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Home Insurance
The main purpose of insurance is to protect you against losses
you cannot afford. Few people have the financial resources
to rebuild their homes. In addition to protecting your home
and possessions, homeowners insurance also provides liability
coverage to protect you from financial ruin if someone is
injured on your property and sues for damages.
A homeowners insurance policy consists of coverage for your
dwelling and your personal property. It also includes liability
insurance which pays for injuries to other people or damages
to their property accidentally caused by you, your family
or your pets. You also can buy several types of additional
insurance for property that is not listed in your homeowners
policy or for perils not covered - such as flood - for which
you need a separate policy. You do this by either buying a
separate policy or by adding an endorsement or rider to your
policy.
Tips for Keeping Your Rates Low
There are some simple steps you can take to reduce your homeowner's
premiums.
- Raise Your Deductible - A deductible is the amount you
pay before the insurance starts to pay for your loss. Since
the purpose of insurance is to pay for the losses you cannot
afford, raise your deductible to a limit that you could
handle in case of a loss.
- New Home - If your home is less than 10 years old, you
may be eligible for a new home discount.
- Make Your Home Safer - You may be eligible for a discount
if you have a burglar and fire alarms systems and/or sprinkler
systems. Monitored systems will earn a bigger discount than
unmonitored systems.
- Construction Material - When you buy a home, look for
fire-resistant construction, such as brick, masonry or rock.
You may pay a lower premium for hail-resistant roofs, such
as those made of concrete tile, while wood roofs may bring
a surcharge. Check the location of the nearest fire department,
and avoid buying in floodprone areas. Non-Smoker Discounts
Auto Insurance
When you buy an auto insurance policy, you are buying a package
of individual coverages. Each coverage protects you against
different types of losses. Once you understand the various
coverages, you can decide which ones to include in your personal
insurance package. You can also determine the limits of coverage
you will need. The following are some common coverages found
in an auto policy. NOTE - Your policy may not contain all
of these coverages.
Bodily Injury (BI) Liability Coverage pays, up to
the coverage limits, for damages due to injury or death of
others in a vehicle accident for which you or the operator
of your vehicle are legally responsible. It also pays your
legal defense costs. In most states this coverage is mandatory.
Property Damage (PD) Liability Coverage pays, up
to the coverage limits, for another individual's vehicle or
property that has been damaged in an accident for which you
or the operator of your vehicle is legally responsible. In
most states this coverage is also mandatory.
Medical Payments Coverage pays, up to the coverage
limits, for reasonable and necessary doctor, hospital and
funeral expenses for you and your passengers injured or killed
in an accident, regardless of who is at fault. Payments are
usually limited to one to three years after the accident.
This coverage is optional in most states without no-fault
insurance systems.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists (UM/UIM) Coverage
pays up to the coverage limits for pain and suffering which
is not covered by medical, disability and PIP. Underinsured
motorist coverage pays for bodily injury to you or your family
resulting from the negligence of someone whose liability insurance
limits are insufficient. The definition of an underinsured
motorist varies from state to state.
Collision Coverage pays, up to the coverage limits,
for damage to your vehicle or a vehicle you are operating
caused by a collision or rollover. This coverage is usually
required if you have a vehicle loan.
Comprehensive Physical Damage Coverage pays, up to
the coverage limits, for damage to your vehicle or any vehicle
in your custody resulting from theft, fire, vandalism, flooding,
hail or other perils (but not damage by collision or overturning).
It is usually required if you have a vehicle loan.
Rental Reimbursement pays up to a specified amount
for rental vehicle charges while your vehicle is being repaired
for damage covered under your policy. If you prefer not to
incur the cost of renting a vehicle yourself and cannot be
without a vehicle while yours is being repaired, you might
consider this coverage.
Towing and Labor covers some costs incurred for services
rendered at the place of breakdown or for towing to a repair
shop. It covers the delivery of gas, oil or a battery, but
not the cost of these items. If you lock the keys in the vehicle
or need a tire changed, this may also be covered. These services
are often included in auto club memberships, which can result
in unnecessary duplicate coverage.
Manufactured
Home Insurance
Manufactured home insurance provides coverage for your mobile
home, garage or shed, and your personal belongings. It may
also provide financial protection in case you unintentionally
injure someone or damage their property.
Having the right insurance helps you protect one of your
most valuable assets - your home.
Fire. Theft. Windstorms. These are risks you face every
day as a mobile home owner. You are also at risk in case someone
gets hurt while at your home, or you accidentally damage someone
else's property.
Mobile home insurance offers peace of mind in knowing that
your finances won't suffer if unexpected events like these
happen.
ATV & Motorcycle
Insurance
Most states don't require ATV insurance and you may have
limited coverage if you have a homeowners policy. If you have
an ATV we urge you to contact us and let us review your specific
policy to determine whether you need a separate ATV Policy.
Many insurance companies offer discounts to help lower your
premium such as:
A discount for completing and approved ATV safety course.
A discount for owning and insuring multiple ATVs.
A discount for being a member of associations such as the
Harley-Davidson Owners Group (HOG), American Motorcyclist
Association (AMA) or the Honda Rider's Club of America (HRCA).
Motorcycle Insurance typically offers a combination of collision,
liability, theft, and related coverage designed specifically
to meet the needs of motorcycle owners. If you own a motorcycle-whether
you ride it or not!-you need this coverage to protect you
from theft, collision, and other common exposures. Some of
the items that may affect premiums:
- Your driving record Where you keep your cycle (in the
open or in garage) Your credit record How many years you
have been driving a motorcycle Your age Previous Cycle Coverage
- Anti-theft devices
Boat & Yacht
Insurance
According to information from the U.S. Coast Guard, property
damage to boats has been increasing. Many states now require
boats to be insured. If you have your boat on a loan or use
a marina, you will probably also be required to insure your
boat. If you are not required to insure your boat, it is important
you still consider purchasing boat insurance.
Boat insurance works similar to the insurance for your car,
and can protect in the same way. But, since boats have different
features than your car, you will want to make sure you have
all the coverages you need and any savings that may lower
your premium.
Insurance coverages you will want for your boat:
- Liability
- Physical Damage
- Theft
- Medical Payments
- Motor Coverage
- Trailer Coverage
- Boat Covers
- Docking Fenders
- Communications Devices
Discounts you may be entitled to:
- New Boat
- Automatic Fire Extinguisher
- Burglar Alarm
- Ship-To-Shore Radio
- Approved Boating Education Course
Remember, since every boat is unique please make sure you
check with us to see if you need any additional coverages
or would be eligible for additional discounts.
Motor Home and
RV Insurance
A common practice for RV owners is to insure their RV under
their current auto policy. But too often the owner does not
take the time to read what and how much is covered under their
auto policy. In many instances, RV's covered under auto policies
are not adequately covered.
One misconception RV owners have is that the personal property
in their RV will be covered under their homeowners policy.
This is true, but, coverage on personal property is limited
when the property is kept somewhere other than the "residence
premises." Often the limit in a standard policy is very low
and the usual policy deduction would apply.
To insure proper and adequate coverage, a RV owner should
add a separate RV coverage to their current auto policy or
secure a policy specifically for RV's.
If the RV owner's insurance carrier does not have this type
of coverage available, there are insurance companies that
specialize in RV coverage. Usually the cost is minimal, especially
compared to the alternative of finding out the RV and it's
possessions are not covered after a loss occurs.
Tips When You Hit The Road
Before your trip, make sure you get a complete travel check-up
for your RV including inspection of all belts and hoses, headlights,
tires, and turn signals. Also don't forget to make sure the
towing hitch, fire extinguisher and smoke alarms are in working
order.
Other good before trip tips are to make sure your cooking
vent hood is clean to help avoid fires and to make sure you
leave your trip plans and phone numbers with a relative or
friend.
Finally, it is important to go over with everyone on the
trip basic emergency procedures.
Remind everyone that it is safer to be in the RV during
lightning. If there is a tornado warning you will want to
find a tornado shelter or the next best thing which would
be parking under a bridge or similar structure. Also, don't
ever drive through any deep water as the depth can be deceiving.
Insurance Counseling
Our agents have combined 60 years insurance experience to provide you with the best possible insurance scenarios to fit your individual needs. We would be happy to provide you a free second opinion about what coverage's are best for you. All of our agents have state insurance licenses and most of us have attended and completed our Certified Insurance Counselor training (CIC).
Life Insurance Analysis
Not sure about how much life insurance you need, we can help. We have agents that have went thorough specialized training called Life Underwriting Training Council (LUTC).
Flood Insurance
Commercial Insurance
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