​Buying auto insurance seems easy enough. The television commercials you see make you think it is a simple process. It can be. However, there’s more to making a decision like this than just looking for the lowest price. You need a company you can rely on in your worst moments. That is why it is so valuable to focus on who the company is before you choose. Here’s how to get a good price on car insurance and an excellent company.
 
Learn About the Insurer
 
It is worth doing a bit of research to truly know who you are working with before you decide to do so. To achieve this, look at the company’s online reviews.
 
Find out more about their reputation. Gather insight into the company’s ability to handle complaints or concerns of their customers. In many ways, it becomes vital for you to choose an organization that is willing to be there when you need it.
 
Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you review the auto insurance providers available to you:
 

• What type of auto insurance do they offer? You want to be able to choose from a range of policies, including options such as just liability.
• Find out what the company’s financial rating is. This helps you to see just how financially stable the company is in comparison to its peers. That again shares insight into the company’s ability to help you as needed.
• Find out how fast they respond. A good way of testing this is to see how long it takes for an agent to get back to you for your requested quote.
• Does the company offer online claims services? This can be important for busy people who want to know they can file a claim without a lot of hassle if they need to do so.
• Does the company provide you with good rates? It is always important to compare policies carefully, based on what each one offers. Compare with the same coverage limits, deductibles, and coverage types. The policy with the lowest cost may or may not be your best option.

 
All of this information is key. You want good customer service. You also want an easy-to-use company. And, it helps to have a car insurance agent you can depend on answer questions and provide you with the time you need. The good news is the best companies tend to offer highly competitive insurance rates as well.

The investment in a second home is a fantastic one. It means having another place to retreat after a long week at work. It may be the perfect place on the lake or another rural location outside of the bustle of the city. When you invest in a second home, you need to buy home insurance for it. Yet, it is also important for you to buy the right type of coverage to protect your investment. Here’s some insight into what you need to consider about second home insurance policies.

Does Your Existing Policy Cover Your Second Home?
If you do not tell your home insurance agent about your second home, no policy will cover it. That is, you need to work with your home insurance agent to update any policy you have whenever there is a change to your ownership or living arrangements. For this reason, if you buy a new home, it is important for you to purchase coverage for that property.

In some situations, your existing policy can have updates made to it. Those updates may make it possible for you to include the new home in the existing policy. This will likely increase the coverage amount and the premium. How much it increases these depends on a number of different things. Your agent will work with you to update your policy effectively though.

Keep in mind, a variety of laws and lender requirements might dictate how you have to insure the second property. Therefore, never assume you can simply add coverage to your existing policy.

What Makes a Second Home Different?
It is also possible to purchase a whole new home insurance policy for your second home. When you do so, you will need to let your home insurance company know that the policy is for a second home. You also need to let the agent know how often you plan to live in that home.

If it is infrequently, for example, only a few times a month, it is essential that your agent know this. You do not want the company to find out that the home is vacant, even temporarily. That could cause you to lose coverage on the property.
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Be sure to provide as much information as possible to your home insurance company. Learn about your home’s coverage needs based on area risks and value. Then, consider bundling both the new and existing policies together to save more money. Having one package with two homes tends to be the least expensive route to take when purchasing additional coverage like this.

Speed limits exist for a reason. At high speeds, auto accidents can be very dangerous. Just going 10 to 15 miles over the limit may cause significant damage. However, when you are going faster than this, a rollover can happen. This can cause life-threatening injuries and total your car. If this happens to you, could you file an auto insurance claim? Whether or not you can do this depends on many factors. Here’s some insight to consider.

What Happened Matters
Most of the time, collision insurance is available to protect you if you strike another vehicle. If you have this form of car insurance, you are likely to have the protection you need to pay for damage to the car even if you caused it. However, most policies have limits.

Let’s say you are speeding. Perhaps you are racing a friend. You know it is wrong. You engage in the activity anyway. You strike another vehicle, flip over, and cause significant damage to your car. You are responsible for the damage. The police write the situation up as such. The negligence applies to your situation.

Some auto insurance policies have limits on your vehicle’s coverage in case you take part in illegal activity. In this situation, you were illegally racing or driving at high speeds. You caused the incident to happen as a result of this. Your car insurance company might then void the policy. They may not pay for your losses. However, not all policies will include these penalties.

What About the Other Driver?
If you damage another vehicle in this type of an incident, your auto insurance remains in place. Your liability coverage pays up to the value of damage or the coverage limit on the policy. You might remain responsible for anything more than this, however. More so, your auto insurance company is more likely to cancel your coverage at this point. In doing so, you may not have coverage for any additional incidents that occur.
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Car insurance policies provide specific information about these types of incidents. When it comes down to it, you need to have quality auto insurance in place for all of your needs. However, your policy is going to have limits. If you are engaging in any illegal activity, and that causes your loss, you may not have the coverage you need. It’s important to know the details of your plan. You can learn more about this when you contact your insurance company.

​The investment in business insurance can be a difficult one for some people. This type of insurance is invaluable, however. You need it to help defray the costs of many risks associated with managing your business. Yet, having a policy that fits your goals may seem expensive. How much will it cost you? Take a closer look at what factors impact your policy’s costs.
 
Insurance Is Customizable
 
It’s not possible to put a specific price tag on the cost of business insurance. Every company’s needs are different. However, when you work with your agent, he or she can work closely with you to ensure the best possible pricing is in place. To do this, they need to consider a variety of individual factors to create a customized policy for your needs. Here are some of the components that make up that cost.
 
The Type of Policy
 
The types of insurance you need depend on the type of business you own. Most companies need general liability insurance and property insurance at the very least. If you provide professional advice to your clients, then you may need to extend your liability insurance further to include professional liability coverage.
 
The Industry
 
The industry your company operates in is important. It helps insurance companies determine what type of risks are present. Operating out of a simple office building, for example, is in some ways less risky than construction work. In other ways, it is riskier. When the potential risks are higher, the costs might rise, too.
 
Location Matters
 
The location of your company can play a role. Costs for business insurance tend to be higher in larger cities or in areas where the cost of living is higher.
 
The Limits You Select
 
The amount of coverage purchased also plays a role in what you can expect to pay. In most cases, you can expect your coverage to reflect the value of your company. The higher the limit is, though, the more expensive your premiums will likely be.
 
The Size of Your Company
 
Larger companies that do more business are more likely to file claims. The more you operate, the more likely your company will face diversified risks. Companies that are much larger also may need additional locations covered in different ways.
 
When it comes to providing business insurance, always focus on the quality of the coverage you obtain and how well it fits your business. Spending money on an inferior policy doesn’t do anything for your business’s bottom line.

​The investment in home insurance is usually a good one for most homeowners. However, in some cases, it is a requirement. If you have a mortgage on your home, your lender probably requires you to maintain coverage. It protects their investment in your home. You agree to maintain this coverage in your loan contract. How much do you need? What forms does your lender require?

Protecting the Investment of Your Home
Home insurance can help protect the lender’s investment into your home. They have put a significant amount of money towards the purchase of your home. You are paying that back over years.

During that time, you must maintain insurance to protect your home from most types of risks that could cause damage to it. A loss to the home also means a loss to the lender, which is why you need coverage.

The lender’s goal is to protect the home’s value. For that reason, you should have a policy that covers the value of the home. However, there are a few key things to keep in mind here.

What to Insure
From your lender’s perspective, you need to maintain a policy that includes coverage for most risks such as fire, storms or vandalism. You may need to extend coverage to include flood insurance or protection from earthquakes. A comprehensive policy with any add-ons to protect from local risks is critical.

How Much Do You Need?
Most often, the lender’s interest relates to what you owe. The lender wants to know you have enough available to pay off your home loan if the home is a total loss. For this reason, you need to maintain a policy that is at least the value of what you owe on your loan.

However, most people should have enough coverage to cover the cost to rebuild their home. That is very different. It is usually higher than what you can expect the cost of your home to be. You must factor in the cost of the construction process. While your lender may not require you to rebuild, doing so allows you to recoup more of your home’s value and have a place to live.
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Your home insurance policy is one to get just right. To do that, work with your agent to ensure your lender’s requirements are in line. It is important for you to ensure your policy meets the needs you have for protecting the value of your home as well.

​The decision to file a claim for your auto insurance is a big one. Yet, when you have significant damage to your car, it is worth doing so. As a driver, one of the biggest and sometimes unavoidable obstacles you face is the pothole. They spring up quickly in the spring and leave you overwhelmed with dodging them. Yet, when you hit one, they can cause a lot of damage. Will car insurance help cover the loss?

Do You Have Collision Insurance?

In order to file a claim against your car insurance for pothole damage, you need to have the right type of policy. Collision insurance is usually necessary. This type of coverage pays for damage that occurs to your car when you collide with an object. In this case, the pothole counts. This is an optional type of coverage for most people. However, it is a policy that is worth maintaining if you have a car that has value.

What About That Deductible?

While you could file a claim with your car insurance provider, you have to determine if it will help you. If the damage to your car is minor, it may not be possible to receive any compensation for your losses.

For example, let’s say you end up with a flat tire. That may cost $300 to fix. Most auto insurance policies have deductibles of at least $500. This may be much higher, even. If the cost of the damage is not above your deductible, you will not receive any payment.

On the other hand, it can help if the damage is significant. Let’s say you hit a deep pothole. It caused you to bend the rim of the car. You need an alignment, new tires, and other repairs. This may be more expensive. In this case, you may want to consider filing the claim. While you will still have to pay the deductible, you can also receive assistance for the repairs.
 
Turn to Your City, Too
 
City laws differ on this. However, if the city knew of the pothole and had time to fix it or warn drivers of it, they may be responsible for your losses. This is not always possible. However, if filing an auto insurance claim isn’t an option, you may want to consider this alternative.

Keep in mind that potholes can cause a good amount of damage if they have a jagged edge. If they are deep, they can also cause damage. If you run one over, take a look at your car right away.

​Every parent worries about his or her child hitting the road. There’s good reason to do so. Distracted driving is something more teens than ever have to manage. Though there’s always been the risk of someone not paying attention, accidents happen more frequently now than before. What can you do to help your child? Aside from having quality auto insurance, there are several things you can do.

Teach Your Child About Risks
Distracted driving is any type of activity or action in which a person does not pay enough attention to what is happening on the road. There are two factors to teach your teen driver here.

First, they need to avoid engaging in this type of activity. It protects them to do so. It also protects other drivers on the road. Tickets for distracted driving can raise their car insurance costs, too. It is always better to avoid these risks, rather than give in to temptation.

Secondly, be sure your teen recognizes that other drivers may take these risks, too. In doing so, those drivers are putting your teen at risk. By learning to be a defensive driver, it may be possible to reduce this risk as well. The teen should know that they must look out for themselves.

Statistics Can Help
It is not always easy to get information across to teens. They sometimes feel invincible. This is very true once they are behind the wheel of a car. Even good students may not recognize the risks fully. A few statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration may help.

• In 2017, 3,166 people died in the United States as a direct result of distracted driving.
• Among distracted teen drivers between the ages of 15 and 19, 297 people died as a direct result of their actions.
• In 2017, 2.9 percent of drivers are still using handheld cell phones while they are behind the wheel on a routine basis.

Consider these facts. Teach your teen why they are so worrisome.

Discuss, too, why teen drivers are at a higher risk. They are less skilled. They have more distractions, especially when they invite other teens in the car with them. And, cell phones, radios and even distracting conversations can make the process even worse. For this reason, it is important to have a conversation with your child about distractions behind the wheel.
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Take into consideration your own habits, too. Set the example for your child. You do not want to have to file an auto insurance claim for distracted driving accidents. It can raise costs significantly.

​Companies need a wide range of business insurance products. Luckily, there are plenty of products on the market that can provide you with all of the protection you need. As a business owner, you probably spend a lot of time building up your company. It may be dependent on you. Or, you may have important employees. If they are not there, your company could not run. This is the time you may need to consider key person insurance. Do you need it?
 
What Is Key Person Insurance
 
Key person insurance is a type of business insurance policy. More clearly, it is a type of life insurance policy the company takes out on certain individuals. It helps to minimize the risk of what would happen if that individual died. Sometimes, you may hear it called business life insurance.
 
This policy pays out a sum of money to the company should the named person die. It does not pay anything to his or her beneficiaries, in most cases. Rather, it works to help the company to continue on financially while a replacement for the lost individual becomes available. It relates just to unexpected types of death. The death can occur for any reason. It does not have to be work-related.
 
Who Needs to Have Key Person Insurance?
 
It can be hard to determine who needs this coverage. However, it is important to take a look at your company’s structure. Most business professionals encourage companies to create a model that has numerous people capable of doing everyone else’s job. That means if one person is not there, someone else can do it.
 
Yet, with key person insurance, the goal is to cover specific people who you cannot easily replace. Most of the time, this includes executives and business owners. Ask yourself these questions:
 

• If the business owner was no longer available, would someone be able to continue the company?
• Would the company struggle financially if one or more people were suddenly unavailable?
• Could the company have a hard time filling the role of a specific employee? Perhaps his or her talent is not available through others.

 
If so, this type of business insurance may be necessary. Your agent can help you choose the right people to cover. You can choose from a range of coverage levels, too. Don’t overlook the importance of having coverage to minimize these risks to your company.

Someone comes to your home to enjoy a meal and some good friendship. You share a few drinks. That person leaves gets behind the wheel of the car and causes damage to another person’s property as a result of the alcohol. Intoxication like this can be deadly. In some cases, you, as the person providing those drinks, may be at some level responsible for the losses. Here is what you need to know before you hold your next party with alcohol. Take a closer look.

Know Your State Laws
Whether you can be liable for the actions of another person in a situation like this depends on the state you live in.

If you throw a party and someone becomes intoxicated, whether or not you hold any responsibility in their actions falls under the state’s laws based on at-fault negligence. This works in the same way that a bar may have some liability if a patron drinks too much. If they let that individual drink too much and then that individual gets behind the wheel or a car, it is very likely the bar itself could have some responsibility in the losses. The same might apply in a personal home.

Not all states do this. In some states, the intoxicated individual is solely responsible for his or her actions. In other states, your negligence only applies if the individual’s intoxication is very much evident and you continue to provide alcohol to them or you allow them to leave. This often involves and investigation.

What Happens If This Occurs?
If this type of situation occurs where a person is in an accident related to their intoxication, you could be liable for the losses.

Your home insurance may offer some protection to cover these losses. It would fall under your home insurance’s liability coverage. In this situation, the person suffering damage would file a claim under your policy. He or she would have to prove that you were negligent, however. That likely means showing you knew the risks were present and did not act to prevent the outcome that occurred.
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If you are hosting a party of any type, it is important to monitor how much a person drinks. Intoxication can be life-threatening to that individual and anyone he or she shares the road with on the way home. You do not want to be responsible for the losses. However, your home insurance policy may offer some help if you are responsible.