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Make sure your car coverage reflects your needs and budget
The vehicle you own, your personal priorities and your budget all factor into your unique auto insurance needs. Before comparing policies and insurers, evaluate how you use your car and what risks you face to figure out what options make the best sense for you.
1. How much do you drive?
Do you absolutely need your car every day—for instance, to commute to work or drive the kids to school and activities? Do you drive 100 miles a month or closer to 1,000 or more? Make sure your policy reflects how much you use your car.
2. Will you be using your car for work?
If you use your car not just to get to work, but to perform tasks for which you get paid, commercial auto insurance is a necessity. A personal auto policy will not provide coverage if you transport paying passengers through a ride-share service, deliver pizzas, drive as a courier or use your car for other commercial activities.
3. What type of car do you drive?
Insurers have mountains of data, and they know in precise detail what types of cars, makes and models are more—or less—likely to incur claims. A flashy sports car with a powerful engine may be more likely to be stolen and its bodywork costs will be more than on a mid-sized sedan—and your insurance will be priced accordingly. Some types of cars—such as modified or classic cars—require special insurance. By the same token, you may receive discounts if you have a "safe" car—one with the latest safety features and a good safety record.
4. How much do you love your car?
If you love the way your vehicle looks and take pride in its appearance, you’ll likely want it fixed perfectly—or replaced with the same model—if it gets damaged. That means you'll probably to consider the fullest range of insurance—including collision, comprehensive and glass coverage. On the other hand, if you drive a beater, see cars merely as transportation and want to save on premiums, you might prefer to limit your policy to liability.
5. Where do you live—and park your car?
Where you live will impact your insurance rates—and it may be a factor in what coverage you purchase. For example, cars parked on the street in urban areas face a greater risk for theft or vandalism, so comprehensive coverage might be a good option. You may discover that your premium rates are lower if you move from a city to a suburb.
6. Who else will be driving the car?
Generally, your car insurance will cover other occasional drivers. However, if other drivers live with you and use your car—whether a spouse, a teen driver or a housemate—they should be listed on your policy.
7. What are your legal obligations?
Nearly every state requires that you carry minimum liability coverage for your car. At the very least, you need to make sure your policy complies with state mandates. However, the levels of required coverage are generally pretty low. Keep in mind that, if you are involved in a serious accident, you may be sued for a large sum of money. Depending on your assets and financial risk tolerance, to be safe, you’ll probably want to purchase a higher level of liability coverage.
8. Is your car financed or leased?
If you still owe money on your car or have to return it in good condition when a lease expires, you’ll likely be required to insure the car for its full value—and even for any gap between what you owe and the car’s market value. Collision and comprehensive will cover damage to your car—and supplemental gap insurance will cover the rest.
Keep in mind that your insurance options and costs will also be affected by your age, gender and driving record. Be aware too that your credit score can also impact your insurance rates. Once you’ve looked at your needs and priorities, and understood how insurance options will match them, you’ll be better prepared to make an informed decision about the types and levels of coverage to buy.
Our agency is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place. We look forward to helping you choose the coverage you need at prices you can afford.

Usually insurance decisions are made on a static basis, related to life’s milestones such as the following:

• New adults leaving home for their own apartment
• Getting a new job
• Marriage
• Children
• Major purchases
• Moving to a new home
• Acquiring cars, boats or other vehicles
• New drivers in the household
• Divorce
• Retirement

The above events often trigger a need to evaluate one’s insurance landscape. It may spur a need to buy renters coverage, a homeowners or auto policy or secure wedding coverage, an umbrella policy, or endorsements for jewelry, etc.

However, there’s an issue with milestones. Typically, years pass between these events and that may cause you complacency about your coverage needs. You may not recognize that having adequate protection is more dynamic.

Not to worry, there is an easy way to consider making necessary changes. Often, holidays and vacations include acquiring more personal items, such as Christmas, anniversaries, and birthdays. These are times that, besides fun and memories, are also accompanied by gifts, such as jewelry or other high-value items. After these special days, take a moment to evaluate whether you received property that might make it prudent to update your coverage.

How about vacations? Generally, any coverage concerns are unnecessary for routine trips within the country. However, what about dream vacations in foreign destinations or in-country get-aways for extended periods? In either case you may need to consider whether your existing policies cover the situation. For instance, do you need temporary, separate coverage for protection in other countries? Will your travel create any special liability issues? Did you acquire new property that needs protection? Will you be away so long that you have to address any issue created by your absence from your residence?
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Having proper coverage means taking steps to make sure that it protects you in the manner you need. Use these special days and events as touch points to contact our agency to make sure you have needed protection.

Myth 1 – Color determines the price of auto insurance
It doesn't matter whether your car is “Arrest Me Red” or “Hide In Plain Sight White”—the color doesn’t actually factor into your auto insurance costs. The price of your auto policy is based on many factors, such as car make, model, body type, engine size and the age of the vehicle, as well as the car’s sticker price, the cost to repair it, its overall safety record and the likelihood of theft. Insurers also take into account the age, driving record and sometimes the credit history of the driver.
Myth 2 – It costs more to insure your car when you get older
Quite the opposite, in fact—older drivers may be eligible for special discounts. For example, those over 55 years of age can get a reduction in their auto insurance premium if they successfully complete an accident prevention course (available through local and state agencies as well as through the AAA and AARP). Retirees or those who aren't employed full time—and therefore, who are driving less—may also be eligible for a car insurance discount. Older driver programs and discounts vary by state and insurance carrier and driver age, so if you think you may qualify, check with our insurance agency.
Myth 3 – Your credit has no effect on your insurance rate
Your credit-based insurance score—which is derived from your credit history—may matter. A good credit score demonstrates how well you manage your financial affairs and has been shown to be a good predictor of whether someone is more likely to file an insurance claim so many insurance companies take it into consideration when you want to purchase, change, or renew your auto insurance coverage. People with good credit—and therefore good insurance scores—often end up paying less for insurance.
Myth 4 – Your insurance will cover you if your car is stolen, vandalized or damaged by falling tree limbs, hail, flood or fire
This is only true if you opt for comprehensive and collision coverage along with your standard policy. If a car is worth less than $1,000, or less than 10 times the insurance premium, purchasing these coverages may not be cost effective—but you do need to have collision and comprehensive insurance to fully protect your vehicle from all types of damage.
Myth 5 – You only need the minimum amount of auto liability insurance required by law
Almost every state requires you to buy a minimum amount of auto liability coverage but buying only the minimum amount of liability means you are likely to pay more out-of-pocket for losses incurred after an accident—and those costs may be steep. The insurance industry and consumer groups generally recommend a minimum of $100,000 of bodily injury protection per person and $300,000 per accident. If you have substantial personal financial assets to protect in the event of a lawsuit, you may even want to consider an umbrella liability policy.
Myth 6 – If another person drives your car, in the event of accident, his or her auto insurance will cover the damages
In most states, the auto insurance policy covering the vehicle is considered the primary insurance. This means that the car owner’s insurance company must pay for damages caused by an accident, regardless of who is driving. Policies and laws differ by state, so make sure you understand the rules before allowing another person to drive your car.
Myth 7 – Personal auto insurance also covers business use of your car
If you are self-employed and use your vehicle for business purposes, personal auto insurance may not protect you so it’s important to purchase business vehicle insurance. If you have other people—such as employees—using your vehicle, regularly check their driving records.
And the biggest myth of all is that you don’t need a personal insurance agent. Would you perform surgery on yourself? No, contact our office for a no-obligation review of your insurance needs. That’s what we are trained to do!

• A BOP—a Business Owners Policy—can protect your small business against today’s most common risks. Fire, burglary, liability and business interruption losses are all covered under a BOP.
• Since a BOP is prepackaged, there is only one policy to review, and it can be more cost effective than purchasing separate policies. Additional coverage can be added in the form of endorsements or riders.
• Since a BOP insurance policy is specifically designed for small and medium-sized businesses, the type of business can influence eligibility. Normally, companies with 100 employees or fewer and revenues of up to about $5 million or less are candidates for a BOP. Some types of businesses, such as restaurants, may be ineligible for a BOP because of the specific risks inherent in the business and may need to consider buying the individual coverages separately.

Combining three insurance policies into one package
In a single, convenient package, a BOP provides the core insurance that most small businesses need, including:

• Property insurance—Protection for your building or office space, as well as property owned by your business, such as equipment and inventory.
• Liability insurance—Coverage for costs that arise if someone is injured at your business or by using your products or services.
• Business interruption insurance—Also known as Business Income insurance, this coverage replaces lost revenues in the event that your business has to shut down due to fire, wind damage or other covered losses.

You can tailor a BOP to meet your needs

• It’s important to understand that a BOP doesn’t cover all risks associated with running a small business and the coverage limits are usually lower. If you have employees, you may be required to carry workers compensation insurance, depending on your state. If you have a business-owned vehicle, you’ll need coverage beyond your personal car insurance. You might also consider insurance for relatively new risks such as computer system break-in or business identity theft.

There are unique risks associated with your small business; an insurance professional can help you find the coverages that are right for you. Here are some other types of insurance to explore and ask about:

• Professional liability insurance
• Employee practices liability insurance
• Business vehicle insurance
• Workers compensation
• Health and disability
• Flood and sewer back-up
• Cyber risk insurance
• Terrorism insurance

Increasing your coverage with excess and umbrella insurance
You can increase the protection provided by your BOP and other business insurance policies by adding an excess liability or umbrella insurance policy. This type of supplemental policy boosts your coverage beyond the limits of your primary insurance policies. Depending on the policy, your umbrella coverage is designed to broaden and increase coverage; “filling in the gaps” left by other types of liability insurance by covering additional areas of risk and even reimbursing you for deductibles. Our insurance agency can advise you about combining an umbrella policy with a BOP or other business insurance.
Our agency can help you understand the many risks associated with running a small business. Feel free to contact us for a no-obligation review of all your insurance needs.

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