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.

Lately I have seen an increase in the amount of time it takes some carriers to accept or deny liability after an accident. If you have Collision coverage on your vehicle, this is not a problem. You can begin repairs right away using your policy, and the worst case scenario is you will pay your deductible up front.

But if you drive paid for cars like me, and don’t carry Collision coverage, what should you do when someone runs into you? Smart phones have made this part much easier.

1. Get photos of the other car and be sure to get one with the vehicle’s license plate in it.
2. Take a picture of the other party’s driver’s license.
3. Take a picture of their registration.
4. Take a picture of their insurance card.
5. Get their phone number.
   

Of course the other party may want this information from you as well.

It can still take several weeks for their insurance adjuster to make a decision if they cannot reach their client to get a statement of what happened. But having these items will help, especially if the other party is uncooperative.

An additional item to get if possible is a police report. This is actually the best item you can get, but because police departments are stretched thin these days, they will not always send an officer out if there are no injuries or traffic being blocked.

The best thing to do though, is to stay out of the way of the knuckleheads although this gets more difficult everyday as they seem to be breeding very fast.

Life insurance is something few of us like talking about because using it would mean we are no longer alive. According to 2017 statistics from the industry groups Life Happens and LIMRA, while 70% of Americans consider life insurance a necessity for themselves, 41% have no life insurance at all.

So who needs Life Insurance?

When you are the family breadwinner. Life insurance can provide “income replacement” so that your family can continue to pay everyday expenses. Dave Ramsey recommends 10 to 12 times your annual salary.

When you are a stay at home parent. Life insurance would cover the cost of paying for services the parent does for “free,” such as child care.

When you are a divorced parent. A policy could cover the support payments that a divorced parent makes.

When you are the parent of  a special needs child. Life insurance can make sure the child will have financial support no matter when a parent dies.

When you are a homeowner with a mortgage. A policy can cover mortgage payments, so your family doesn’t have to move if you die.

Someone with co-signed debt (such as student loans or credit cards). Life insurance could cover the cost of the debt.

If you are in one of these categories and do not have life insurance, you can give me a call, (805)985-5488, and we can discuss how to address your situation.

With summer here and people traveling we get 2 questions asked almost every day.

1. I’m off to Seattle and need to rent a car. Does my policy cover a rental car?
2. My parents have flown in for a visit. If I let them drive one of my cars do they have coverage?

These are both good questions and it is good to ask before your visiting parents have an accident in your minivan.

The short answer is, with your Farmers’ auto policy you have coverage extended for both of these events.

The coverage for you allowing someone to drive your car is called Permissive Use. The requirements are that the driver has a valid driver’s license and your permission to drive the vehicle.

Extending coverage to a vehicle you do not own is called Non-Owned Auto coverage. This is most commonly used for a rental car but I have also had claims for clients who had borrowed a friend’s car, had an accident, and it turns out the insurance on the car had lapsed. Oops! The coverage is equal to the best policy coverage you have on your cars and the deductible for comprehensive or collision losses is applied.

If you don’t have Farmers auto coverage then you will need to check with your carrier to see if you have these coverages endorsed on your policy as not all carriers include these. If you have any questions on these coverages or would like a Farmers auto quote, give me a call, (805)985-5488, or send me an email, joliver@farmersagent.com.
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