Blog Posts - Jim Oliver's Insurance Agency (805)985-5488

Italian Food for Lunch!

9/8/2017

A few doors down from my office at 233 E Channel Islands Blvd, is an Italian restaurant that is owned by a Port Hueneme local. It was formally Angelo’s Italian Restaurant, but when Angelo passed, his wife was unable to run the restaurant, so a kid who hung around the restaurant bought the place. Mike renamed the restaurant Rico’s Italian Villa and has kept the recipes which gave the restaurant it’s old country uniqueness. It continues to be a great place to get an Italian dinner.

Mike has now decided to open for lunch and has added some lighter fare to his menu. If you are looking for a place to grab a great lunch or need a place to have a business lunch, give Rico’s a try. If you come by my office I can get you 15% off your bill through October 1st.

Bon appetite!

Jim Oliver
249 E Channel Islands Blvd.
Port Hueneme, CA

2017 Solar Eclipse: An Amazing Driving Distraction

8/18/2017

This coming Monday, August 21, we will have the opportunity to see a total eclipse of the sun which hasn’t happened since June 8, 1918. (This is more rare than getting to see a perfect game pitched in baseball). If you are driving during this time, it will be quite noticeable that something strange is going on, and if you have any curiosity at all, you will want to see what it is. But looking at the eclipse will be more dangerous than texting while driving because of what it will do to your eyesight.

We were all cautioned as kids to not stare at the sun as it will burn your retinas, but when unusual things happen, we will often throw caution to the wind and take a chance. Yet it is one thing to ruin your own eyesight, but if you cause an accident in the process, injuring other people, this is a chance one should not take. If you want to see the eclipse, please be off the road and take the precautions given at the Weather Network web site. If you have to be driving, please keep your eyes on the road so you can avoid those drivers who choose to drive distracted.
Be safe out there!

Jim Oliver
(805)985-5488

“You Could Be Right, But You’d Be Dead Right”

7/21/2017

This is one of the “Dad-isms” I recall from my childhood. I used it over the years on my kids but they would just look at me as if I had lost my mind. When I was 8 years old we lived on a busy street and across this busy street was the library and I loved to go, by myself, and check out books to read. (I belonged to the Book Worm Club) My father’s instructions were to walk up to the corner where there was a signal and use the crosswalk. Yet beyond that he told me to always pay attention, because even though I was in the crosswalk, those two lines did not guarantee that all cars would stop. Thus the, “you could be right but you would be dead right”.

I bring this up as it is almost time for school to start and I worry about kids paying attention as they cross streets, navigate drop off/pick up areas, as well as parking lots. I still see too many accidents where the driver is texting or fiddling with their phone to get the song they want on their Bluetooth radio. I have witnessed countless teenagers, (and adults) walking across streets and through parking lots with their noses in their cell phones, never even glancing at oncoming cars to see if they look like they intend to stop. I have a client whose son was a passenger in a car that was hit by a drunk driver. The boy’s friend was killed in the accident. Not all drivers follow the rules and our kids need to be made aware of this because the world can be a dangerous place even when they are following the rules.

So please impress upon your children that when they are moving around in the same space as automobiles, that they need to pay attention to what is going on around them. Because even though they might do everything right, they could still be injured by someone who isn’t.

Have a great rest of your summer!

Jim Oliver
(805)985-5488
joliver@farmersagent.com

What To Do Before You Leave On Vacation

5/19/2017

It is almost summer, the kids will soon be out of school, and vacation plans are being made. This is a great time of the year and planning a great getaway provides family fun that creates great memories for you and your kids for years to come. Over the past 26 years I have had more than a few instances where families returned home from the vacation to discover a water supply line had burst while they were gone, flooding a large portion if not the entire home. The kids think it is great as you get to move into a hotel room for several weeks, so the vacation is still on, but for Mom and Dad this is a giant headache.

This experience can be avoided by taking a few minutes to inspect the supply lines to the sinks, toilets, washing machine, and icemaker/water dispenser if you have one built into your refrigerator. If they look old or have a lot of corrosion built up around one of the ends, replace them. They are not very expensive if you do it yourself, and if you are in the least bit handy, it is not a difficult job. The hardest part will be climbing under the sink on your back so you can get a good view of the hose. If you are not handy at all, you can hire a handyman to come replace the line(s) and it should not cost you too much, certainly less than the headache you will have if you have a large water leak. If you would like a referral for a good and honest handyman, give me a call at 805-985-5488 or send me an email at joliver@farmersagent.com

Have a great summer!

What Are the Benefits of Pet Insurance?

5/5/2017

Perhaps you have a dog or cat in your family and you have heard about insuring your pet’s health and have wondered about the benefits of doing so. As with all types of insurance, we must balance the amount of risk we are willing to accept verses what it costs us to have someone else assume the risk for us. I ran across what I thought was a very good article on this topic written by a veterinarian.

He covers both types of pet owners and explains the upside and downside to paying someone to assume your risk of having a large medical bill for your pet.
Farmers Insurance is in the business of insuring your life against a catastrophe, and because our pets have become such an integral part of our families, we have partnered with American Pet Insurance Company, to offer medical coverage for your pet. If you insure your home or auto with Farmers, Pets Best will give you a 5% discount off their rates. You can call my office for information at (805)985-5488 or go to this link, http://www.farmers.com/pet-insurance/ Don’t forget to let them know you are a Farmers client to get your 5% discount.

Why A Will Is Important?

3/10/2017

This past year I have spoken with many people regarding the importance of life insurance to protect their family financially in the event of their untimely death. From these conversations I have been surprised at how few families have a Will or Trust in place. A Will is a simple and inexpensive legal document that can save your family from additional stress, and possibly legal expense, after your passing.

The most common problem I see involves families with young children. If both parents are killed in an auto accident, for example, who will become the guardians of their children? And if you have assets such as a home, savings, or life insurance, who is the beneficiary of these?

Becoming the guardian for your children is a big decision and it is one you should have a conversation about. Wouldn’t you also want the guardian to be the beneficiary of your assets to aid them financially in the care of your kids? Of course you would, but this might not happen if left up to a probate court. I have witnessed crazy outcomes following the death of someone. Family and friends come out of nowhere sometimes making claims on the estate. The good news is this is easy to prevent if you have a Will, and with the internet it can even be inexpensive.
Of course, if you have a lot of assets, you might want to consult with an attorney.

So if this describes you; get it cleaned up! If you have questions or need help, please contact me at (805)985-5488 or email me at joliver@farmersagent.com

Why Do Smoke Alarm Batteries Die at Night?

2/24/2017

Many years ago I needed to replace the smoke alarms in my house, and when I went to the hardware store to buy new ones I bought the ones with the battery backup instead of the A/C-only type which I was removing. I liked the idea of the smoke alarm working even if the power to my house is out. The downside to this type is it will chirp at you when the battery gets low.
I have noticed 2 things regarding this type of smoke alarm. The first is they only chirp at night after you have fallen asleep. Not sure if this is a programmed feature based on the probability that you will be home in the middle of the night verses the middle of the day. It is inconvenient though as you are not dressed to go out and buy new batteries, and the only store open is the local “Quicky Mart” where the 9 volts are real expensive.
The second thing that always happens is all the smoke alarms begin chirping the exact same night! Now this has happened to me multiple times, but what are the mathematical odds of all the batteries getting weak at the same time? The last set of alarms were advertised to have 10 year lithium batteries, and I can’t find the receipt to verify they are 10 year old, but even if they are only 7 or 8 years old, how could the batteries all go bad on the exact same night?

So the moral of this story is that smoke alarms are an important safety feature for your home. The smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) are at least as dangerous as the fire producing them.

Your best chance of survival is before the fire gets too big. I think the battery backup type is good as I have had insureds that had a house fire that began with an electrical problem which shorted the breaker shutting the electricity off. So keep some backup 9 volt batteries for the night your alarms begin chirping at you. Otherwise you will be like me; up in the middle of the night dismantling your smoke alarms because I can tell you that even if you remove the offending battery, the alarm will still chirp.
For more homeowner’s insurance tips, call me at (805)985-5488 or email me at joliver@farmersagent.com

Want to Save $50?

1/19/2017

As of January 1st of this year California has a new cell phone law which could remove as much as $50 from your wallet.
AB1785 states:
“A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while holding and operating a handheld wireless telephone or an electronic wireless communications device unless the wireless telephone or electronic wireless communications device is specifically designed and configured to allow voice-operated and hands-free operation, and it is used in that manner while driving.”
“A violation of this section is an infraction punishable by a base fine of twenty dollars ($20) for a first offense and fifty dollars ($50) for each subsequent offense.”
For you drivers who are not yet 18 years old this rule does not apply to you as you are not allowed to use a cell phone while driving. Not even a hand’s free phone.
I have tried to determine if the California DMV considers this a moving violation as this would also affect your auto insurance rates. As of today it has not been added to their website of offenses, but it may be too quick for them to update their list.
As for me, I have been unable to get my new technology to interact with my old technology Mustang (1970), so I will return your call when I reach my destination.

Suits For a Soldier From a Soldier

10/17/2016

My 92 year old father in law, Wayne, tells a story from 1933 where his oldest brother Brad was graduating from high school and needed a suit. His Kansas farming family scraped together the $15 to buy him a new suit for the occasion. A year or two later the next brother Howard was graduating but there was no money to buy him a new suit so his mother altered Brad’s suit to fit Howard. That same suit was altered for brothers George and then Wayne for their High School graduations.

83 years later, Farmers Insurance Group has a “Suits for Soldiers” campaign to aid soldiers transitioning from military to civilian life with proper business attire. My wife mentioned this to her father and the World War II Naval Officer went to his closet and pulled out 3 suits to contribute.

I believe it was Tom Brokaw who popularized the term “The Greatest Generation” in referencing the generation of Americans who grew up during the Depression, went on to fight in WWII, then built post war America. This generation was hard working, optimistic about the future, and generous in helping others. Although it has been 71 years since he was in the Navy, my father in law continues to encourage those who have served to defend our great country.

If you have any suits you would like to donate to a service man or woman transitioning to civilian life, you can drop them off at my office at 249 E Channel Islands Blvd. in Port Hueneme and I will get them to where they can be used.

Thank you for your help.

Crazy Streets

9/8/2016

I think it was Johnny Carson who was arguing with Formula 1 driver Emerson Fittipaldi about how good a driver Emerson was. Johnny was arguing that it was no big deal to be driving 100+ mph around a course with 20 other professional drivers compared to driving the freeways of Los Angeles. Johnny said the only way to prove Formula 1 drivers were good was to have a grandma driving a 1970 Plymouth Fury on the track at the same time.

The streets today are a little like the Wild West where you take your life into your own hands when driving or as a bicyclist or pedestrian. I was a witness to this a few weeks back while I was sitting at a red light. There was a car on the cross street in front of me making a left turn when a car went right by me in the lane to my right colliding with him. This car then ran into a car going the opposite direction that was waiting for his light to turn green. There was nothing either of these drivers could have done to avoid this accident other than staying home and I was thankful with all the cars bouncing off each other that I didn’t get hit.

I have clients who have kids that grow up and want to get their driver’s license and it is a scary time to watch your kid get behind the wheel and drive off to school. Learning to drive is a skill that takes some time to get proficient at, but it is more difficult when you have people darting in and out of lanes or not staying focused on the job of driving.

If your kid is walking to school, it isn’t always much safer. I live near a school and often see drivers in a hurry blow through the crosswalk, even with an adult in a bright yellow vest holding a “stop” sign standing in the middle of the street. Please teach your kids that even though they are in the crosswalk, they need to be alert to what the cars around them are doing as the crosswalk will not protect them. I recollect my father telling me when teaching me the dangers of crossing a busy street that “I could be in the right, but I could be dead right”, meaning even if I used the crosswalk, if I didn’t pay attention and a driver wasn’t paying attention, I wasn’t going to win the battle with a car.

So pay attention and be careful out there avoiding the knuckleheads. And if you happen to pull up to a stop light and the view into the car to your left looks like this;

pull over to the side of the road and let him get way out in front of you!