Jones Insurance Agency Blog

Jones Insurance Agency Bloghttp://www.jonesinsuranceagencyinc.com/blog/View Jones Insurance Agency's Website Blogen-uspostmaster@www.jonesinsuranceagencyinc.comInsurance Website Builder - www.insurancewebsitebuilder.comurn:uuid:8d3fd684-07a4-4147-acb9-7b37585a4f38urn:uuid:e916d97a-7208-4c89-ab17-00471be3e154COVERAGE TIP - “FAMILY MEMBER” AND THE PERSONAL AUTO POLICY    © 2012 Insurance & Risk Management Knowledge Alliance Your insureds’ 21-year old daughter finally saved enough money to move out of her parents’ house and into her own apartment. When she moves, she takes "her" car...Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:13:28 -0600    © 2012 Insurance & Risk Management Knowledge Alliance Your insureds’ 21-year old daughter finally saved enough money to move out of her parents’ house and into her own apartment. When she moves, she takes "her" car with her. It is not really "her "car, as it is titled to her mom and dad, so the car remains on her parents’ personal auto policy on which both her mom and dad are the Named Insureds. The Problem Several months later, while jogging, the daughter is hit by an uninsured car and seriously injured. Her parents turn in a claim for their daughter’s injuries to their auto insurance company. No problem, right? After all, their personal auto policy still has the daughter listed as a driver and the vehicle is still insured on the policy. Wrong! There is a BIG problem, as neither Part B - Medical Payments nor Part C- Uninsured Motorists will provide coverage for their daughter’s injuries. Former "Family Members" - Coverage and Lack of Coverage "Family Members" - Coverage and Lack of Coverage Children who no longer reside with their parent (or parents) are only an "insured" under the parent’s auto policy when driving or occupying the parent’s "your covered auto". These former "family members" now fall within the commonly used term of permissive user and are only covered under their parent’s policy for: * Liability while driving the parent’s "your covered auto" * Medical Payments while occupying the parent’s "your covered auto" * Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists while occupying the parent’s "your covered auto" Former "family members" no longer have the following coverages: * Liability while in an auto other than the parent’s "your covered auto" * Medical Payments while in any auto other than the parent’s "your covered auto" * Medical Payments while a pedestrian * Uninsured Motorists while in any auto other than the parent’s "your covered auto" * Uninsured Motorists while a pedestrian No doubt you will agree - these are important coverages to be without! Read on! © 2012 Insurance & Risk Management Knowledge Alliance The Solution One solution is to write a personal auto policy with the child as a Named Insured and attach the Named Non-Owner Coverage endorsement (ISO: PP 03 22). This endorsement is used in the ISO Personal Auto program to provide insurance coverage for the person who does not own a vehicle, but still wants insurance protection. It can be used to provide Liability, Medical Payments and Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage for the individual(s) named in the Schedule. These coverages must be individually selected with a Limit of Liability and a Premium shown on the schedule. (If the applicable box is marked as shown below, this endorsement also removes the Part A Liability and Part B Medical Payments exclusions for a vehicle furnished or available for regular use.) Uncovering the Exposure You may not learn about the former "family member" exposure until AFTER the loss (a potentially uncovered loss) has occurred. The goal is to identify the exposure BEFORE a loss occurs. Make a habit of talking with your clients to see if they have this situation. Ask the question, "Mrs. Smith, does Megan still live at home?" If not, further questioning will help you to determine if coverage gaps exist. Include questions in your renewal questionnaire such as, "Is any vehicle we insure for you being used by someone who does not live with you?" or "Have any of your children moved out of your house and taken one of your vehicles with them?" A social media post can also be an effective tool in helping you to identify clients with this exposure. If a child moves out of your home, the coverage from your auto policy for your son or daughter is not the same as when he or she lived with you. Please contact us if you have this situation so we can discuss the coverage options available. We don’t want your child to be without insurance protection! Remember to add this potential exposure and available solution to your coverage checklist. urn:uuid:4d394c86-c531-435b-beed-e89e3f9a7ee3Winterize Your Home Winterize Your Home to Prevent Disaster Tips from Paul Davis Restoration  Nothing is more unsettling than experiencing water, fire or storm damage to a home or business – especially in winter.  You can prepare your home for t...Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:35:29 -0600 Winterize Your Home to Prevent Disaster Tips from Paul Davis Restoration  <div> Nothing is more unsettling than experiencing water, fire or storm damage to a home or business – especially in winter.  You can prepare your home for this time of year by taking some important steps to not only increase your comfort and decrease your energy use, but also prevent winter’s damaging effects.</div>   <ul style="list-style-type: disc; margin-top: 0in;"> <li>Drain and shut off outside faucets to prevent frozen pipes.  Insulate any pipes that are exposed to the outside or in the crawl space under the home or building. </li> <li>Have your chimney and fireplace cleaned and inspected yearly to make sure they are working properly and check for the build-up of potentially flammable creosote. </li> <li>In Colder climates, be sure your attic is properly insulated to prevent ice dams </li> <li>Check the roof and exterior of the chimney for damaged areas that could lead to big problems.  Any damage should be repaired as soon as possible. </li> <li>Avoid using kerosene space heaters or kitchen ovens to heat parts of your home.  Use electric or ceramic space heaters instead. </li> <li>Clean or replace HVAC/furnace filters according to the manufacturer’s instructions. </li> <li>If the premises will be vacant for long periods of time, do not turn your heating system off.  Set the thermostat to at least 55 degrees. </li> </ul>   And remember you can call us 24/7 for any of your client’s disasters!!   Paul Davis Restoration 800.472.2602 Lincoln – 402.474.1414 Northern Nebraska – 402.564.0220urn:uuid:0fa75ddc-fdfa-4869-bd66-a5114ec142deHome InsuranceProtect Your Home From The Wrath Of Winter Winter is just around the corner, which means it’s time to start thinking about ways you can protect your home from winter’s wrath.  In states where freezing weather is common, that means ta...Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:05:22 -0500<h2 style="text-align: center;">Protect Your Home From The Wrath Of Winter</h2> Winter is just around the corner, which means it’s time to start thinking about ways you can protect your home from winter’s wrath.  In states where freezing weather is common, that means taking steps to prevent ice dams.  If you live in a state where snow is rare, you should still be concerned with protecting your home against water damage from bursting pipes caused by freezing water.                 Ice dams occur when ice accumulates at the lower edge of a sloped roof, usually at the gutter.  Once an ice dam forms, the potential water damage can be serious.  Take these steps now to avoid trouble later: ·        Keep the attic well ventilated.  The colder the attic, the less melting and refreezing on the roof. ·        Keep the attic floor well insulated to minimize the amount of heat rising through the attic from within the house.                 This two-step approach decreases the likelihood that ice dams will form or, at least, reduces their size.                 Frozen water in pipes can cause water pressure buildup between the ice blockage and the closed faucet at the end of the pipe, which leads to pipes bursting at their weakest point.  Pipes in crawl spaces, attics and outside walls are particularly vulnerable.  To keep water in pipes from freezing, take the following steps: ·        Fit exposed pipes with insulation sleeves. ·        Seal cracks and holes in outside walls and foundations near water pipes with caulking. ·        Keep a slow trickle of water flowing through faucets connected to pipes that run through an unheated or unprotected space.urn:uuid:747faa7d-2b83-46a3-8bf4-3a08ffed892eLife InsuranceLIFE INSURANCE Annuities:  A Safe Way To Invest In Today’s Market      In today’s dismal economy, you can never be too safe with your investment and retirement philosophy.  Many investment mechanisms are unpr...Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:45:34 -0500<h2>LIFE INSURANCE</h2> <h2 style="text-align: center;">Annuities:  A Safe Way To Invest In Today’s Market</h2>      In today’s dismal economy, you can never be too safe with your investment and retirement philosophy.  Many investment mechanisms are unpredictable and some even run the risk of losing money.      Are you looking for a safe, sound and secure way to invest your money in order to protect your future?  Consider the advantages of purchasing an Auto-Owners annuity: ·        Auto Owners remains a very stable and consistent company.  Its prudent and conservative investment philosophy has proven to be successful over the years, and it continues to earn A+ (superior) ratings by A.M. Best and A (excellent) from TheSreet.com. ·        Auto-Owners annuities guarantee a 3% rate of interest. ·        Save money on your personal or business policies.  A 5% discount is available on personal policies with an annuity of $2,000 or more, and a 2% discount is available on business policies with an annuity of $10,000 or more.       Don’t risk your money and your future on unpredictable outcomes.  Don’t worry about 401(k) plans that have penalties for early withdrawal.      Start preparing for your future now with a plan that guarantees growth and security.  Give us a call today and we can find an Auto-Owners product that works for you!