Why You Need Auto Medpay

I just read my chiropractor’s newsletter. In it he had an article about automobile insurance medpay. It’s good stuff, so I’ll paraphrase and add some bits of my own.

Let me begin by telling you my own medpay story. I carry $10k of medpay on my policy. I drive a lot for business, and just as I want the maximum available for uninsured motorist (that’s another blog entry), I also want a sufficient amount for medpay. I was rear-ended almost a year ago, went to the orthopedist for x-rays and an MRI, and it was determined that I needed physical therapy or chiropractic care as surgery was not necessary. All this time, the other insurance company — the one responsible for payments — stated they would not pay any medical until the time came for settlement of the case. They paid for most of the repair of my vehicle (that’s another blog entry) but would not pay for medical. I was using my Kaiser for the orthopedist, and they will wait for payment until settlement, as will many doctors and chiropractors, but the insurers often pick over the bills and decide they won’t pay for this treatment or that evaluation. If you have medpay on your policy as I did, you simply submit the bills to your insurer and they are paid to the provider regardless of fault.

My chiropractor, Dr. Dan Weymouth’s newsletter article states: “In today’s tough economy we are finding that auto insurance companies are fighting harder not to fully cover your injuries. This could leave you responsible to pay out thousands for health care even if the accident was not your fault. It’s not fair but that is what we are finding in many of our accident cases.” He goes on to suggest medpay as an option to add to your auto policy. He also rightly points out that medpay is different and separate from the physical liability portion of your policy — the part required by law — in that liability only covers the other guy when you are at fault while medpay covers anyone in the accident regardless of fault. Also, if there is no settlement, you are not required to repay medpay to your insurer.

Medpay is an inexpensive option, you can add it at a variety of levels of coverage, and it may save you lots of time, money and hassles if you are involved in an injury accident. Call my office or your insurance agent for more details.

 

Disability Insurance can Protect You When You Need it Most

Sometimes the worst happens when you are most susceptible and least able to cope.  Even a small accident can leave you without your income, and bills pile up whether you’re healthy or not. More people declare bankruptcy due to medical bills than any other reason. But there are ways to protect yourself and your loved ones.

The Council for Disability Awareness (CDA) is a non-profit group dedicated to educating Americans on the likelihood of a disability and its financial consequences. The CDA website, http://www.disabilitycanhappen.org, offers a variety of tools to help educate you to the importance of income protection.

These tools include:

• Personal Disability Quotient (PDQ) calculator - provides you with the probability of incurring a disabling illness or injury.
• Disability Awareness Kit - offers a variety of tools to help you become more aware of the threat of incurring a disability illness or injury, how to lead a healthier lifestyle, and the importance of developing an income protection plan.
• Surveys and studies - contains up-to-date research on a variety of disability-related topics.

The three most common causes of long-term disability are not accidents. Cancer, diabetes and heart disease are the largest causes of temporary and permanent disability, and most company benefit plans either carry no coverage or at best cover up to 60% of lost wages. Most people would have a hard time getting by with 60% of their wages, especially on a long-term basis. Disability insurance is just as important as life insurance to your family’s well being, but most people overlook this important addition to their circle of protection. After all, isn’t it just as important to protect against the possibility of injury or disease as it is to protect against the eventuality of death? You want your family covered if you are not here to help; don’t you want to protect them — and yourself — while you’re still around?

So how do you get more information about this important addition to your portfolio? Just ask. I will compile all the information for you to be able to make an informed decision.

A little time spent in preparation can reap huge benefits later. If you don’t have a plan for income protection in place, please call my office or email today.

 

Farmers Auto Posts No Rate Increases (How About Yours?)

Just this past week, several auto insurers applied and were approved rate increases through the California Department of Insurance. Farmers was not one of them, and in fact, Bristol West, our wholly-owned subsidiary, posted a 9% decrease effective November 1st and a new inclusion of an auto/home discount for our multiple policy holders. Effective February, 2010, Farmers auto also increased it’s affinity discount program to 18% for some occupations. That translates to an overall decrease in premiums for our clients, right when the economic situation demands it most.

But what about the other California carriers? If you are currently with Progressive, Allstate, Allied or State Farm, watch your renewal notices; they will likely show a 5-7% rate increase. Makes you feel good to know your company is thinking about you during these trying times.

I am always available to answer your questions. Visit my website or call my office. We’re proud to serve your needs.

 

Online Resources for Your Property

I have been recommending that my clients use a Home Organizer program to catalog their belongings, and Farmers does have an offering on CD for that purpose, but one of my clients, Kelley Meno, became frustrated with the format and did some research. She found an easier to use option and a new appraisal source for jewelry.

The home inventory website is:

www.knowyourstuff.org

It’s an encrypted online database for your inventory, listing description and value with space to download photos, receipts and appraisals. It’s easy to use and free.

The second resource is a jewelry appraisal site. The benefit of this site over a jewelry sales outlet is that they have no desire to purchase or sell anything; they just value your item accurately for your records and insurance purposes. Visit:

www.jewelry-appraisal.com

Thanks, Kelley!

 

Why You Need Sufficient Life Insurance

Happy Independance Day!

I’ve run across clients and friends who state they “do not believe in life insurance.” That always struck me as strange. Do they not believe in the benefits of life insurance? Do they figure there is no need?

Please take a few minutes to watch this short video. Tara has a powerful story to tell. Call me or your current agent for more information.

	help center | e-mail options | report spam
MPitsk has shared a video with you on YouTube: The Tara Newby Story A loving family tested by a terrible accident. Hear Tara Newby describe her tragic experience and how her agent helped her family prepare for the unexpected.
© 2009 YouTube, LLC

Let me know what you think, and if it was meaningful to you.

 

Gas and Insurance

A former client and I had a meeting a few weeks ago, He had left my agency for a less expensive and less comprehensive policy with another agency and insurance company, and he explained his reasoning like this:

“If I can get a gallon of gas across the street for cheaper, why wouldn’t I go across the street?”

I shook my head. I’ve heard this type of reasoning many times before. It’s a simple way of looking at a complex situation that rarely shows the best route to take, but using that analogy, I’ll try to explain.

If one buys a tank of gas at a cheap station, one gets a lower price per gallon, that’s true, but the additives in the more expensive gasoline at the premium stations extends the life of your engine and gives better gas mileage. My 9-year-old Audi doesn’t like the cheap regular gas; the engine coughs, hesitates on acceleration, and gives me fewer miles per tank. I have to use mid-grade or better at the cheap stations, making the price per gallon higher to get decent performance — often 10- 15 cents per gallon more than the cheap regular, and just as costly as the regular gas at the premium stations. My car runs just fine on the premium station regular grade and I get 30-40 more miles per tankful.

The gist of this ramble is: you get what you pay for, be it gasoline or insurance. The additives in the more expensive fuel aren’t visible; one can’t see the difference, but the results are clear. In insurance, one may not immediately see the benefits of a more comprehensive policy, but the truth is there in the policy endorsements and the level of customer service.

That former client is opening a new location now, doubling his exposure. He has a cheap insurance policy with very little in coverage for equipment breakdown, back-up of sewer and drain, loss of business income, property extension, and other policy endorsements he may have a need for in the first few years at his new location, and is certainly in need of as he strains his budget at both locations.

The customer service end is just as important; if there is a question, who does he ask? How about a claim? My agency can tell him; I have access to the company itself. I can follow-up on a claim directly with the adjuster.

I write comprehensive policies that fully protect my clients and then offer a level of service that follows through on that promise.

Call my office today to find out more.

 

Be Alert to ID Theft

This article came to me from Collins, Mason & Co. For more information about them, visit www.cmcaccountants.com

Identity theft is a growing problem. It can result in a ruined credit record and even the loss of your life savings. Many people think it’s a problem that could not happen to them. But even if you are careful about storing personal papers securely, there are many ways an identity thief can get information. For example, making a change of address to divert your mail, rummaging through your trash, or posing as someone who has a legitimate need for information, such as a landlord or a creditor.

With the data in hand, the thief may then, among other things, change the mailing address on your credit card account and run up charges; open a new credit card account in your name and not pay the bills, establish phone or wireless service; open a bank account and write bad checks; file for bankruptcy under your name, and buy cars using a loan.

Here are some of the precautions you should take to prevent identity theft:

* Place passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts. Don’t use information such as your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security Number or phone number, or any series of consecutive numbers.

* Carefully secure personal information in your home.

* Order a credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus once a year. This can help you catch mistakes and fraud before they wreak havoc on your personal finances. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. For more information, go to www.annualcreditreport.com or visit the FTC Web site by clicking here.

* Don’t give out personal information over the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you’ve initiated the contact or are sure who you’re dealing with.

* Put mail in collection boxes or drop it off at your local post office, rather than leaving it in your own mailbox for pickup. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox. If you’re planning to be away from home, ask the Post Office for a vacation hold.

* Destroy or shred charge receipts, credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks and bank statements, expired charge cards and credit offers before throwing them in the trash.

* Don’t carry your Social Security card. Give out the number only when necessary. Don’t get it printed on checks. Try to use other forms of identification.

* Carry only the identification and credit and debit cards that you actually need.

* Contact creditors if your bills don’t arrive on time.

* Use first initials on checks rather than your full first name. Sign your checks with initials rather than your full name. The bank will have this on record and the fraudster won’t know that’s how your real checks are signed.

* Be suspicious of correspondence from your bank or the IRS. In one common scam, promoters send out fictitious bank correspondence or phony IRS forms in an attempt to trick the recipients into disclosing personal and banking data. The thieves then use the information to impersonate the recipients and gain access to their finances.

* Photocopy both sides of the contents of your wallet. This gives you a record of anything that might be stolen, as well as the account numbers and phone numbers to call so you can cancel.

If you find yourself the victim of theft, take these steps immediately:

1. Cancel your credit cards.

2. File a police report in the jurisdiction where the crime took place.

3. Call the three national credit-reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. After that, any company checking your credit will know your information was stolen. They will have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. (See list below for the numbers to call.) With a bit of vigilance, you can save yourself the upheaval, stress and potential losses that happen when a person’s identity is stolen.

Important Contacts Equifax: To report fraud, call: 1-800-525-6285 and write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241. Experian: To report fraud, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) and write: P.O. Box 9532, Allen TX 75013. TransUnion: To report fraud, call: 1-800-680-7289 and write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790. Social Security Administration: To report fraud call 1-800-269-0271.

 

Why You Need Employment Practices Liability Insurance

I am still involved with the beverage industry; I write policies for businesses and articles for The Celebrator Beer News, and I still receive trade emails. This one is from the Wine and Hospitality Ezine describing a recent lawsuit against a winery owner:

Winery Sexual Harassment Claim: True or False? (from WineandHospitalityNetwork.com)

If you are a business owner, or even manager, this has got to be one of your worst fears. Someone files a sexual harassment claim against you. Now not only do you have legal trouble, but you envision your bank account and future going down the drain, while also having to deal with what others think, including your own family.

Yes, sexual harassment is real and there are good reasons for the laws that we have. It can damage, or even ruin, the lives of those who are affected. But what if it’s not true?

I have to make it clear that most protestations of false allegations are most likely themselves false allegations. Many people who harass think there is nothing wrong with their conduct and that this which makes the accusation false. It does NOT. Also, a “false” allegation isn’t the same as “cannot be proven” which is the end result of many harassment investigations.

There are also many “misunderstandings” where someone misinterprets something or hears something other than what is really meant or being said.

I remember attending a sexual harassment prevention seminar years ago where a film clip was shown and then we were asked “Is the behavior you just saw sexual harassment?” There were about 40 people in the room. Every male said “no, it was not” and every female said “yes, it was.” Hmmmm…

The following article just appeared in the San Louis Obispo Tribune. Who knows who is telling the truth or what really happened…

Dick Niner testifies that the sexual advances alleged by a former employee never happened
by Melanie Cleveland – mcleveland@thetribunenews.com – San Louis Obispo Tribune – http://www.sanluisobispo.com/183/story/647084.html

Winery owner Dick Niner testified Tuesday that sexual advances a former employee alleges he made to her never happened.

Niner’s wife, Pam Niner, also said that the former employee used her “feminine wiles” to advance in his Paso Robles-based company, and that the plaintiff acted in a “pandering” manner toward her husband when she visited the couple at their Wyoming home.

Niner, a Paso Robles winery owner and venture capitalist, is accused of making unwanted sexual advances to Tammi Herron, a former sales representative for his business.
Click here to find out more!

Herron’s lawsuit also alleges that Pam Niner and Mike Musso, general manager for Niner Wine Estates, tried to force her out of her job when Pam Niner realized her husband had more than a professional interest in the employee.

Herron worked for Niner Wine Estates for four months before she resigned in November 2007.

Niner and his company deny the charges contained in the civil suit, a type of litigation that represents one side of a story.

Although he found her “attractive,” Niner said during testimony Tuesday that he never thought of her as anything more than an employee.

In Tuesday’s proceedings in San Luis Obispo Superior Court, Herron’s attorney Brian Osborne played a videotape to the jury of a deposition of Pam Niner. In it, she described Herron during her stay with the Niners in their Jackson Hole, Wyo. home as a “house guest from hell.”

Herron claimed in her original complaint that her work environment changed after she stayed as a guest in the Niners’ Wyoming home in August 2007.

Dick Niner paid for her and her children’s round-trip flights, sponsored Herron’s daughter at a Wyoming summer camp and offered Herron a place to stay for a week.

According to Pam Niner’s deposition, Herron “only spent time talking to Mr. Niner.” Herron’s behavior to her husband was “a lot of pandering … very supportive and comforting and bizarre.”

“He would be explaining business things, and she would say how brilliant he was. I thought it was absurd,” Pam Niner recalled.

Herron also spent “an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom” and “never lifted a finger” to help with household duties, Pam Niner added.

She also called Herron one of those women who “too often use their feminine wiles to get jobs and advancement. … (She is) much more interested in men who could do something for her than those who can’t.”

She denied having discussions with the general manager to pressure Herron to leave her job.

“I assumed that would take care of herself. … I didn’t think she could do the job. It was clear she wouldn’t last long,” Pam Niner said.

When Dick Niner took the stand, he denied Herron’s allegation that he acted and said inappropriate things to her.

Herron claims Dick Niner told her he loved her while they were at the bar of the San Luis Obispo restaurant Koberl at Blue. She also contends he tried to negotiate to see her more frequently, and then later kissed her with an open mouth twice in her car as she dropped him off at the Niner Wine Estate office.

“The events (that she alleges) didn’t happen. … I’m loyal to my wife. I have been for 37 years,” he said.

The jury also listened to voicemail messages that Herron recorded from Dick Niner that she alleges took place after her resignation from the company. In them, Dick Niner expresses concern over her leaving the company and not returning his calls.

“I think I know what’s up,” he said at one point on the recording. “I think I know what you’re going to try to do, and that worries me even more.”

Dick Niner explained to the jury he was also worried she was building a case to sue the company — not from anything he said or did, but because she had received objectionable e-mails from his general manager, messages that he had requested she forward to him, but he had not yet received.

“I assumed she was upset at the way Musso was treating her,” he said.
______________________________________________________________________________

How do you keep yourself – and your company – safe?

-Margie Tosch

The article goes on to suggest a workshop, which is always a good idea, but how can a business owner protect himself from this type of action in a proactive manner? That’s where EPLI comes in. Employment practices liability covers the majority of these types of claims, including defense of suit, which is likely the most costly portion of the claim. As a business owner, you should consider protecting yourself from a potentially angry employee. This type of coverage usually includes a “hot line” number to call if you have questions about hiring or firing an employee, or if things seem like they’re getting out of hand and you need advice. Professional assistance has saved many a business and many a business owner’s personal property.

Call me for more information.

 

Barons Jewelers Offers Appraisal Service

I always ask my homeowner insurance clients about their property when we discuss their policy. How much in overall value in computers? Electronics, firearms, silverware, antique furniture, artwork? But the category most often required for added coverage is jewelry. Individual pieces of jewelry can often exceed the base amount of coverage in an insurance policy.

Most people know that homeowner’s and renter’s insurance covers their property anywhere in the world, but few realize there are limits to certain categories in the basic policy that must be increased by endorsement to cover the full value. Those named above are the most common. If you have high value items in your home, shouldn’t they be covered to their full value in case of loss?

I just received a note from the local Barons Jewelers in Pleasanton’s Stoneridge Mall offering a reasonably priced insurance appraisal service. They charge $100 for a new appraisal and $75 to update an outdated appraisal. All appraisals are by appointment only, so call ahead to 925-847-3030 and ask for Chuck Eggers, the Insurance Replacement Manager.

Insurance replacement happens after the covered loss when the appraised amount of the piece lost or destroyed is paid on the claim, after deductible, and the claimant can then replace the lost item with one of similar value and like kind.

Many jewelers offer this service, so if you have a favorite, ask them about their appraisal service. The same is true of antique dealers, sports card and memorabilia professionals, art galleries and others that service or sell high value items. Don’t wait. Get it appraised and endorsed to your policy so you are covered in the event of an emergency.

Call or email any questions.

 

You May Be a Neglected Client if…

Are you a neglected insurance client? I’ve been hearing some interesting statements from potential clients lately. They tell me they’ve been with their agent for ten years, and don’t want to switch, but when I ask them a few questions about their agent/client relationship, even they begin to wonder whether they are neglected clients, so:

…with apologies to Jeff Foxworthy…

*If you haven’t seen or spoken to your insurance agent in the past year or so, you may be a neglected insurance client.
>Farmers agents offer a free Farmers Friendly Review of clients’ policies annually. We want to make sure you are properly covered, ask about any personal changes that may affect your policies, and see if there are any new discounts available to you.

*If you don’t know who your agent is, you may be a neglected insurance client.
>Often an agent will retire and your policies may be assigned to another agent. Have you met the new guy? Perhaps you never really met your agent at all. How can you be sure your policies are protecting you fully if he doesn’t know you?

*If you can say “I’ve been with my agent for ten years,” but can’t say when you last spoke to him, you may be a neglected insurance client.
> When I hear that, I wonder. I can see what you’ve done for the agent, but I can’t see what the agent has done for you. In those ten years, how has he earned his commissions? Has he shown you the options available to you? Has he discussed any policy changes that may affect you?

*If you have to call your agent or company and give your policy number before they know who you are, you may be a neglected insurance client.
>My CSR, Mindy, and I know who we represent. When you call us for information, to make a change or addition, or to say “Hello,” we know who you are. How important is that? Read on:

*If your company’s idea of customer service is a 24-hour claim line, you may be a neglected insurance client.
>Some companies just don’t get it. They’ll tell you you could save 15% or something like that, but they can’t tell you from the next 800 number caller. Customer service begins with the agency staff. When you call us, you get us. Maybe you don’t need to make a claim, just get some information. We’ll make it happen.

*Last one. If you wonder whether you can trust your current agent or company, you may be a neglected insurance client.
>I’m an adviser, not a salesman. I’ll give you the best options we have and compare what you have without pressure, and without any bait-and-switch tactics. We write policies to cover your needs and explain the details so you can make an informed decision.

Thank you for your attention, and please call or email if you have questions.