A Time For Celebration – The Lunar New Year
The Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is a significant holiday celebrated by many Asian cultures, including China, Vietnam, and Korea. The celebration marks the start…
Read MoreLiving Benefits – The New Modern Life Insurance Policy
Living benefits insurance, also known as modern life insurance, is a new type of policy that offers policyholders the ability to access their death benefit while they are still…
Read MoreThe importance of Homeowners Insurance
January is the perfect time to review your Thome insurance coverage and make sure you have the right amount of protection for your home and belongings. Home insurance is…
Read More3 Reasons to Review Your Insurance Coverage
January is a time for new beginnings, and what better way to start the year off right than by reviewing your insurance coverage? Here are three reasons why January…
Read MoreCalifornia Short Term Rental Insurance
Over the last few years, short term rental(STR) properties have become extremely popular in and around Traverse City California. Insuring them has become less costly than when they first…
Read MoreFigo Pet Insurance
Animal lovers know that our pets are a cherished part of the family. So purchasing insurance on them isn’t a new concept. In fact, the first pet insurance policy was…
Read MoreShould My Truck or Car Be Insured on a Business Auto Policy?
Knowing when to insure your vehicle on a business or personal auto policy can have some major coverage issues if done incorrectly. In fact, if you insure a commercially used…
Read MoreCalifornia Worker’s Compensation Insurance
Workers’ compensation insurance is not only a crucial factor when running a business, many times it’s required by law, according to the California’s Workers’ Disability Compensation Act. Not all employers…
Read MoreGap in California Home Policies for Golf Carts
Lets say you purchase a new golf cart to ride around in your neighborhood and perhaps across the street to a local golf course. Did you realize that home insurance…
Read MoreRecreational Vehicle Insurance
California Recreational Vehicles Off Premises Whether you enjoy taking a ride on an ATV or seeing the beauty of the US one campground at a time, all recreational vehicles…
Read MoreThe California Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) Refund
California’s MCCA has advised that refunds from our Auto Insurance No-Fault Reform Law passed in 2019, are on their way to California auto insurance consumers. Because the changes made by…
Read More7 Ways To Lower The Cost Of Home Insurance
The price you pay for your homeowner’s insurance can vary by hundreds of dollars, depending on the rates, credits, and endorsements available by your insurance company. Here are some things…
Read MoreHow an Umbrella Protects you From More than Just Rain
With the passage of California’s auto insurance reform now becoming law, the immediate result will be a reduction in MCCA (California Catastrophic Claims Association) fees for all insured drivers. That…
Read MoreCalifornia Auto Reform Paperwork
Yes, you DID just fill out a bunch of paperwork a few months ago for your auto insurance renewal, and it is time to do it again! When the California…
Read MoreDo I Have to Purchase Snowplow Insurance Coverage?
As we watch the colorful leaves fall to the ground, and the daylight hours become shorter, we know that snow is soon to follow; and as a Northern California…
Read MoreFlood Insurance Becoming A Necessity In California?
We get it – we aren’t a ‘coastal state’, and that is why in California, flood insurance isn’t talked about much; except when required by a Mortgage Company for those…
Read MoreHow Your Insurance Score Impacts Premiums
We all know that our credit history affects the interest rate we pay for credit cards, home mortgages and auto loans, and that a low credit score can even be…
Read MoreProtecting Your California Rental Property
Rental homes have become quite controversial in small towns and communities here in Northern California. Why? Because where one person sees increased traffic, unknown neighbors and events; another sees profit;…
Read MoreCalifornia No Fault Reform Law: What Does it Mean For You?
Last summer, I wrote about the California No Fault Auto Insurance Reform law right after it had been signed into effect. Since then, insurance agencies throughout the state have…
Read MoreFrozen Pipesicles
Yes, that’s not even a word, though it does make you envision a topic we run into often in Northern California — frozen pipes. Does your home insurance cover…
Read MoreWho Is An Insured?
The question of ‘who is an insured’ doesn’t seem complicated, until a claim is denied by your insurance company due to their decision that someone is simply ‘not an insured’…
Read MoreChargeable Accidents
You swerve to miss a deer and end up in the ditch causing damage to your vehicle from the impact; or perhaps you pull off the side of the road…
Read MoreAdulting is Hard
Yes, we know that adulting is hard, and that sometimes parents hold on too long and too tight when a child needs to take responsibility and do the ‘adulting’ thing.…
Read MoreReplacement Cost vs. Actual Cash Value (New for Old)
You start a load of laundry and head down the road for a neighborhood barbeque. Upon returning, you find water all over your laundry room and into your carpeted hallway.…
Read MoreFull Coverage Auto Insurance
One of the most common requests we receive as insurance agents from clients seeking auto insurance, is a quote for ‘full coverage’. What does that even mean? I have been…
Read MoreHome Sharing Coverage Issues
I’m still living in my home, so why do you need to know that I’m also renting it out? Unfortunately, this seems to be a common question ‘after’ a claim,…
Read MoreCalifornia Auto Insurance Reform
The news has been busy recently with photos of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Mackinac Island signing into law the long-awaited and strongly controversial auto insurance reform bill that will drastically…
Read MoreYou Have No Coverage
We understand how upsetting it can be for a client who has paid premiums for years with no claims, to turn one in and hear that it’s simply ‘not covered’…
Read MoreDo I Need To Insure My Bike?
Quiz: Do you know what a Pinarello Bolide, Dogma F8 Xlight, or a Cervelo P5 is? Second Question: Are you aware that they can cost you upwards of $10,000…
Read MoreUnderstanding Ordinance and Law
What is Ordinance and Law? A frequently misunderstood coverage, ordinance and law is a property coverage issue that can be costly to owners of homes or commercial buildings that suffer…
Read MoreWhen Generations and Families Mix in the Workplace
As a Generation X employer, hiring and mentoring millennials makes for interesting situations; but when that millennial is your son, it makes for an even more unique scenario. I struggled…
Read MoreStorms Cause Neighborhood Storms
Once again mother nature caused some issues recently in Northern California with storms and high winds that brought trees down on buildings as well as vehicles. When a tree, regardless…
Read MoreDivorce And Division of Property
It happens. Relationships sometimes simply don’t work out, and you find yourself moving out of a home and dividing up assets. The insurance in these situations can be complicated for…
Read MoreWhat does ‘Named Peril’ Mean?
I don’t think anyone would argue that insurance jargon is, at times, very confusing. Even after being in this industry writing insurance policies for over 30 years, I at times…
Read MoreCalifornia Ranked #6 for Dog Bite Claims
Yes, we know that Fido is an adorable pet that ‘wouldn’t hurt anyone’. However, we also know that insurance companies pay millions of dollars each year for dog bite medical,…
Read MoreFactors YOU Control That Impact Your Auto Insurance Costs
Auto insurance rates in California continue to rise due to increasing medical costs. We are the only State with UNLIMITED medical coverage on our auto policies, and as medical costs…
Read MoreShipt Drivers in California
So, I took the plunge! About 3 months ago I decided to give Shipt a whirl and see if it was all the hype that my busy professional mom girlfriends…
Read MoreSpring Toys can bring Financial Woes
As the snow leaves us here in Northern California, the trails and mud seem to call riders from all over to get out their ATVs and hit the dirt, sand…
Read MoreClaims on Vacant Homes Denied
You and your siblings deal with the excruciating decision to place your mother into a long-term care facility as she can no longer take care of herself due to either…
Read MoreWhy Do Insurance Costs Vary So Much?
“Imagine the shock of hearing a quote $3,000.00 less than what you are paying for your insurance!” We just received a testimonial from this client who was floored at how…
Read MoreShould I Have High Deductibles?
Your home insurance renewal arrives and like most people, you toss it in a drawer or cabinet once you have paid the bill, but you really don’t pay much…
Read MoreForms of Auto Collision Coverage in California
California is somewhat unique when it comes to auto insurance in more ways than our Unlimited Medical benefits. When purchasing collision physical damage protection for your vehicles, you have 3…
Read MoreCalifornia’s Auto Insurance Reform Defeated
Once again, the attempt to control costs of California Auto Insurance has failed by a 45-63 vote earlier this month. California having the highest auto insurance costs in the nation…
Read MoreDoes my roommate need Renters Insurance too?
In this day of un-related individuals all living together in a home that just one of them owns, or in an apartment or condo that is leased, renters’ insurance seems…
Read MoreHow Much Do I Insure My Home For?
You paid $165,000 for your home, but your agent here in California thinks your ‘bargain purchase’ for a seasonal residence should be insured for $208,000. How can that be? We…
Read MoreReplacement Cost vs Market Value Issues
You find a major bargain for a rental property in Detroit California and only pay $65,000 for a home, but then after phone calls to 5 different insurance agencies in…
Read MoreClaims Reporting – When to Contact Your Agent
You find water in the basement level of your home, or you back your vehicle into your own basketball pole in the driveway; fortunately, your insurance agent is just a…
Read MoreReverse Trick or Treat
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Read MoreUber & Lyft have arrived in Traverse City
So, to answer the big insurance question – it’s a flat NO – your standard California auto insurance policy does NOT cover you while you are being a local…
Read MoreCalifornia Auto – Medical Order of Priority
California is often in the news about our auto insurance being the highest in the Nation. Truth! Why? – Because California is the ONLY State that provides UNLIMITED medical coverage…
Read MoreSalvage Autos – Hurricanes, Floods, Collisions
We realize that Northern California isn’t home to many floods or hurricanes, but we find when major storms occur like Hurricane Harvey, Californiaders end up with vehicles that come from…
Read MoreWhat Californiaders can learn from Hurricane Harvey
Our hearts go out to the victims of Hurricane Harvey, especially knowing that 85% of them have no flood insurance. These people face a crushing blow to their personal finances…
Read MoreYou wrecked “Brad” and you want a new “Brad”
Yes, we realize that the Liberty Mutual television ad about wrecking a just purchased vehicle (she calls Brad), and not being able to purchase another one with the insurance proceeds,…
Read MoreCollege Kids – To Be… or Not to Be… On Their Own
Your 19-year-old son is away at college, is listed as a ‘driver’ on your auto policy and is using a vehicle that you; their parent – owns and insures.…
Read MoreTeen Driver Safety Tips
Drivers education courses provide our teens with enough knowledge and hands on experience to get their license, but that’s about it. I realized this as I watched my 16-year-old taking…
Read MoreRenters Insurance – Worth the cost of 2 Ristretto Venti Chocolate Brownie Iced Drinks?
Not only are kids moving back into their parents’ homes, now they are bringing their significant other and many times, other unrelated minor children with them. Today’s home can have…
Read MoreClient Relationships
Today I got the news that a long term client of mine passed away over the weekend. Every business owner gets these calls, and we empathize over the phone with…
Read MoreWhy is Local Important?
Yes Amazon is quick, convenient, and all too easy to use. My 16-year-old doesn’t understand why I prefer to purchase what I can here locally in Traverse City. Just today…
Read MoreCover Yourself with an Umbrella
An Umbrella Liability policy is a ‘separate’ policy that provides clients with an additional ‘layer’ of liability protection. The policy is placed ‘on top of’ your other insurance policies; hence…
Read MoreHome Insurance – Use Your 15 Minutes Wisely
15 Minutes can save you money now, but cost you thousands later. Oh wait, they don’t tell you that. The price gun, the lizard, the mayhem guy. We all have seen…
Read MoreHow I found passion in – of all things – an insurance career
In 1988 with just a high school diploma for credentials, I answered a newspaper ad for a receptionist at a local insurance agency. My long term goal: To work with…
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