As you make your wedding plans, setting the date, making all the arrangements, don’t forget about personal insurance.

• Wedding insurance for the actual event.
• Don’t forget to insure the rings!
• Did you get gifts for your engagement or bridal shower? Where are they stored, how are they insured?
• Insure your personal property with a new homeowners policy for your apartment, condo, coop, or house.
• Is it time to combine your auto insurance… putting two cars together on one policy can save $$$!
• Do we have enough auto and personal liability protection for both of us?

Email or call us today… we’ve walked down the aisle, we know how to protect you!

What they cannot offer you is the personal advice and guidance that only a professional advisor like us can offer you. We all use the net to surf for answers, but nothing replaces experience and knowledge.

So often we hear stories from consumers that shop price, looking for the best deal. Shopping for insurance blindly without considering price is probably not the best path. If price is your only driving factor, you are selling yourself short.

When you are being sued, or your house is on fire, or your business has suffered a terrible accident, you don’t think about what $ you saved on your insurance cost. You think about coverage, protection, recovery.

Our primary focus is on protection. Protecting you, your auto, your home, your business. Trust us, we have the knowledge, the experience. We take the time to know you, to learn about you, so we can make sound offerings for your protection.

You will never get that online. Here, you become our focus, our sole purpose of being here… to help you, to protect you.

Over 90% of our new clients come through referrals. That speaks volumes.

The Pause Button
Most carriers have implemented a billing system “PAUSE”, which will provide up to 60 days of delay in premium payments due. If you wish to take part in this plan, please contact us. The pause button will delay any premiums due for up to 60 days and spread out the balance over the remaining installments.

Corona Credits
Commonly, carriers are also providing Corona Credits on personal auto policies. Credits vary by carrier, with some giving a flat dollar credit per vehicle and others are offering 15% off for a two-month span. Again, if you would like to get more information, please contact us. We do expect carriers to be sending out notification to all clients. These are developing plans that are emerging day by day, so we will give you the most current information we have.

Small Business Owners
Have you considered the assistance plans now available from the SBA? This link will bring you to the front door of the SBA. Please consider signing up for the PPP Payroll Protection Plan as well as the $10k EIDL Loan Advance….  This SBA site is very helpful, please consider it:

Visit the SBA

We think optimistically about a return to life as usual, and until then, we wish you and your families good health, safety and peace.

We are truly in it… together… even when apart.

The frequency of personal theft has not declined in recent years, but the manner in which the theft occurs has morphed dramatically. The incidence of house break-ins has declined( thankfully), as well as theft from vehicles and vehicle theft in general, and the days of the thief running away with your TV set are truly rare.

What IS trending is identity theft and theft of finances via theft of your credit. Thieves can find many ways to discover vital personal information, including your name, address, social security number and even your current bank account and credit card information. They use this data to obtain new credit cards and other loans,  masquerading as you. By the time you discover it, the damage is done and it can take months of aggravating financial reconstruction to resolve the issues.  Your personal insurance may provide some access to professional  advisory services, but what if there was more you could do… at zero cost!

There are some protection products on the market designed to warn you of identity theft, but many of them simply notify you AFTER the theft has occurred. Here is a step you can take to lock down your credit, which makes it very difficult for a thief to open new credit lines in your name without your authority.

Freeze your Credit

Locking down your credit, or freezing it, can be easily accomplished, as outlined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

It will restrict access to your credit, and give you peace of mind.

Stop the thief in his tracks… it can be done.

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We wish you a safe and enjoyable summer, but should the weather demons cause damage to your auto, home or business, please contact us. We’re here to assist you, its our pleasure to always be there for our clients.

• Eating and drinking
• Looking for stuff on the floor or turning around to deal with small children
• Using GPS or SatNav
• Talking or texting on their smartphones!

From the USAA Educational Foundation, anytime you are behind the wheel, but not focused on the road in front of you, you are putting your safety at risk. Please take a look at this terrific video that will remind us all of the risk we take when we divert our eyes and ears from the road ahead.

Credit: Hack Studios

Take the pledge to never drive distracted again!

Enjoy your summer, please be careful.

We hope the storms avoid you and calamity finds its way around you. Should you find yourself in a claim situation, be sure to take the following steps:

1. Put you and your family in a safe situation first;
2. Document the incident and the damages (be careful what you say);
3. Take notes and snap pictures with your cell phone;
4. If police are involved, be sure to note the police township and contact info;
5. Call or email our office or your carrier ASAP

Timely reporting of claims will yield a more positive and accurate reply to your insurance needs. Waiting can cause delays and will possibly cause more questions, so please let us help you by communicating with us at your earliest convenience.

Be well, be safe, best regards to all.

Before a Hurricane

• Build or restock an emergency preparedness kit. Be sure to include key items like a flashlight, batteries, cash and first aid supplies.
• Bring in items, such as outdoor furniture, that the wind can blow away.
• Have drinking water ready for use.
• Be sure to keep your primary vehicle in good working condition and keep the gas tank full. Stock it with emergency supplies and a fresh change of clothes.
• Plan how to communicate with family members if you lose power – even consider building an emergency communication plan.
• Turn off propane tanks and unplug small appliances. Click here for more information on how to practice electrical safety during flooding.

During a Hurricane

• Close storm shutters and stay away from windows, as flying glass from broken windows could be dangerous.
• If you are outside, move to higher ground and do not walk, swim or drive through floodwater.
• If power is lost, be sure to use a flashlight. Using candles can pose an unnecessary fire risk.
• Turn your refrigerator or freezer to its coldest setting and open it only when necessary. If you lose power, this could help preserve your food supplies.
• Watch or listen to a TV or radio for the latest weather updates or emergency instructions. Many city or county websites also often supply updates every 30 minutes or so.

After a Hurricane

• Avoid walking or driving through floodwaters. Just six inches of moving water can knock you over and fast-moving water can sweep your vehicle away.
• Avoid any floodwater that may be electrically charged from underground or downed power lines. In addition, be extra vigilant as floodwater could be hiding dangerous debris and areas where the ground has washed away.
• Only return home when authorities indicate it is safe. Be sure to keep in touch with friends and family so they know that you are safe.

Hot Tip

Put a quarter in a cup of frozen water in your freezer.

Power outages can spoil everything in your fridge, and it may not be clear whether your food is safe to eat. An easy trick to determine whether items in your fridge might have spoiled is to fill a cup with water and put it in the freezer until the water is frozen. Then, put a quarter on top of the cup and return it to the freezer.

When you return, if your quarter hasn’t moved, then you’ll know that your electricity did not go out for a long time during the storm. But if the quarter is resting at the bottom of the cup, your food is no longer safe to eat.

The CDC also recommends that you lower the thermostat in your fridge and freezer to the lowest possible temperature. That will help your food stay fresh longer if the power goes out.

. . . .

Enduring the storm is only half the battle. We at McCarthy Insurance are prepared to help you recover. If you need to make a flood, personal, or commercial insurance claim, please get in touch.

Beginning on Oct. 1, 2020, a standard New York State driver’s license won’t be enough to get on even a domestic flight, and although that is more than two years away, the DMV is encouraging residents to get ahead of the game.

There are now three different forms of driver’s license or New York State identification, a standard – which will not be enough to board a domestic flight alone – enhanced, or the REAL ID license, which is in coordination with a new law aimed to increase security to travelers.

The REAL ID will also become the standard for entering federal facilities. The requirements came following recommendations by the 9/11 Commission.

The DMV has been encouraging New Yorkers to start transitioning to the REAL ID, including the issuance of a Youtube promotion (which can be seen above) and mailing information. There has also been tables set up with information at prominent New York airports in an effort to ensure residents have enough time to get the new ID.

In order to obtain a REAL ID, one must go in person to the DMV with proof identity and proof of New York State residency. There is no additional fee. There is a $30 fee to get an enhanced license, which can be used in lieu of a passport to enter Canada, Mexico and some Carribean countries by land or sea.