October 2015 – Avant-Garde Insurance Advisors

Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween is quickly approaching. Whether you are trick-or-treating or staying home here are some quick safety tips…

Driving Safely:

Drive extra slow and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
Eliminate any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.

Home Safe Home:

To keep homes safe for visiting trick-or-treaters, parents should remove from the porch and front yard anything a child could trip over such as garden hoses, toys, bikes, and lawn decorations.
Parents should check outdoor lights and replace burned-out bulbs.
Wet leaves or snow should be swept from sidewalks and steps.
Restrain pets so they do no inadvertently jump on or bite a trick-or-treater.

Have a safe and spooky Halloween!

Pamela

Hot Topics In The Insurance Industry

Last week was pretty chaotic for me.

In all of that chaos I attended a town hall forum hosted by Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA).

For anyone not aware, we have a new Maryland Insurance Commissioner, Al Redmer, as of February 2015.

The purpose of the forum was to open a dialogue between the MIA and insurance professionals doing business in Maryland.

There were several topics discussed…

When sending special notifications to Maryland policyholders to educate them on insurance, what notices should we include? What does the policyholder need to know? How do we help them make an informed decision when managing their insurance needs?
Water back-up and water damage came up. Water back-up is the #1 home insurance claim across the country, and that will not change in the future. Do policyholders know what water back-up is, and what is flood? What kind of coverage are insurance companies providing to policyholders? What needs to change
Maryland has experienced a variety of weather events lately; hurricanes, cyclones, tropical storms, etc. Weather events are creating a lot of claims, which in turn causes issues in rating and premium structures. MIA wants to know what insurance professionals feel is reasonable to help curve this cause of loss and create better rating structures in the future.
With all of the technology today, Cyber Security is becoming very important for businesses. What are insurance professionals doing to reduce their chance of a data breach? Are policyholders, specifically businesses, purchasing cyber security insurance?

There were many other topics discussed but these are the big topics for the forum and are a serious concern for the insurance industry. Some of these topics are even being discussed at the federal level.

MIA is dedicated to helping Maryland policyholders navigate the insurance market and help them make an informed buying decision.

My policyholders get frustrated every day with insurance related issues; from claims, to billing, to coverages, to premium. I myself get frustrated every day on behalf of my policyholders.

There are individuals out their working hard to provide the appropriate types of insurance and help consumers make sense of insurance. They are also trying to be fair and do what is right for the greater good.

Whenever you have a concern about your insurance you should always reach out to your insurance agent to discuss it.

You can also find more information by visiting MIA at, http://www.mdinsurance.state.md.us.

Insurance is not easy, so ask a professional.

Pamela

Child Safety Seat and Your Auto Insurance

This weekend I went out and purchased another carseat for my soon to be 2 year old.

The carseat took up a good bit of my time this weekend. Between picking it out, unpacking it, setting it up, to installing it in my vehicle. As anyone knows with young kids, carseats are giant pain in the…

When I got into the office Monday morning one of my clients had an auto accident over the weekend. The client wanted to know what to do about the carseat that was in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

I reviewed their policy which provides coverage for the carseat. This little policy review led me on a excursion to look into more information on replacing carseats after an accident and auto insurance.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has guidelines as to when you should replace a carseat after it has been in an accident.

Check it out here… NHTSA Child Restraint Guidelines

My research then led me to another website which is chocked full of more useful information. It provides links to carseat manufacturer information and their recommendation on replacement after an accident.

Go here… Carseats for The Littles

The big pieces of information I got when I initially looked into a carseat when I was waiting for my bundle of joy to arrive was that carseats expire, there are important recalls you should stay on top of, and you should get professional assistance when picking and installing a carseat in your vehicle. The topic of replacing the carseat after an accident never really came up.

It’s good to know that some insurance companies will pay to replace the carseat if your vehicle is involved in an accident. Keep in mind that your policy may have a limitation on how much it will pay for a carseat, and a deductible may apply.

If you do have a carseat in your vehicle make sure you know when to replace it, and make sure you talk to your insurance agent about whether your policy covers the carseat after an accident.

If you do need to replace a carseat after an accident, make sure you take a picture of the carseat before you remove it from the vehicle. Also, make sure to cut the straps on the carseat so someone else does not attempt to use a compromised carseat.

Have a safe drive home with your little one!

Occupied… Rented… Unoccupied… Vacant…

I have several clients right now that have properties up for sale. All of them hope to have a favorable offer and sell the property quickly but that is not always possible.

As winter starts to approach the real estate market starts to cool down a little. So for clients hoping that their property will sell they may face the prospect of holding onto it through the winter season.

This type of situation begins the conversation I must have with clients that are facing the unknown but hoping for the best.

Are you still living at the property? Is it occupied? Do you plan to rent it? Is the home vacant? Does any one visit the property? What is your plan? When do you feel you can rent it or sell it?

Some of these questions can be challenging for a client.

Here is a brief definition of each scenario…

Occupied: It’s occupied by you or by another immediate member of your household; spouse, daughter, son, etc.

Rented: The property is rented out to an unknown individual or distant relative either temporarily until the home sells or permanently. There is a written lease agreement of some type. However, most insurance companies ask that the property be rented on an annual lease agreement.

Unoccupied: No people live at the property. It may be fully or sparsely furnished. It may only house a few items or used for storage. Any one that visited the property would be able to tell the home is not furnished for daily use. This type of scenario may lead an insurance company to believe the property is vacant.

Vacant: The property is absent of people and all contents. No visitors or occasional visitors. This is a big red flag for insurance companies and could result in swift termination of the policy.

If a client holds onto a property that is unoccupied or vacant they run the risk of not having coverage when a loss happens. The policy will specify what occupancy is acceptable under the policy. The policy will also define when coverage starts to fall away if the property is unoccupied or vacant.

No one thinks it will happen to them but during the cold months the number one cause of loss is frozen pipes bursting. If pipes burst when the home is unoccupied or vacant the claim may be denied.

I understand the strain my clients are under when they are forced to hold onto a property longer than they wish. That being said there are insurance products out there to address each of these situations.

Always err on the side of caution and call your agent to discuss your situation.

What the heck did I sign up for???

So I have been blogging for a couple weeks now. I am finding the process a little challenging. I have no experience with blogging and I’m a little anxious but I feel an immense need to do this.

Every time I post I question if I am doing this right. I am going with the theory, “Fake it ’til you make it” or maybe I am hoping after doing this for awhile I will finally feel comfortable doing it and things will take off. Who knows!

I have several reasons for blogging…

I want to enhance my relationships personally and professionally. I am naturally reserved and shy. I want to change that. I have a freak flag and I would like it to be easier for me to share it with others.
I want to grow professionally. I am branching into sales. Something I have been dancing around for several years now. I am not sure that I am good at sales but I have to try. No risk, no reward, as they say.
I love meeting new people and developing a long term relationship with my connections. It’s what makes my job fun.
I want to share what I know about my field. So little is known about the insurance industry but honestly it is very complex. And quite frankly I am a geek about insurance.

There are many other reasons but these are the big ones for me.

I thought blogging would be so easy before I began. What could be so hard about having a conversation with the internet?

As I continue this journey I want to hear from everyone. I want comments and I want feedback.

Otherwise how will I know that I am doing this right?