments to review your experience with The Olson Agency and provide input on ways we can improve our clients’ experience when doing business with us! Two (2) links are listed below for both Google and Yelp.
GOOGLE—https://plus.google.com/+JonOlsonAgencyFarmersInsuranceIndependence/about
YELP—http://www.yelp.com/biz/jon-olson-farmers-insurance-independence
We will be donating the Bears December 15th so that the children will receive them in time for Christmas!!
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!
Jon Olson Agency-Farmers Insurance 