Posts Tagged ‘Business Insurance’

Saving Money By Bundling Your Insurance Policies

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Auto, Home, Condo, Renters or business insurance by purchasing them with the same insurance company, can save you premium dollars as well as making you a “preferred client”.    Most insurance companies are excited to pass on savings to their clients who have more than just one policy with them.   Their acquisition cost to get new clients is lowered when they already have a relationship with you and statistics show that a client is more likely to stay around longer, if there is more than one policy in the household.

Get started by getting a free quote for Arizona auto insurance or Arizona home insurance now!

The relationship that you have with any insurance company becomes stronger when more and more policies are tied to your account.   It only makes sense that if you are bringing more dollars into a business, that business may want to spend more time, effort Insuranceand energy in serving you, their client. This additional service may be the added time to answer your questions, find additional discounts that you may qualify for if other conditions are met, or simply the one on one relationship that you might expect from the company that is financially protecting your hard earned assets.  As your life changes and your insurance needs change over time, it is beneficial to do a complete review of the policies and keep them “tuned” to your changing needs.  I believe that this kind of review is important at least every 5 years and sooner if you have life changing events like a new baby, a new spouse or divorce, or a change in work or a move to another home.

Insurance discounts vary from company to company and can “slip” off if you are not paying attention.  All students should be checking to make sure that the “Good Student” discount is still in place.  Every 6 months, this massive discount may need to be re-qualified for by providing a copy of your grades… These can be huge dollars that should remain in your pocket, if you had simply forwarded the information on to your insurance carrier.   Be sure to ask your specific company for all available discounts and what it will take for you to get them!

Some of the biggest discounts for drivers under the age of 25 is simply letting the insurance company know that you are now married or that you have become a parent.  These life changing events tend to affect the cost of your auto insurance in a wonderful way!  Moving into a less populated area, being able to park your car in a garage vs parking in an open area, having an alarm on your car… are all chances to lower your insurance costs.

Regardless of the name of your insurance company or agent, having the ability to communicate and ask questions is the ticket to reducing the overall cost of your insurance.  Making one call to one agent, who knows who you are,   is preferable to calling a telephone tree and speaking with a new “REP.” every time.

Home Insurance is Not Business Insurance

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Home OfficeThe rules have not changed but more and more people are working from home or have a business that they run from home. YOUR HOME INSURANCE does not cover your BUSINESS or your BUSINESS PROPERTY!!! Click here to get a free Commercial Property Insurance quote from us.

In recent weeks, I have had numerous claims that have been denied or greatly reduced because clients are thinking that “if it’s in the home, it’s protected by the home policy.”  If you are a plumber, electrician, framer (think any of the building trades) your tools are considered your business property and there is little if any coverage that extends to these items if they are stolen out of the truck or the garage!

Another example to be aware of is the bookkeeper or accountant that is working from the house.  The last client I worked with was the PIANO TEACHER. The office furniture, Fax machine, filing cabinet, copy machine, GRAND PIANO etc … are not insured under the homeowners insurance policy if it is part of your business.

In each of the above examples we have been addressing the property, but perhaps the biggest exposure that is not covered is the Liability protection that is NOT EXTENDED from your homeowners policy. The client that comes by the house to pick up the payroll report, and while at your house trips or is bitten by the family dog.   The music students that come to your home and get hurt for whatever reason…

The solution is simple. Let your insurance agent know about your unique business exposure, and let your agent give you the different solutions to the problem. Today there are numerous insurance companies that have created a specifically designed policy for the “BUSINESS IN THE HOME”. It is the same type of coverage that you would enjoy if your business were in an office down the street, or a strip mall around the block. The premiums for these types of policies are usually very inexpensive and offer the protection that your home owners insurance does not.

Running a Business from the home is just one example of limitations that your homeowners policy has, but there are others that should be noted as well.

Gold and Silver bullion or coins have become very popular in recent months due to the economy. NOT COVERED with your homeowners insurance. Be very careful of thinking that adding a vault at home will take care of this risk.  The vault is only good if you are not there when the bad guys come.  If you are there, the bad guys will have you opening up the vault in seconds!!!

Jewelry, furs, Silverware, Guns, Rugs/Tapestries, Computers, Stamps, Securities, Cash, Trading Cards all have limited coverage under a homeowners insurance policy but can be addressed on an individual basis that fits with each clients needs.

In summary, your homeowners insurance is designed to protect against certain things.  It is probably better to know what is NOT covered instead of what is covered. You can then make an educated decision as to what is important for you.