In these crazy times most everyone is looking to save some money, and generally most of us are doing less driving. Since the State of California determined some years ago that auto insurance rates could not be based on your zip code, annual miles driven is one of the major factors in determining auto rates.

​If you think you are currently driving less these days give me a call, 805-985-5488, or send me an email, joliver@farmersagent.com, so we can look at the numbers.

Maybe you will save some money!

Do you recall the last time your insurance rates went down? Now I’m not talking about after your 3 speeding citations fell off your record but an honest rate reduction. I deal with this every day and I can’t recall either, other than to say it has been a while. My only claim in the past 25 years was due to hail damage to a rental car while in Oklahoma for my daughter’s college graduation in 2013! So why do my rates go up?

The cars of today are engineered with a lot of safety features which save a lot of lives when crashes occur. If you want to see how far safety engineering has come, watch Ryan Newman’s crash at the Daytona 500 this year.  He walked out of the hospital 2 days later! But all this safety equipment costs money when damaged in an accident. Cameras in the bumpers. All those airbags. Windshields with sensors and heads-up displays. Sensors in the rear view mirrors. 15 years ago my agency would have 2 to 3 total losses every year but today 30% of the accidents result in total losses. Accident frequency is also up mostly due to distracted driving. More accidents = higher premiums for us all.

What can you do to offset this? 1st you can drive and live safely which will help keep your premiums down. 2nd if you can afford it, you can accept more of the risk yourself by having a larger deductible. If you would like to discuss this please send me an email or call me at (805)985-5488

Starting and running a small business is an exciting adventure. After getting everything set up you then have to work on getting the phone to ring or people to come in the door so you can make a sale. Cash flow is your business’ life blood and to help protect it, you need to be certain you have the proper insurance coverage. Most Landlords will require you to have General Liability per your lease agreement. But what about loss of inventory due to a fire or water pipe burst that starts in another part of the building? Or what about being out of business while repairs are made to the building? Coverage for inventory, business equipment or tools, and business interruption are only a few of the things to consider when insuring your business.
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If uncertain about what exact coverage you have, get your policy out and have a look. If you have any questions with the “insurance speak”, feel free to give me a call. (805)985-5488

It’s already February, and it’s half gone, which means spring is just around the corner. It’s time to get the RV ready for  summer. This means not just making certain the batteries are good so the engine and generator, (if equipped) will start, but also reviewing your insurance to make certain you have the coverage you want. This shouldn’t take but a few minutes so pull out that policy and look it over. You might think it is written in a foreign language, unless you have a JD degree, so if this is the case, feel free to give me a call. (805)985-5488.

For those of you who are like me where your RV consists of a tent and an awning that doesn’t just pop up, which requires a ME degree, you are all set unless you intend to camp along the California coast. If this is you, you had better work on reserving a camp site.

And remember that RV’s also include off road motorcycles, quads, and boats.

Of course we have heard this before and then sometimes it shows up and sometimes it doesn’t. But there are a few things I do every fall in case this year the rains do show up.

1. I check the rain gutters that catch the rain as it comes off the roof. I make certain they are firmly attached to the eve and not filled with leaves so that the rain water can drain properly.
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2. Some of the rain will be absorbed into your garden but most of it will make its way to the street as it runs off. Make certain there isn’t anything blocking its path like old lumber, fire wood, patio furniture, or kid’s toys.
With this done you can enjoy the sounds of the rain as it hits your roof and it splashes as the cars drive by. And, you can be happy that we are receiving the rain we so badly need.

Not sure if my blogging has any followers, but since I wrote in April about “Insuring your Classic Car” which had a photo of my 1969 Triumph looking forlorn sitting in my garage, thought I would update the situation. After sitting in my garage, as my daughter Bonny said “her whole life”; as you can see in the above photo, it now drives! And “yes”, it is insured.

So far, the only complainers are the many families of spiders that had considered the underside of the car “home” for all these years. Lucky for them, they only had to move a few feet to a 1970 Mustang that is in the restoration process.

A friend of mine asked me if I have always enjoyed driving old cars and when I thought about it, the Triumph wasn’t that old when I bought it and drove it every day. Today’s automobile is so much better in almost every way than the autos of the 20th century. The one place most of today’s cars are lacking is in character. The pre-1990’s car always had its own style and this is not so true today.
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So if you have one of these “old” cars, make sure you have it properly insured. Values are up over the past few years so make sure it is insured for what it is worth. If I can help with any questions you might have, give me a call. (805)985-5488. I always enjoy talking about “old” cars.

This past week Assembly Bill 5, known as the “Gig worker bill” was passed out of the California Senate and is headed back to the Assembly for approval of amendments. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2017, 35% of the U.S. workforce participated in the GIG economy. Jobs that are in the GIG economy include Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash drivers and I’m not going to debate the merits of the bill, but encourage any of you reading this that work in one of these jobs, to check your insurance policy to be certain you have coverage. I have had a couple of clients think they had coverage through the company they were driving for, and in fact they did have liability coverage for the damage they created, but no coverage to repair the damage to their car.

So look at your policy and if you are uncertain with any of it, give me a call and we can answer your questions for you. (805)985-5488

I have had 2 occasions this past month where I was reminded of the value in having an insurance agent.

The first was a friend of mine who has always thought he should insure his autos and home with me, but I was always a little more expensive. My friend was like most of us in that he bought insurance, but never read the policy to see what he was buying.  What he had though came to light when he had a sewer line problem, a $10,000 repair bill, and no coverage. Right then he decided that I was worth the little extra money.

The second was an acquaintance who had liability and uninsured motorist coverage they had purchased on line. They were hit one day by another motorist and their car was undriveable. Unfortunately, the other driver took their time in reporting the accident to their carrier. My acquaintance called their own insurance carrier, but because they did not have collision coverage, they were told there was nothing they could do to help. They had to wait for the other party to report the accident and for that company to do an investigation. In this type of situation, the days add up quickly and having an agent can shorten this period as they can make the phone calls required to get things rolling.
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Now might be a good time to see if you can lay your hands on a copy of your policy to review what it is you are paying for. I know that the language of insurance can sometimes seem foreign, so if you need someone to interpret for you, give me a call. (805)985-5488.  Jim

After the large fires in California the past few years, there are areas where some Insurance Companies are no longer going to insure homes. This becomes a problem if you purchase a home in one of these areas or if the company you currently insure with decides to non-renew the policies they have in these same areas.
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This can create some anxiety but I want to tell you that you can still get coverage. Depending on your home’s location you might even have some options. So if you are facing non-renewal or the home you have fallen in love with and would like to buy sits in one of the high Fire Line areas, give me a call at (805)985-5488 and we can discuss your options.