Super Bowl week brings with it some of the greatest excitement that any single event on earth can bring.  Thousands of people all over the world will watch this event on TV, Internet, and even in person.  In many cases people watch this incredible event somewhere other than their own home.  And it’s when we travel that one of the most asked question arises – “is my stuff covered?”

The good news is your “Stuff” or as we know it “Personal Property” is covered under most homeowners and renters policies.  And most policies extend coverage for your “Stuff” anywhere in the world our stuff may travel.

However here are a few things you should consider when traveling with your “Stuff” -

1.  The Personal property is covered by the covered perils of the policy – in most cases those perils are losses due to theft, fire, and wind/hail.
2. It’s important to understand that any losses are still subject to your policy deductible – so if you have a $1,000 deductible on your policy you would need to have over $1,000 of personal property loss before it even makes sense to file a claim.
3. In many cases when you file a “Theft” claim it may affect (increase) your rates for many years in the future – so this is something to consider before making a claim.

So when considering these things here are some things to consider when traveling with your “stuff” -

1. Only bring the stuff you need – over packing is something I have to work on every time I travel.  The key is to bring just want you need.
2. If you are traveling with valuable stuff – be sure to find a location you can secure your valuables – maybe a hotel safe, or keep it with you.
3. Before your trip, be sure you have a detailed record of the items your taking.  This can be done several ways -
1. Create a written list of your personal property that includes a full description including any serial numbers and approx value.
2. Another option is to take photos of your stuff – again trying to capture as much details of the items as you can.
3. Lastly, you can take a video of your stuff – that way you not only record a visual of what your stuff looks like, but you can also get audio as you describe the items in detail.
4. Whichever way you choose, be sure to keep the list, photos, or video in a secure place – so if you have a loss, you can provide the adjuster with the information they will need to process the claim.

So whether you are one of the lucky individuals who is actually traveling to this years Super Bowl in Indianapolis, or if you are simply traveling across town, be sure you keep these tips in mind.

If you’ve had some of your “Stuff” stolen, or damaged while traveling, tell us about it below.  If you have any tips or tricks for travelers – please pass them along as well.

Over the past couple years with the massive growth of social media there has also been a large increase in “Defamation” lawsuits.  According to the legal dictionary the definition of “Defamation” is;

• communication to third parties of false statements about a person that injure the reputation of or deter others from associating with that person

There are two basic types of defamation – one is slander the other libel.  The difference between them is slander involves the making of a defamatory statement verbally (Oral) – Libel involves the making of defamatory statements in a printed or fixed medium, such as a magazine or newspapers, blog sites, Twitter and Facebook.

It is the defamation lawsuits involving libel that have increased drastically over the past several years as more and  more people get on Facebook and twitter.  One inappropriate status update or tweet and you can find yourself in a courtroom defending yourself.  Though the burden of proving defamation is a tough case to win, it is getting more and more prevalent.  So much so that companies like Webroot have created a “Sobriety Test” (download a FREE version here) for social media sites that you can download right onto your computer.  View their tutorial here:

      For those of us that live in the Southern states, Winter Driving Preparedness is a relatively new concept.  My family moved South of the Mason Dixon  line 10 years ago and we thought we left behind the snow and salt behind.  For the most part that has been true.  Southern winter has blue skies and the cold temps are typically in the 30’s.  However, last winter and so far this winter, the weather in the South has been uncharacteristically cold with actual snow accumulations.  And while I would prefer it to be sunny and 70’s all year long, that is not my reality. 

One of the best ways to be prepared for winter is to have a thorough car care maintenance check up before winter arrives.  Ok, put that on “TO DO” for next November.  But, really, how old is your battery?  Tires?  Belts and fluids?  Have these items checked out on your car to ensure that you have reliable transportation and that you are not caught with a dead battery or wrecked on ice due to bald tires. 

Now that your car can Winter the Weather, it is wise to have a Winter Care Kit for just in case.  You can purchase a plastic bin at a store that sells everything for a dollar to keep in your trunk.  Some items that you may want to keep in case of emergency might be:

• Hand Warmers (really inexpensive at hardware stores)
• Blankets
• A Scraper
• Flares
• De-icer
• Extra Gloves, hats, boots
• Umbrella

A few years ago my family traveled 3 hours away only to have a snow storm hit while we were gone.  What should have been a 3 hour return drive turned into a 6 hour creep.  It snowed at least 6 inches.  I scraped the snow off with a Jimmy Buffett CD case; I had no gloves on as I was pelted with snow.  At one point as we were halted on the highway, people got out of their cars and had snow ball fights.  Good times!     All this is reinforcing the purpose of the Blog today; insure your own Winter Driving Preparedness. 

Have a funny story to share about being stranded in winter or just have another item to suggest for the Winter Car Kit, share here with us at Insurance Answers.  And, by the way, there are officially only 75 days until spring!

Holiday revelry, Holiday Hustle and Harried Bargain Hunters during the Holiday season makes for distracted drivers.   We, at Insurance Answers, want to help you avoid the aggravations that can result in making poor judgment when behind the wheel. 

Our first suggestion would be to “Get a plan”.  If you are at a party, get a Designated Driver !  Or program a Taxi Service in your Phone.  A taxi ride will never equal the cost of your Insurance Premium rising as a result of a ticket or worse yet, a DUI.  Insurance rates can double as a result of a DUI . 

Shopping?? Know your route; there is a lot of traffic in and around the shopping malls.  Shopping mall accidents are a large portion of claims this time of year.   Park at the least popular store or walk off holiday cookies by parking in the back of the lot. 

Drive the speed limit and be patient.  Remember the reason for the season.  Youthful, inexperienced drivers are out of school on break; tourists are in from out of town and may not know where they are going.  Again, being in a hurry can result in an accident or worse yet injury.  Slow down, breathe…

We have no control over the fates, but being cautious, courteous and composed may hopefully prevent Santa from bringing you a lump of coal under the Christmas Tree, or worse yet, a chat with the Police Officer and ticket, too.

Please let us know if these suggestions were helpful.  Post some of your tips to help others navigate their way through the Holidays safely. 

Insurance Answers wishes you a Accident and Ticket-free Christmas and New Year!

Accidents happen.  Who know’s why?  Maybe the road was icy, maybe the car behind you was following too close and hit you, maybe the heel of your 4 inch Manolo Blahnik’s got caught under the gas pedal.  But whatever the reason, that’s why we carry Auto Insurance.  We have put together some suggestions to for what to do at the Scene of an Accident.

1. STOP immediately!  Do not obstruct traffic.  Call an ambulance, if anyone is injured.
2. Warn other driver’s to prevent further damage.  Set Flares .  Signal with a Flashlight at night.
3. NOTIFY  the police.
4. Gather the FACTS.  Be sure to get the names of witnesses, as well as other pertinent information.  (get the Driver’s License of the other parties involved, insurance information and a description of the other Vehicles involved, including Make, Model and License Number )
5. Show a description of the Scene of the accident.  A Picture is worth a 1000 words.
6. Be careful what you say.  Don’t hastily accept settlements or accept responsibility, which is what the Investigation will reveal.
7. Remain CALM and courteous.  This is a stressful situation for all parties involved.  Be consistent with what occurred.
8. Before leaving the scene make sure you have all the information you need to contact the other parties insurance agency, Contact phone numbers and a Police report number, if available.  Notify your Insurance agent as soon as possible.

Using these TIPS at the time of the accident scene may prevent unknown questions that may come up as you proceed through the claims process.  We certainly hope that your future is ACCIDENT free.   But, whatever the situation know you that you will be Prepared!

Let us know if these tips were helpful or if you have any useful tips of your own – please leave your thoughts below.

Thanksgiving – a time filled with Family, fun, and usually lots of food.  The centerpiece of most meals is a delicious Turkey.  Over the years we’ve developed many ways to prepare these delectable birds.  From Brining  the Turkey, cooking the Turkey Frozen ,  Grilled  Turkey, Roasting  a Turkey, and finally deep frying  the Turkey.  No matter how you decide to prepare your feathered fowl – the important thing is to do it with caution, especially when deep frying.

During the holiday months insurance claims due to house fires drastically increases – primarily due to electrical fires from our holiday light shows, and grease fires from improper use of deep fryers.  It is a horrible feeling to loose everything you own in a house fire, especially during the holidays.  Here are some great tips to make your deep frying safer;

With school starting for many families – and the expenses that come with the start of school – many are looking for ways to save some extra money.  One possibly place is with your college aged drivers.

That’s right – there might be some potential saving from your college student.  How you ask??  Many insurance carriers have a “special” rating that is available for students that are away at college without a vehicle.  If your student is heading off to college and will NOT be bringing a vehicle along with them, you may be eligible for some savings on your auto insurance.  Not all carriers provide this discount, but I would recommend you give your agent a call to see what discounts might be available for your family. 

The other thing you want to consider when sending your student off to college is coverage for their “personal property” .  Personal property includes all their “stuff” – like clothes, books, electronics – including computers.  It is important to check with your agent concerning coverage for these items.  Under most homeowners policies your students “stuff” would be covered while they are away at college.  But many have exclusions, and or limitations depending on different factors. 

One factor deals with whether your student is staying in a dorm, or living in a apartment off campus.  Some carriers will provide coverage under your homeowners policy if the student is staying in a dorm, but if they are living in a apartment off campus, some carriers are NOT covering personal property under the parents homeowners policy.  In that case you would have to get a separate “renters” insurance  policy to cover your students “stuff”. 

There are so many thing to think about as your student is heading back to school that insurance coverage is usually the last thing that comes to your mind.  I encourage you to check with your agent concerning the issues we spoke about above.  And give us some feedback below on how your carrier covers these situations!!

Being that our main purpose is to answer insurance questions, on this special holiday, an obvious question arises -Who’s going to insure the Easter Bunny??

Because the Bunny works alone – he most likely won’t need workers comprehensive coverage.  But being in the delivery business stirs up many liability issues!!

Then there’s the question of how does a rabbit get all those eggs??  Are they stolen eggs?  Are they being made by under-aged Korean kids in a sweat shop?  Where exactly do all the eggs come from, and what about the candy?  As you can see there are so many questions that surround insuring the Easter Bunny, but the good news is that the bunny has been doing this for years and making many kids & adults very happy.

We at Insurance Answers would like to wish everyone a very Happy Easter.  And though for many in the world Easter is all about candy and the Easter Bunny – we all know the real reason for the season – and his name is Jesus Christ.  Leave us your thoughts below about your favorite memory of Easter.

A frequently asked question is –  how can we save money on our insurance cost with youthful drivers (drivers under 21) still in our household?  Though most actuarials  (that’s the fancy name the insurance companies call the “bean” counters that come up with our insurance rates) have calculated the probability of a youthful driver getting into some kind of  accident – and that probability is pretty high!!  Because the likelihood is high there are two specific coverages on your insurance policy that are most affected – the liability and collision coverages.

We NEVER recommend reducing liability coverage – especially with a youthful driver in the household – we actually recommend you ADD more liability coverage with an umbrella policy  (we will discuss this in another post).  So the other area to focus our attention on is the collision coverage.  Collision coverage pays to have the vehicle repaired if in a accident that is the fault of the driver (unless you live in a no-fault state  – then there is a whole set of other rules).  So here’s some practical ways to keep costs down when you have a youthful driver in your household;

1. Put them in the right car – having them as the “primary” driver on a vehicle that you don’t need to carry “collision” insurance - will cut down on your insurance costs.  Generally this would be an older vehicle – that if the car was in a accident and a total loss – the actual value of the car being so low would not be such a large financial loss.
2. Driver safety courses – most insurance companies provide additional discounts if the student takes a driver safety course.  Please contact your agent to find out what courses qualify for discount with your insurance carrier.
3. Be sure they have good grades – “good student” discounts  are offered by most carriers – and this can be a sizable discount – so find out from your agent what the qualifications are and share them with your youthful driver.
4. Tracking devices – recently I heard that some carriers are offering discounts if you have a tracking device installed in the vehicle of the youthful driver.  This device wirelessly sends the driving habits of the youthful driver to the insurance company so they can determine the “risk” this youthful driver brings to the household.
5. Lock them in their rooms - that’s right if all else fails, lock them in their room and don’t let them get their license!!  Of course we don’t recommend this – well at least provide them some food and water if you choose this option!!

Hopefully you can use some of these suggestions to save some money on insurance premiums if you have a youthful driver in your household.  We would love to hear your thoughts and any ideas you’ve used to save on insurance cost with young drivers.  Feel free to leave those comments below.