Advantage One Insurance

Burn the wood, not the house!

Due to many budgets tightening in the past couple of years and the higher costs of heating a home, many people have turned to a less costly newfound technology, wood! Now obviously I am kidding about this being a "new" form of heating but it has become increasingly popular in the past couple of years and although it can be a way to save money on your heating bills, it can also be a great way to start a fire. Thus creating much more than financial hardship! So, today I just wanted to share some tips in regards to proper safety for your home as recommended by FEMA.

1. Be sure the fireplace or stove is installed properly.
2. Wood stoves should have adequate clearance (36") from combustible surfaces and proper floor support and protection.
3. Wood stoves should be of good quality, solid construction and design, and should be laboratory tested.
4. Have the chimney inspected annually and cleaned if necessary, specially if it has not been used for some time.
5. Do not use flammable liquids to start or accelerate any fire.
6. Keep a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace opening, to prevent embers or sparks from jumping out, unwanted material from going in, and help prevent the possibility of burns to occupants.
7. The stove should be burned hot twice a day for 15-30 minutes to reduce the amount of creosote buildup.
8. Don't use excessive amounts of paper to build roaring fires in fireplaces. It is possible to ignite creosote in the chimney by overbuilding the fire.
9. Never burn charcoal indoors. Burning charcoal can give off lethal amounts of carbon monoxide.
10. Keep flammable materials away from your fireplace mantel. A spark from the fireplace could easily ignite theses materials.
11. Before you go to sleep, be sure your fireplace fire is out. NEVER close your damper with hot ashes in the fireplace. A closed damper will help the fire to heat up again and will force toxic carbon monoxide into the house.
12. If synthetic logs are used, follow the directions on the package. NEVER break a synthetic log apart to quicken the fire or use more than one log at a time. They often burn unevenly, releasing higher levels of carbon monoxide.
    

Now, we understand that things happen, thus the reason for insurance, and we want to be the ones you lean on for the protection of your home in the event that an accident would occur. So please remember to check out our quotes page and prepare yourself a quote online and see if your policy can soon come with one of us as your agent!

Resolutions you can stick with!

What an experience!

This past week, on Thursday and Friday, the staff at Advantage 1 had an opportunity to take some time during work hours to experience and be a part of something bigger than any one of us, and more impactful than I believe any one of us expected. It all started nearly a month ago when Ted and I kicked around a couple of ideas about volunteering and both came to the conclusion that ringing the bell at a Salvation Army Red Kettle would be a great experience for a charity that manages their overhead quite well and helped out over 550,000 people in just the upper Midwest in 2010.

Now, I think that every one of us who signed up to volunteer knew that there would be generous people, and were elated to know that the weather was very atypical for a Minnesota winter, but I don't think any of us, or at least I know that speaking for myself, expected it to be so personally rewarding. I was able to take time at all three of our locations, Thursday afternoon in Long Prairie at Coborns, Friday morning in Sauk Centre at Coborns and Friday afternoon in Saint Cloud at Macys, and to be honest by the end I was considering signing up for this coming week as well!

First, in Long Prairie, although the weather is very uncharacteristic for this time of year, it was quite windy on Thursday and I, unbeknownst to my wife, showed up without a hat or gloves and knew that the time out there could get a little long if I could no longer feel my fingers, ears or feet, and at one moment wondered if I may get a black foot reminiscent of Adam Sandler's in the movie Mr. Deeds. But, the most amazing thing happened, as I began to ring that bell, and people of all age, race and echelon began to walk by and flash a smile and share a "Merry Christmas", whether they gave money or not, (which I would say nearly 90% did), the time flew by and before I knew it, my time was up for that day and I rode a high all evening knowing that my little bit of time in the cold would help to bless so many people that are in need this time of year.  

So, needless to say, as I began driving to Sauk Centre on Friday morning (with sunny skies and very little wind), I was extremely excited to see if it would be the same response there or not! To my pleasant surprise, I think it was an even greater response that morning! I heard from multiple people entering the store that they hadn't seen anyone ringing the bell in Sauk Centre for a number of years and were very excited to see it, and with that, the Merry Christmases, smiles and money were flowing in great abundance. Now, I didn't see anyone drop a large wad of $100's in as they have been finding in some kettles in the metro area, but the kettle began to fill a lot faster than I had expected and I would be willing to wager that it rose more than the $30/hr average that is typical.

Now, with two experiences like this, there is no way that the third attempt at doing this could get any better, or could it? Friday afternoon definitely had an unfair advantage from the start as I was going to be joined by my precious and wise beyond her year's 6 year old daughter, so in my heart I knew that this time was going to be beyond special to me. I picked her up from school, swung by the office to check in and then grabbed her a nice big hot chocolate and headed over to Macy's to relieve another co-worker of his time in the "cold". At this time in the afternoon the sun was shining and it had to be over 30 degrees so it was quite pleasant outside the entryway. We got our things settled in and the bell handed over to us, and knowing my daughter wouldn't get to be there the whole time, I handed her that bell and was filled with joy by the smile that it put on her face as the first chime rang out. As she rang that bell it was as if it summoned a drove of people in with great big smiles, shouts of joy and scrounging for any money they could to shove into that kettle. I would say that her two highlights of the afternoon were: 1, a man pulling up to the curb, rolling down his window and honking to then hand her a $20 bill to put in the kettle and 2, a mother with three children, having her son put change into the kettle while the others handed my daughter a bag of homemade Christmas cookies to enjoy while she was there. If that weren't enough, my daughter than says to me, "this is so fun to have daddy-daughter time and be able to help out kids who are in need", I held back from tearing up but it felt great as she hugged my leg and smiled up at me!

I of course realize that every volunteer experience isn't always fun and exciting, but they are always rewarding and having the opportunity to do it for the Salvation Army is such a great feeling as I knew that the vast majority of the dollars that were being put into that kettle would end up in the hands of someone who needed them and not be wasted in management or marketing expense. Now, I am not saying that there aren't other great organizations out there when it comes the percentage of donations reaching those in need, but I do know that the way the Salvation Army has set up the kettles and ringing the bell is an experience that I haven't had one coworker have one bad thing to say about and with many stories of excitement and joy! So, if you get the chance, take an hour or two and ring one of those bells, it will bring joy to the holidays no matter what's going on in your life! I know it bolstered my holiday spirit to a whole new level!

From all of us at Advantage 1 Insurance, have a very Merry Christmas and remember, every policy comes with an agent!

If you get a chance, check out the picture of my daughter on our Facebook page and comment about any great volunteer experiences you have ever had!

Post Incident Tips!

Hey everyone, as much as I seem to love talking about saving money and avoiding accidents I have seemed to neglect the fact that accidents do happen! So, the question is, what are the proper steps to take after an accident of any type occurs? Here I would like to provide you with some basic information on what to do!

What To Do After A Motor Vehicle Accident

•1.       Call an ambulance for anyone seriously injured.

•2.       Obtain names, addresses, and phone numbers of all persons in the other vehicle.

•3.       Obtain the make, model, color, license plate number, and state of registration of other vehicle(s).

•4.       Obtain other parties' Insurance Company name, policy number, agent, and phone number.

•5.       Do Not Admit Responsibility, nor sign any statement except for the Company Claim Representative.

•6.       Do Not Disclose Your Policy Limits To Anyone.

•7.       List the date, time, place of accident, responding police department, and if any tickets were issued and to whom.

•8.       Obtain names, addresses, and phone numbers of all witnesses.

•9.       Report the claim immediately to your agent or by calling your 24-hour claims service.

What To Do After A Property Loss

•1.       Take appropriate steps to protect the property from further damage.

•2.       Report the loss to your agent or by calling your 24-hour claims service.

•3.       Report any burglary or theft to the police.

•4.       Save all receipts for any temporary repairs that you make.

What To Do After A Liability Loss

•1.       Do Not Admit Responsibility, nor sign any statement except for the Company    Claim Representative.

•2.       Do Not Disclose Your Policy Limits To Anyone.

•3.       List the date, time and place of accident.

•4.       Obtain names, addresses, and phone numbers of all witnesses.

•5.       Report the claim immediately to your agent or by calling your 24-hour claims service.

What To Do After A Workers Compensation Loss

•1.       Assist in obtaining medical attention if necessary

•2.       Notify the Worker's Compensation Insurance Company

So, now if you do experience an accident in any of these areas, please follow the procedures to provide for the most favorable and smooth process in that difficult time! Please remember, at Advantage 1 Insurance, every policy comes with an agent!

First time participants must take an 8 hour course to qualify for the 10% auto insurance discount.  A 4 hour refresher course must be taken every 3 years to keep current on the latest information and maintain the 10% auto insurance discount.
http://www.mnsafetycenter.org/ for scheduals and regestration forms

Black Friday Deal?

In the hustle and bustle of Black Friday, the risk of having an auto accident has got to be increased, although I can't find direct statistics that I trust regarding this day, just watching across the highway at the drivers and catching the news stories regarding people being pepper sprayed, robbed or trampled there has to be a correlation of higher traffic accidents as well!

So, what happens if in your rush from getting the big TV at the first store, heading over to the second store to buy that cart full of toys for a bargain price, and you cause an 8 car pileup with multiple injured parties? What if you are at least insured by a "decent" agent and have limits of 100/300/100 as the bills for this accident start rolling in to your insurance company? Those multiple injuries will burn through that $300,000 quickly as medical bills pile up, and those 8 cars being repaired will more than likely burn up the $100,000 in property damage, not to mention the 2 stop lights and signs demolished by the pile up. Where do the bills start to go once your insurance has paid up to its limits? I know you can already guess that they don't disappear, so who pays for that tab? The answer is; YOU will be responsible for these bills if you don't have an umbrella policy aiding in your liability coverage.

You may take the stance that, I don't have the money, how would I be able to pay for it, or I have no assets they can't take anything, but what do you consider having "no" assets and what does the court system consider having "no" assets? I have here a table demonstrating the judicial systems view of having or not having assets and what they would "help" you sell down to in the case where they needed to provide money to a party that was injured by you in your rush to get the best deal without being properly insured!

Now, I know that some of you may not or may never own a $300,000 home, (just to be clear, I definitely don't!) but more than likely if you are out in a rush for Black Friday shopping you probably own more than a $4,000 car, and maybe you have worked at the same job for the past 20 years and have a 401K of $100,000 built up, the court system isn't going to let you keep those things without first trying to compensate the parties involved in the accident you cause!

My advice is twofold, for Black Friday or any day for the matter, drive safely, no deal is worth another's or your own life. Secondly, when you get home from the shopping, or first thing Monday, call your agent or call us here at Advantage 1 and find out what kind of great deals are available on an umbrella to protect yourself from being held liable for trying to find a great buy!

Winter Driving!!!

This weekend in order to wish an "old" friend, happy birthday, my wife and I took the kids on a little journey, on Friday afternoon we took off from Sartell and headed northwest towards Fargo, we met Sarah's parents on the way and allowed a little grandma and grandpa time for the kids while we continued onward!

When we pulled into the Fargo-Moorhead area on the interstate there was something strange and unfamiliar in the air, and I am not talking about the fact that Sarah and I scared ourselves with how old we have gotten as we drove by the old places we used to hang out and sounded like an 80 old couple reminiscing about the days gone by! I am talking about the white stuff lining the roads and dusting the windshield! Luckily enough Sarah and I were able to make it to the event and back to her parents with little worry about slick roads or unsafe conditions, but the way home Saturday was a different story! As we bundled up the kids and headed out on our 90 minute journey, it was as if snow had just fallen in the heart of Arizona and no one had ever seen it before! Cars were sliding everywhere, through stop signs, into ditches and some into one another. This turned our journey into an over 3 hour affair! Every year it amazes me that we somehow the residents of MINNESOTA forget that it snows, and when it does the roads are slippery and we need to be more safe!

Now, I know, sometimes it can catch you off guard and be difficult to navigate through, but many times what I see is drivers trying to drive harder and faster than the conditions! It creates a very unsafe environment for not only themselves but anyone traveling the roadways with them and I hope that if in the next few months as we experience more of old man winter we can take a look at and remember a few winter safe driving tips so that we can all enjoy the holidays with family and brave the freezing cold days of January without any major accidents or injuries to family and friends!

Tips for driving in the snow:

• Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for regaining traction and avoiding skids. Don't try to get moving in a hurry. And take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.
• Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, turning - nothing happens as quickly as on dry pavement. Give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly.
• The normal dry pavement following distance of three to four seconds should be increased to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
• Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold breaking. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
• Don't stop if you can avoid it. There's a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.
• Don't power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed down hill as slowly as possible.
• Don't stop going up a hill. There's nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.
• Stay home. If you really don't have to go out, don't. Even if you can drive well in the snow, not everyone else can. Don't tempt fate: If you don't have somewhere you have to be, watch the snow from indoors.

Please share this with your friends and anyone you know so that we can keep everyone safe! Enjoy this week ahead and be thankful for your friends and family as you spend time together!

Remember, at Advantage 1 Insurance, every policy comes with an agent!

It's Home for the holidays not Hospital for the holidays!

How many of you out there live in a climate such as Minnesota where you know you should take any opportunity presented to you in late October or early November, where the weather is sunny and the temp is warm enough to feel your fingertips, to hang your Christmas lights on the outside of your house?

Well, I know that is what I should do, but it never fails that every year I push it as long as possible and usually miss the last warm day by 24 hours and end up on the rooftop on a day where the wind is blowing just enough to make it a challenge to hold the string of lights after hanging the third bulb!

This is what I did yesterday, missing the opportunity on Saturday to have a nice enjoyable time up on the roof possibly singing Christmas carols while I hung the lights with cheer, climbing up on the roof as bundled as I could be while trying to hang the lights and blowing into my fist every three minutes to just keep feeling alive on my fingertips while never once even humming a Christmas tune! Personally I do enjoy the way homes look when they are decorated for Christmas and really love the way my kids' eyes light up with even just one string of lights up on their house that they can be proud of, but to hang those lights while out in the cold is just never that much fun and rarely creates a warm and cheery feeling for me!

Now, my roof is quite easy to decorate as it has a low peak and a less than steep pitch compared to homes I have done in the past and the only real danger was the overhead power line coming into one end of the home that was fairly easy to steer clear of and protected as well. I wasn't very concerned about myself yesterday, but as I looked around the neighborhood I did notice a few homes I would not enjoy climbing up on, and I have no fear of heights! So instead of singing, I began to wonder about how many people end up in the hospital or in some sort of cast for the Holiday season after performing such work!

In doing a little research I found out that there are some differences in statistics. I am sure there are multiple reasons for this, but one guess is the fact that over 40% of the accidents that do occur, happen to men, and being as full of pride as we are, we would rarely admit to the nurse checking us into the ER that it happened while we were hanging a strand of Christmas lights. So, whether you want to believe the minimum or max of the statistics, the truth is that hanging Christmas decorations can be dangerous, and anywhere between 11,000 and 18,000 people every year end up in the emergency room after attempting to do so, and between 6 and 18 deaths are attributed to this as well. Now, the majority of the deaths are attributed to fires that take place due to a lack of properly following electrical guidelines and creating fires, but the second leading cause of death and largest cause of ER visits is improper use of the ladder while hanging the lights.

So, in an effort to help you enjoy the Holiday season with fully functional limbs I would like to share a forum I found on safety tips while hanging your Christmas decorations! Please remember to stay safe, and that if something does occur, at Advantage 1 Insurance, every policy comes with an agent!

Safety Tips:

•1.       Use the Proper Lights - If you hang lights outdoors make certain that they are rated for outdoor use. The packaging should clearly mark indoor/outdoor. The lights must be weatherproof or else they will short out and could be a hazard.

•2.       2. Get Grounded - Outdoor lights should be connected to a grounded outlet .... Continue

A MUST READ FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

In today's economy many people are struggling to make ends meet and may do things they never thought they were capable of doing to survive. For some this may mean taking that weekend pizza delivery job, others it may mean the morning paper route before work and for some it may mean having to file a lawsuit against a current or former employer in terms of harassment or possibly being terminated for a job in an unfair manner.

 In the past I think many times these situations have been overlooked by people as they were able to find other employment elsewhere and the time and effort to go through the lawsuit to some seems immoral and to others seems like a waste of time. But, in recent years, lawsuits of this type have steadily increased as many businesses have had to make decisions to let employees go to try and keep their doors open, and this can put too much stress on one employee or another and create an environment for harassment or it may be the employee being terminated felt it was done unjustly and they deserve that job yet. So, why am I writing about this? Because, any of you business owners out there need to know about EPLI insurance. EPLI stands for Employment Practices Liability Insurance and can provide coverage in a lawsuit against discrimination, harassment, compensation, hiring, libel or slander. In any of these situations where a lawsuit is brought forth the business is burdened with proving that they were innocent in the case so they have a duty to defend themselves which on average can cost $50,000 just to get the case dismissed and the average settlement is much larger than that!

Now, for those of you reading who would wonder why any business wouldn't have this type of coverage, the reason I am given most frequently is , "We are a small business, we know our employees and they would never file a suit against us." And, as much as this would be a great reason, I look at the fact that the majority of small businesses I have dealt with lack in one area and that is HR and their personnel policies manuals. My advice, if you have employees, please talk to your agent and find out what an EPLI policy could cover for you at a minimal cost!

Ever wondered about those surveys?

The other day I was making a purchase from an electronics retail store and of course, just as with every other major retail store, before I was handed my receipt they told me that I could go online and fill out a survey regarding my experience and have the opportunity to win something. This got me wondering a couple of things: 1.What are the companies trying to do with this information? 2. Does anyone ever win the prizes promised?

•1.       As many of us probably already know, understanding a customer's feelings about our business makes a world of difference in future business as well as ideas for changing and growing, but how important is it that these companies are giving these out to nearly every customer and willing to give large prizes to someone for just taking the survey? Research has shown that:

      •a.       A 5% increase in loyalty can increase profits anywhere from 25% to 85%

      •b.      A very satisfied customer is 6 times more likely to be loyal and willing to repurchase or recommend a product than a customer who is just satisfied

      •c.       Only 4% of customers who are dissatisfied will complain to the company but will likely tell 9 other people of their bad experience

      •d.      Satisfied customers tell 5 other people about their experience on average

•2.       The thought of winning any sort of prize is always exciting, but does anyone ever win these prizes or are they just a lure?

      •a.       From all of the research I have done, there are winners!

      •b.      Bad part, it looks like the odds are about 1 in 1.3 Million, (a person is more likely to get struck by lightning!)

So, now that we know these questions are useful if the information is analyzed and then used by the business and that it is possible to win, my advice is, fill them out, just be careful to opt out of any email offers if possible unless you like to have your inbox as full as possible! My advice to businesspeople on all levels, do something similar with your customers, find out if they are satisfied, very satisfied or if they have had a poor experience, it very well could be the thing you are looking for to grow your bottom line, or the reason you have been searching for as to why you are losing customers!

At Advantage 1 Insurance, your policies come with an agent, and if we aren't doing it well please let us know! :)

Winter Insurance Quiz

When the snow and sleet begins to blast across the Midwest, parallel to the ground, it builds up thick patches of ice and giant drifts of snow along the sides of buildings and covering rooftops creating a whole new set of insurance challenges (let alone the challenge of walking, driving, and many times even breathing)! So what happens if the recent ice storm knocks your power out or other winter troubles are created due to the weather? Let's find out! 

Take our quiz of a few insurance questions and have a chance at keeping yourself warm! The first 3 people to post the correct answers to the questions on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/advantageoneins, win a local coffeehouse gift card!

•1.     Your SUV hit a patch of ice and slid into another vehicle. Will your auto insurance cover it?

•2.     If someone slips on the icy sidewalk in front of your house, can you be held responsible?

•3.     A prolonged ice storm forced your family to spend several days in a motel. Will your home insurance reimburse you?

Now, be one of the first three to post your correct answers to our Facebook page and win one of those gift cards, and while you are there, make sure and scan our QR code for a chance to win $50 for you and a friend.

Remember at Advantage 1 Insurance your policy always comes with an agent!

Understanding your insurance (Part 2)

Last week I made a brief mention to the Uninsured and Underinsured limits available on your policy and that I mimicked their values to the bodily injury limits on the sample policies and this week I would like to share my reasoning behind that thought!

Many times when presenting a policy to a customer, the customer immediately wants to skip to the bottom line and see what it will cost them in premium, and agents are lucky to get them to really focus on possibly the first 1-2 numbers for coverages and I think many times the customer has no idea what was even talked about for the uninsured and underinsured coverages and these are such important coverages to understand! These coverages are what protect you in case you suffer from bodily injury from an auto accident where the other person is legally liable and has less than adequate liability coverage to provide payment for medical services you may require resulting from the injury. So, in essence this coverage is something that will be utilized to protect yourself in the case of an auto accident, whereas the numbers discussed last week are protecting other people and things if you are liable in an auto accident, so let me pose the question to you this way, do you want to protect other people and their things more than you would protect yourself? Although this may sound selfish if misinterpreted, I want you to remember, I am not recommending you protect yourself and not protect others, but to at least value yourself as much as you would them! So, my advice is to have these coverages at least match your bodily injury liability amounts.

Now, my tip regarding this, and this goes along with the radio advertisement by the local law firm, if you are in an auto accident, and fault is or isn't definitely determined immediately, and you are immediately injured or just uncomfortable but not sure the extent of injury, be cooperative, work with the law enforcement, work with the insurance companies and your agent, but when presented with paperwork that you may not understand every word or phrase, do not sign it immediately. Ask for understanding, now I may hate to ever admit I don't understand something, but in this case let go of any shame for not understanding and get things clarified, I would never want to see someone suffering from injuries that should be rightfully paid for by an insurance company, but not getting payment due to misunderstanding or worse yet, ignorance!

If you would like an analysis of your current policy or a free quote on a policy with proper protection, please don't hesitate to give us a call!

Advantage 1 Insurance - Where every policy comes with an agent!

Understanding your insurance (Part 1)

In recent weeks I have been hearing radio ads in the St. Cloud area by a local law firm mentioning the number of accident victims they deal with who have been either misinformed or uninformed regarding their auto insurance and it has made me wonder how many consumers have walked through ours or any insurance agencies doors and requested to be insured but were seemingly most concerned about the cost? Now, in the best interest of that person, the insurance agent should explain the difference in price and effectiveness for increasing the protection provided but there are times where I am sure this doesn't happen as well as other times that when mentioned by the agent the "well-informed" consumer states that they do understand the difference but would like the lowest priced policy anyway, before even getting all the information!

Well, since I have been the "well-informed" consumer in other situations and either thought I knew all I needed to know and realized too late that I didn't or was just trying to play it cool, I know firsthand that it would have been nice to have a place to find out the information that I needed without feeling embarrassed about it, I have chosen to provide everyone with a little explanation about insurance coverages and the minimal difference the cost may be to eliminate the concern for your future!

When purchasing auto insurance there are state minimum liability requirements in which you must have to abide by the law. Those minimums are as follows, $30,000/$60,000 Bodily Injury and $10,000 Property damage, meaning this. If you have $30,000/$60,000 Bodily injury limits and you are in an accident, your insurance provides you with $30,000 for any one person injured at your fault from the accident and a total of $60,000 for all persons that you are found liable for injuring and only $10,000 for any property damage that you may have caused (Liability written as 30/60/10). Now, if you have received any medical treatment recently you probably know that $30,000 will not last very long if one of the people injured needs to be flown to the hospital via helicopter and $60,000 won't last very long if even two people sustain injuries enough to be required to be taken by ambulance to the hospital and you also may guess that $10,000 doesn't last very long if you damage any property!

So, in my recommendation, I suggest that no one purchase a policy with this limited protection and I haven't even provided examples of this as my low end coverage. In my personal opinion, now this may not be the same for all agencies and not even the same for all agents within Advantage 1 Insurance, I feel that the minimum liability insurance you should consider is 100/300/100 but I have provided here a couple of examples starting at 50/100/50.

Example 1: (6 Month premium example - all other factors same except for Uninsured/ Underinsured mimicking BI to be explained in a later post)

BI                        50/100                 100/300                 250/500

PD                       50                         100                        100

Premium             $334.00                 $369.00                 $406.00

Example 2: (6 Month premium example - all other factors same except for Uninsured/ Underinsured mimicking BI to be explained in a later post)

BI                           50/100              100/300                  250/500

PD                         50                       100                         250

Premium             $601.00                 $648.00                 $690.00

So, I don't personally know your feelings towards becoming personally responsible for any damages caused higher than your insurance limit protects you from, but in my opinion I would recommend looking very seriously at spending an extra $15 / month to have an extra comfort level in the case that something tragic would ever happen! If you have any further questions or would like to take a look at what great protection may cost you, please feel free to call us here at Advantage 1 Insurance!  

There are times when we all must just laugh at ourselves and our peers!

Are you penny pinching or opening up your wallet for financial disaster?

In a time where the DOW has fluctuated more than 10% within a 3 week period (highs and lows throughout the day, not closing price) and nationwide average home values have decreased approximately 33% since 2006, it can be extremely difficult for a person to know exactly where they stand financially. In many cases this can create a panic or hysteria for people to save every penny they can when it comes to their expenses, and sometimes that mindset can be risky.

 Take for instance the insurance coverage you carry you purchase for your home, are you more worried about saving money and forgetting about being protected properly?

Throughout the three Advantage 1 offices there is rarely a day goes by when one of us doesn't get a call from someone looking to do anything they can to lower their premium for homeowners coverage. And let's all face it, premium rates have increased in the past couple of years due to the large number of natural disasters that have occurred and hurt the bottom line of many insurance companies, I know that as insurance consumers we don't feel that our rates should increase if we haven't had any claims but we all must remember the basic definition of insurance; Insurance is a tool to share risk among a larger group of individuals to cut the costs of a potential loss to any individual member of the group.  Now, I am a firm believer that the consumer should be informed and keep up to date on the cost of coverage's and make sure that they are getting the best price for the coverage they need, but I am strongly against putting you as a customer at a great risk of financial devastation if a tragedy should ever occur for you. The two most common high risk comments I hear are:

•1.       Let's raise my deductible so that the premium is lower.

•a.       (Now, this is a great method to lower your premium as long as it is done within reason and that if something would occur you can afford to pay the deductible out of your own pocket.

•b.       i.e. if you currently have a $500 deductible and you readily keep a 3-6 month emergency fund as most financial advisors suggest, you could stand to raise your deductible to $1000 or even $2500 if the cost savings was beneficial on your premium, but if you currently have a $1000 deductible and are not able to have a fully funded emergency fund at this time, moving your deductible to $2500 or $5000 puts you at risk of having to do something desperate if a disaster would find its way into your house.

•2.       Let's reduce the value of insurance I have to cover my home as the market value is much less than that value.

•a.       First of all, most insurance and mortgage companies do not allow this to take place to protect themselves and insurance agents must use a REPLACEMENT COST ESTIMATOR to accurately reflect the value of the home

•b.      Secondly, the insurance is a protection to help you rebuild your home back to its current condition, not for you to abandon the current property as it sits and purchase another home on the market that is similar. (This idea may also create some legal implications for you!)

 To read more about thoughts on this and not just take my word check out this article in consumer reports :  http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/money/insurance/insuring-your-home/overview/index.htm

In final thoughts, please, whether a current customer of ours or not, call one of our offices and receive a no obligation evaluation and quote for your homeowners insurance. We can likely save you money and provide you with the most adequate coverage needed to protect you and your family from added financial struggle stemming from a tragedy.

Advantage 1 Insurance, where every policy comes with an agent!

Advantages of having an agent on your side!

Yesterday afternoon I spent some time with a few local business owners and a local political figure that I will leave unmentioned as to not utilize this blog as a forum for political debate, but within the time there were a couple of comments made as jokes regarding insurance agents and their reputation for not caring for their clients, and it got me thinking about what makes a "good" agent versus a bad agent?

Now, "good" is a completely subjective word in this situation so I will show you a couple of scenarios and let you decide for yourself!

Scenario 1: Current commercial customer provides his agent with another commercial customer's name for a referral as he feels he is receiving a quality product for a fair price, agent drives a couple of hours to meet with referred customer, reviews current policies, notices a couple of discrepancies on how the pricing is set up and puts together a quote for the proper coverage needed for the business and comes back with a quote saving the customer nearly 40% of their policy premium which amounts to a dollar amount larger than the average college graduates first year salary. The agent delivers the news via phone and delivers the policy by leaving prior to 6AM and making the couple hour journey again. Your thoughts, good or bad agent?

Scenario 2: Agent is referred a potential customer looking to save money, the customer and the agent sit down to meet, the customer presents the agent with his current policies and asks if he can save any money and be covered as well or better, the agent provides the customer with initial quotes in which the customer is able to save over $450 per year or about 20% while providing greater liability coverage to protect the customer. Being a good husband he wants to verify things with his wife and returns two days later, in the meantime the agent notices a mis-key in the quote and after re-keying it into the system, then save the customer over $500 per year with the higher coverage. Thoughts, good agent or bad?

Scenario 3: A rural homeowner is looking to save money while getting the correct coverage on his older completely renovated home in the country. The agent looks at the current declarations page, which is with a company that their agency offers as well but they feel they can maybe save some money for the individual. The agent finds the appropriate fit and takes the persons yearly premium from $1619 to $919. What are you thinking, good agent or bad?

Well I don't know what your thoughts are exactly, but these are all examples of recent situations that agents here at Advantage 1 Insurance have dealt with and we would love to have the opportunity to help you too! Here at Advantage 1 Insurance, every policy comes with an agent, find yours today!

Ever wondered what happens to your car after you drop it off at the shop?

As I was browsing the internet the other day I came across a blog in which people were reviewing auto repair facilities and the first post that I read was that of a very disgruntled customer who had brought in his black sports car to have a couple of small scratches repaired and a full buff and detail on the exterior of the car. Aside from the fact that it took over 2 weeks to receive a call that the vehicle was finally done the customer became most upset when he was told over the phone that the car must have been involved in some type of acid wash as there were spots all over it. Needless to say he rushed to the shop, found his vehicle in the lot full of white spots that he knew had not been there prior to him bringing it in, and after much haggling with the shop owner and some unexpected honesty from the shops employees this customers vehicle was fixed to a better than brought in condition at no cost to the customer, but the story itself got me thinking about the insurance implications of situations like this where we bring our vehicles into a shop to have repairs done and some form of damage is done to our car while in the custody of the shop.

These shops are supposed to have a coverage called Garagekeepers Coverage to protect them in the event of an incident happening to a customer's vehicle. The issue that can sometimes still arise with coverage like this is that there are two forms of the coverage which are illustrated best in this article written by Helga Schauer.

•1.       Garagekeepers Direct Excess Insurance will pay for damages to your vehicle that the business bears no legal liability for, in excess of any other collectible insurance.  This means that you must report the loss to your own insurance carrier and have them pay for the damages. Your deductible will be reimbursed by the business's garagekeepers insurance.  If the business is legally liable coverage applies on a primary basis.

•2.       Garagekeepers Direct Primary Insurance will pay for any damages incurred while your vehicle is in the custody of the business. This means that you do not have to involve your own insurance carrier in the claim or repair of damages. The insurance for the business will be first in line to respond on your behalf.

To illustrate the difference between the handling of a claim between these two different types of insurance, here is an example:

You leave your vehicle with a shop for repair. The shop has limited indoor parking and moves your vehicle to curbside parking in the course of repair. While it is parked on the street a careless motorist damages the entire left side of the vehicle while driving down the street.  The employees of the shop clearly are not legally liable in this case. Your vehicle was parked properly and was unattended at the time of the crash.

If the shop is insured under coverage option number 1, you will be notified of the accident and must report it to your own insurance carrier. It will be considered a no fault loss since your vehicle was unattended, but you will need to be actively involved in the claim process and repair since your vehicle's insurance policy is primary. You may be required to pay your deductible up front and then request reimbursement from the shop's garagekeepers direct excess insurance.  If the shop is insured under coverage option 2, you may not even be notified that a crash has occurred. The shop's garagekeepers direct primary insurance will handle the claim and damage repair, and you will not be asked for a deductible. The shop will pay any deductible that applies to the loss.

The main reason that a shop would chose coverage option number 2 is to maintain their reputation and goodwill in their interactions with customers.  Coverage option number 1 comes at a substantially lower premium, and cost saving is the only reason why a business would carry this type of coverage.

If an accident, for which the employees of the shop are legally liable, occurs, it does not matter which garagekeepers insurance option the shop has selected, the business's insurance policy will respond to the claim on a primary basis. To illustrate an example of this scenario, imagine the following:

You take your vehicle to the shop and in the course of the repair it is moved to curbside parking, but when the shop's employee parks your vehicle he is in a big hurry and leaves it parked with the front end jutting into the roadway, beyond the parking space's limit line. An operator of a vehicle driving down the street does not observe the position of your vehicle until it is too late, because a bus is blocking his view.  In this case the employee of the shop has some liability for the crash and the garagekeepers insurance coverage will respond on a primary basis, because it does not matter which option the shop has chosen when there is legal liability on the shop's part.

Should there be a total loss of your vehicle while in the care, custody and control of the business(such as in the case of a natural disaster), the garagekeepers coverage option which applies can make a substantial difference in the handling of the claim and attendant loss of use.

So, my best recommendation to all of us who have to at one point or another utilize the services of an auto repair facility is to be an informed consumer and to ask the shop what type of coverage they have to limit the possibilities of a large hassle if an accident should occur. I know that I don't want to be responsible for a claim on my vehicle if it is in the care of someone I am paying to work on it!

Until next week, remember, at Advantage 1 Insurance, our policies come with agents!

Back to school safety ideas!

As the unofficial last weekend of summer is upon us, I wanted to share some important safety tips for heading back to school. Since the number of students walking to school or to the bus stops increases the number of pedestrians greatly and we live in a motorized society where being a pedestrian can be risky, I felt some pedestrian safety tips would be appropriate. In 1996 Minnesota made it a little easier to be a pedestrian by passing a law requiring drivers to stop and yield right-of-way to pedestrians in a marked crosswalk or at an intersection where there are no traffic control signals in place. The driver must remain stopped until the pedestrian has passed the lane in which the vehicle is stopped.

The following are some tips to help keep pedestrians safe:

FOR ADULTS:

•-       Make sure that motorists can see you. Wear fluorescent colored clothing during daylight hours and, if walking when it's dark, make sure you have a flashlight and wear retroreflective material.

•-       Know what traffic control signals mean. Do not enter a crosswalk while the "Don't Walk" sign is flashing. Be alert to turning vehicles even if the "Walk" signal is on.

•-       Walk against the flow of traffic. This enables you to see any oncoming traffic. Walking in the same direction as traffic forces you to rely only on your hearing to warn you of approaching vehicles. This also makes you slightly less visible to drivers.

•-       Joggers are pedestrians too. Joggers should run on sidewalks or pathways; it is considered illegal to run on roadway pavement if alternatives are available. When no alternative is available, joggers should run facing traffic.

ABOUT CHILDREN:

It is important to teach children about traffic safety and the proper way to cross the street. Adults often overestimate a child's ability to walk and cross streets safely. Children under age 10 do not always have the necessary skills to judge the speed or distance of oncoming traffic; in addition, their peripheral vision is 1/3 less than adults'. Because of their shorter attention spans and cognitive skills, children are often impulsive and behave unpredictably in traffic situations. Here are some tips to keep children safe.

•-       Find alternatives to playing near streets or in driveways. Children's small sizes make it difficult for a driver to see them. Adults should always supervise when small children are outdoors. Children ages 1-3 are often hit by vehicles that are backing up. Older children should be taught to never dash into the street and to always stop at the curb before proceeding.

•-       Teach children the proper way to cross the street.

•o   Stop at the edge of the road or at the curb. If there are parked cars present, check to make sure they are not about to move (engine running, drivers inside). Proceed past the parked vehicle and stop again.

•o   Look left, right, and left again to make sure there are no cars approaching. Teach children to fully turn their heads and eyes in those directions. Their limited side vision makes this necessary.

•o   If crossing at a corner, teach children to be aware of cars turning the corner. Children should enter the street only if there is no approaching traffic. Continue looking both left and right.

•o   If there is a car approaching, teach children to wait and repeat the checking process again before attempting to cross.

•o   When preparing to cross in front of a vehicle, children should make eye contact with the driver before proceeding.

•o   Explain the meaning of traffic control signals such as the "Walk" and "Don't Walk" signs. Never enter a crosswalk when the "Don't Walk" sign is flashing.

•-       Use retro-reflective material on children's outerwear. Do not allow hoods or umbrellas to block a child's vision.

•-       Set an example for children. Practice safe pedestrian and street-crossing habits.

 AS A DRIVER:

Be aware that Minnesota law requires you to stop for pedestrians in a marked crosswalk or an intersection with no marked crosswalk, where there are no traffic control signals present.

•-       Follow all posted speed limits. When children are present near schools, the speed limit is usually lower than that of surrounding roadways. In residential areas, be alert for children who may be playing near the street. Children often dart out from between parked cars or shrubbery.

•-       Be extra careful around school buses. When red lights are flashing you must stop. Wait a few extra minutes after the bus is gone to make sure there are no children present.

•-       Elderly pedestrians may not be able to cross quickly or hear you approaching. Give older adults plenty of time to cross the street

•-       Be alert when turning corners. If the car in front of you stops at a corner, be prepared for the possibility of pedestrians crossing.

Pedestrian injuries can be prevented. Take care to be a defensive pedestrian and a pedestrian-alert driver.

Do you have an extra $300 in your back to school budget?

As the wheels on the bus begin to go round and round, and you mothers are either going wah, wah, wah or yah, yah, yah, I wanted to provide a reminder for drivers all through the town. Drivers, please pay attention and allow yourself additional time for your commutes as the school year and fall sports kick off. Watch out for a buses amber caution lights and be prepared to stop at least 20 feet from the bus as the stop-signal arm and red flashing lights are displayed. According to the Minnesota state statute, you are not allowed to pass or attempt to pass a school bus on its passenger side if the amber lights are being displayed and you are to stop and stay stopped at least 20 feet from a school bus if the red lights and stop-signal arm are displayed. If you fail to obey these rules you will find yourself with $300 less back to school money and have a gross misdemeanor added to your motor vehicle record. There are additional details of the statute that make it unlawful to pass or attempt to pass a school bus while a school child is outside of and on the street or highway used by the bus or on the adjacent sidewalk.  There is only one exception to this rule and it is if you are traveling on a separated roadway and are on the other side of a safety zone or median from the bus then you are not required to stop. I ask in the name of our children's safety and the protection of your pocketbook please slow down and drive safe and be extra cautious if the wipers are going swish, swish, swish! Enjoy your day of singing that song and until next week, remember at Advantage 1 Insurance, our policies come with agents!

Hopefully this provides you with one less reason to lose sleep after you move your child to college!

From what I have heard, for many parents, especially mothers, moving a child off to college can be an extremely traumatic experience with many sleepless nights to follow as you sit up wondering what your "baby" is up to on the nights and weekends or if they are going to class and a plethora of other concerns that you may have!

For most of you mothers, one of your greatest concerns for your child may be their healthcare needs as they move into their own place and will have to be responsible for their own doctor's appointments and any follow up necessary. (For many of you who have been making these appointments for your children this can be scary enough, let alone where will the bill go and how will it get paid.) In many cases, there is an opportunity to keep your college children covered under your current health insurance plan except for a few restrictions but check with your current agent / provider to ensure this coverage is available. Many of you will possibly consider removing your child from your health insurance policy when you go to pay their first semester bill at school and notice a line item called health services fee or student health fee and may think that your child has full coverage health insurance as part of the large check you are writing out for their tuition, books and room and board. Sorry to break the news but this doesn't provide them with health insurance, but typically covers costs of their visits to the student health center. So in the matter of your student's healthcare, please check with your current coverage and see if your child can continue to be a part of your plan or if they need to have their own individual coverage but please don't assume they will be covered by the institution as this may end up costing you or your child dearly.

Now on to you fathers, while you are hauling handful after handful of your son/ daughters brand new belongings up 6 flights of stairs to their dorm room you may be wondering what may happen if that young man or woman continues to be as irresponsible as they were when they were under your roof and leaves their door unlocked only to come back to the room and notice that their most prized possessions have been stolen.  Who will have to foot that tab, will you again be responsible to be out purchasing a dorm fridge, futon, laptop, stereo and the ever essential microwave (note to you mothers: many more things than you ever allowed can be made in the microwave) or is there a way that this type of thing can be protected against? Well, for a majority of you, you are in luck, a typical homeowners policy will include 10% of your  Coverage C (personal property) limit for items off the premises off your residence by a member of your household. Again, I recommend checking with your agent for the details of your individual policy but feel this may be a relief for many of you who have just spent approximately a semesters worth of payments on all the new items needed to move your child out!

So, in conclusion, many of your insurance policies may have coverage for your child heading off to college buried within the pages of jargon you may not wish to read through with a fine tooth comb or choose not to understand! Although I recommend having a good understanding of all that your policy may / may not cover I hope that you can turn to your agent and get any clarifications necessary! Until next week, remember, at Advantage 1 Insurance, every policy comes with an agent.

Market Value Vs. Replacement Costs

In the current economy you may be scrutinizing your finances and trying to cut costs wherever possible. In doing so you may be examining your homeowners insurance and noticing that the insured value of the home may be higher than what it could be marketed for currently. This can be frustrating if you are paying for a higher premium than you feel you should be paying for and aren't given the proper information regarding why the value is listed as it is but it could become even more frustrating if your agent tries to help you cut costs on your insurance by lowering your insured value and tragedy would ever strike. To better help you understand the valuation process for insurance purposes I have borrowed an excerpt from State Auto Insurance Company.

Reconstruction Costs

What is my home worth? Market Value versus Reconstruction Cost

Many homeowners equate the ‘"worth" of a home to its market value, especially if the home was a recent purchase. While market value is a valid calculation of a home's worth for buying and selling, it has little to do with the cost of rebuilding. The estimate you are providing is the amount to reconstruct the home at today's costs.

Why is reconstruction cost more expensive than new construction?

I hope that this information better helps you understand the reason that the value your home is insured for is possibly higher than you would list your home on the market for today. If you have any other questions please give us a call here at any of Advantage 1 Insurances 3 locations.

Insure yourself against a tragedy

This is a sad story and thought that I wanted to pass on from one of the companies we represent here at Advantage 1 to increase awareness of the dangers that the distractions of everyday life can present!

Please keep your families healthy and safe!

Vehicular Hyperthermia in the News

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - An infant boy was found dead Thursday afternoon in a sport utility vehicle outside a west side day care center, apparently left unattended by an employee of the center who picked him up Thursday morning, police and relatives said.

The temperature was 81 degrees at 4 p.m. when a 911 caller reported that the baby, identified by family members as a 4-month-old, was found in a Dodge Durango outside the day care.

Relatives, including one who is employed by the day care, said the infant was picked up from his home that morning but was never taken inside the center.

What is Vehicular Hyperthermia?

Hyperthermia is an acute condition which occurs when the body produces or absorbs more heat than it can dissipate. A core body temperature of 107° is considered lethal as cells are damaged and internal organs shut down. Because a child's thermoregulatory system is not fully developed, their bodies warm at a rate three to five times faster than an adult's. Since 1998, 386 children under the age of four have died due to vehicle-related hyperthermia.

Studies have shown that in 10 minutes the temperature in a vehicle raises about 19°. Within an hour, the temperature jumps around 50°. Slightly rolling the window down has almost no impact on these temperature increases.

Most hyperthermia incidents occur when the child is forgotten by the caregiver. Stress and preoccupation are typically the greatest cause for such forgetfulness. In cases involving paid caregivers, 84% were prosecuted; 96% of which were convicted.

Safety Recommendations

• Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.
• Verify that all occupants leave the vehicle when unloading.
• Teach children not to play in or around cars.
• Always lock your car and ensure children do not have access to keys.
• Place items (purses, groceries, etc.) in the backseat as a reminder there is a child in the car.
• Check attendance at the day care to verify that all children are present; investigate any missing children.
• Keep all vehicles clean; it's easier to spot children when no debris or trash is present.