Are You Paying Too Much For Your Car Insurance?
Like food, housing, and medical care, car insurance is a necessity of life in the 21st Century. At a bare minimum, nearly every state in the U.S. has enacted mandatory liability car insurance laws for all drivers. On top of that, a new car is a significant investment that most owners want to protect with comprehensive and collision coverage.
Unfortunately, many people today are leaving money on the table in insuring their automobiles or trucks. You may be paying too much for car insurance when you could be saving hundreds of dollars a year. Our independent agency can shop around with multiple insurance companies to help you find the auto insurance coverage you need at the best available rates.
Factors that Can Lower Your Auto Insurance Premiums
There are a number of ways to save money on car insurance. Any of the following factors could make a difference in your rates:
- Your profession could net you lower premiums. Certain professions have lower accident rates than others and are associated with safe drivers. If you are a teacher, a nurse, or an accountant, for example, you may qualify for discounts on your premiums from many insurance companies.
- The amount you drive could lower your premium. Drivers who are on the road a lot have a higher risk of being involved in an accident. To qualify for the best premiums, let your agent know how much you drive. If you work from home, you may be eligible for a lower rate.
- Age and marital status can affect your rates. Older, married drivers are less expensive to insure because they are generally safer drivers who have fewer accidents. Be sure to tell your agent if you get married. Savings for being married are greatest for younger adults, but people over 30 still save money on car insurance when they marry.
- Luxury cars cost more to insure. It stands to reason that premiums are higher on newer, fancier cars that cost more to repair or replace. Insurance companies keep databases on the prices of parts and how much various items cost to repair.
- You can lower your premiums with less insurance or a higher deductible: If you are willing to pay more out of pocket with a higher deductible, you can significantly reduce your car insurance premiums. If you have an older car with low book value, you may consider dropping collision and comprehensive coverage.
Benefits of Shopping for Car Insurance with an Independent Agent
If you want to save money on car insurance, it pays to be proactive and look for potential discounts at least once a year. As you grow older and things change in your life, you may become eligible for discounts that weren’t available to you previously.
Our independent agency is committed to helping you save money, and we shop around to find the best deals available. We get quotes from multiple carriers, as opposed to a State Farm agent, for example, who is only allowed to sell State Farm auto insurance.
How To Keep Your Office Safe From Cyber Crime
Cyber crime is criminal activity carried out on the internet. It can be a crime such as hacking, spamming, or phishing in which a specific device is the object of the crime, or a crime in which a device is used as a tool to commit an offense.
Common cyber crimes include identity theft, unauthorized computer access, online theft of bank information, and online predatory crimes. Generally, cyber crime can be broken down into two basic categories:
- Crimes that target networks or devices. This includes viruses and DoS (denial-of-service) attacks.
- Crimes that use networks for other criminal activities. This type of cyber crime includes fraud, identity theft, phishing, and cyberstalking.
What Business Owners Can Do to Help Keep the Office Safe from Cyber Crime
Cyber crime is a real threat to businesses of any size today. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help keep your enterprise safe.
Optimize Email Security
Have multiple layers of security to prevent hackers from accessing your company’s database for sensitive information. Rather than fight their way through levels of built-up security, cyber criminals are more likely to give up and turn their attention to more vulnerable systems.
Use State-of-the-Art Protection Software
Ensure that you have the most advanced protection software in place. This includes firewall, malware, global DNS protection, and spam and phishing protection software. Have a knowledgeable IT specialist advise you on the best programs to run.
Adopt Password Policies for the Entire Company
It is a must in any company to have policies in place that dictate how often passwords are changed, where they are kept, and how they are given out. Your password policy should prohibit staff from using the same password for multiple logins and sites. All staff should use two-factor or multi-factor authentication to log in anywhere.
Assess Network Vulnerabilities and Make Needed Adjustments
Have your IT support test your infrastructure and data centers to ensure your cyber defenses are sufficient for the current environment. Managed IT services providers can perform 24/7 monitoring, testing, and analysis and make adjustments as needed to ensure your data is fully protected.
Have Regular Meetings with Staff and IT Specialists
Your staff need to be on the same page with your IT support specialists to protect your company from cyber crime. Have regular meetings in which knowledgeable IT support shares their findings and implementations with the entire staff to help keep cyber security protections and policies working as they should.
Protect Your Company with Cyber Liability Insurance
A cyber liability insurance policy can help protect your company in the event of a data breach in which sensitive customer information is exposed or stolen by cyber criminals. Cyber liability insurance covers a variety of expenses associated with a data breach or cyber crime, including:
- Notification costs
- Defense against claims by state regulators
- Fines and penalties
- Loss resulting from identity theft
- Liability arising from website media content
- Property exposures from business interruption, data loss or destruction, funds transfer loss, computer fraud, and cyber extortion
The cost of cyber liability insurance will depend on various factors, including type of business, number of transactions per year, number of computers or devices, type of information collected, and security measures your company has in place. Our knowledgeable agency can help you protect your company with the right cyber liability insurance at the best available price.
Prepare Your Office For The Summer Heat
Working in a hot office all day can affect employee morale and productivity. It makes sense for business owners to prepare in advance for scorching summer days. The following tips can help you beat the heat and create a more comfortable office environment.
Make Sure Your HVAC System is in Top Running Order
When temperatures are climbing, an efficiently running HVAC system can make all the difference in the comfort of the building’s occupants. Schedule a professional service check and any needed maintenance, including coil cleaning and filter changes.
Block Out the Sun’s Rays
Sun shining through the windows will raise the temperature in your office. Close curtains and window blinds to prevent the sun from heating your offices. Remind employees to leave the windows closed while the AC is running.
Power Down Unused Electronics
Computer systems and machinery that are left running when they are not being used can consume significant amounts of energy and add heat to your office. Power down equipment and electronics not currently in use.
Reduce the Lighting in Your Office
Lighting can raise your energy costs and generate heat in your building. Turn off lights that are not needed to make the office a cooler, more comfortable environment.
Use Cooling Stands for Laptops
Many professionals today use a laptop, both on-the-go and while at work. Laptops get hot with extended use, which is not good for the device and generates heat within the office. Laptop cooling stands can help reduce the problem.
Allow Employees to Work from Home If Possible
Employees who travel to work must spend time in a hot car, bus, or train, which can make them irritable and less productive. When they arrive at the office, they power up computers and equipment and turn on the lights in their area. Allowing employees to work from home helps keep them cool and comfortable and can help lower the cost of cooling your office.
Provide Cool Water
It is easier to become dehydrated when temperatures are soaring. Providing filtered water coolers or refrigerated, bottled water can help keep your employees cool and hydrated and help raise morale and productivity.
Business Insurance to Protect Your Office
An important part of maintaining an office is having the insurance coverage you need. Business insurance can protect your company against losses caused by the company or its employees, and provide protection against third-party lawsuits. Our agency can help you determine the type of insurance coverage you need to minimize potential risks to your business and put an effective business insurance plan in place.
What Is The Right Time To Purchase Life Insurance?
Life insurance is important because it provides financial security for your loved ones should you become incapacitated or pass away. Even if you have no assets to pass on, a life insurance policy can provide an inheritance for them. It can also be used to pay off outstanding debts such as a mortgage, car loan, or credit card debts in order to avoid placing additional burdens on your family.
When is the right time to buy life insurance? The sooner, the better, if a spouse, child, or someone else depends upon your income. Our agency can help you find the right life insurance policy to suit your needs.
When You Should Consider Buying Life Insurance
The right time to buy life insurance depends on your age, your family status, and whether another person is depending on your income. If you are young, single, and childless with no plans to marry, you may not need life insurance at this point in your life. However, if your plans for the future include marriage and children, it may be wise to speak with an experienced agent about a life insurance policy.
In most cases, you need life insurance when you start a family. There is one exception to this rule. If a parent or relative cosigned for student loans, a mortgage, or other large debt, you may need a life insurance policy to ensure the debt will be covered in the event of your death.
How Much Life Insurance Should You Buy?
When the time is right to buy life insurance, you should determine how much you need before shopping for a policy. To make this calculation:
- Multiply your yearly income by the number of years you want the policy to cover.
- Add in any fixed expenses, such as college tuition.
- Subtract any savings or investments (non-retirement) that could offset expenses for your family.
Types of Life Insurance
The two basic types of life insurance are term and permanent. The permanent category is further divided into whole and universal.
Term Life Insurance
With a term life insurance policy, you pay premiums for a specified time (usually 20 or 30 years). If you die within that time, the insurance company pays benefits to your beneficiaries. However, when you stop paying premiums after 20 or 30 years, you no longer have coverage.
Permanent Life Insurance
A permanent life insurance policy will remain in existence as long as you continue paying premiums. Some of the premiums you pay accumulate a cash value that you can apply toward retirement or borrow against for the rest of your life. Whole life insurance premiums are fixed for life, while universal life insurance policies allow for adjustments to the premiums and benefits.
Term life insurance, whole life insurance, and universal life insurance all have their pros and cons, and it can be confusing. If you believe that it may be the right time for you to purchase a life insurance policy, our knowledgeable agency can advise you and guide you through the process.
Why It Is Important To Review Your Insurance Policies On A Yearly Basis
Insurance policies are living documents. They can, and should be, changed periodically to accommodate changes in circumstances and needs of the policyholder. Our agency can assist you with an annual review of your insurance policies to help ensure you have the coverage you need without paying more than you need to.
Reasons to Review Your Insurance Policies Annually
Certain factors should be checked with your insurance agent yearly, as regularly as you would have an annual checkup with your doctor. There are several reasons why this is an important process.
Changes in Your Circumstances
Your insurance policies need to be kept up-to-date to ensure that changes in your circumstances are factored into your risk. This may include a change of address, acquiring an additional vehicle, or adding a driver. Failing to update your policies could result in non-renewal or, even worse, a claim not being covered.
A home renovation or upgrade can affect the value of your home and the coverage you need and may qualify you for additional discounts. Furthermore, if you insured your home for a certain amount when you bought it, the home may have increased in value significantly over the years, even without renovations. This could leave you with a gap in coverage, making it difficult to rebuild if the home is lost through fire or other disaster.
Certain changes in circumstances can also have a significant impact on life insurance needs. If you get married, have a child, or buy a new home, it is important to review your life insurance policies with your agent.
Finding Available Discounts
Ensuring you have adequate coverage is not the only reason to review your insurance policies at least once a year. It is worth doing to make sure you benefit from any available discounts. For example, you may qualify for a discount on your homeowners insurance if you have installed a security system or a roof that is resistant to hail. Additionally, any people save more than 20 percent on premiums by bundling insurance – buying their auto, home, and life insurance policies from one insurance provider.
Discovering New Features and Services
Insurance companies are constantly creating new products and services to stand out and attract customers from other insurance companies. For those who qualify, some of these new features can save policyholders money in the long run.
Finding Out if Your Insurance Premiums Have Increased
Insurance rates may go up for many reasons, some of which are legitimate and some of which are not. Many people pay their homeowners insurance through an escrow account and have insurance premiums automatically deducted from their bank account, so they may not even notice when premiums are increased. During an annual review of your insurance policies, our agency can tell you if your insurance premiums went up and help you catch unacceptable rate increases.
