Your Duties in the Event of a Loss

When your family or business suffers a loss or damages you have several responsibilities that you need to take per the conditions in your insurance policy. 

 

Below you will find some highlighted duties you have after you discover you have suffered a loss. 

 

- Give prompt notification to your insurance agent of the loss. You should include information such as when, where, who, and how.

 

- Take all reasonable steps to protect the property from further loss or damage. 

 

- Notify the police if the loss appears to be a result of a violation of the law such as theft or vandalism.

 

- Furnish to the insurance company inventories of the damaged property and permit for them to inspect the property and your records.

 

- Cooperate with the insurance company with the claims process including submitting to an examination regarding the loss.

 

- Sign a sworn proof of loss for the insurance company.

 

We represent several top rated insurance carriers that pride themselves on their claims handling and experience. In the event of a loss we are there to guide you through the process and make sure you are taken care of the way you deserve. 

Homeowners Spring Break Tips

Spring has rolled around and that means one thing for a lot of families, SPRING BREAK. A chance to get out of the cold and head to a sunny oasis for a week.

 

I remember growing up and whenever we were going on a family vacation we didn't go around broadcasting that our home was going to be vacant for an extended time. Why? Well living in a small town, news tends to travel pretty quickly and if the word got around to the wrong crowd that our home was going to be empty for a long time, we knew that is a burglars dream.

 

Fast forward to the year 2015, now we tell the whole world that we are going on vacation through social media. So how can we continue to share our vacation experiences with our friends and family while still being cautious about who sees this information? Here are some tips:

 

1) Make sure your privacy settings on social media sites are restricted to private. This allows for you to share information only with the people you want to share information with, not the entire world.

 

2) Don't give people a timetable of how long you will be gone or that your home is vacant. The worst thing to do is to let people know when you are leaving or when you will be coming home.

 

3) Consider making a fake post thanking a friend or family member for house sitting while you are away/

 

4) Ask a neighbor or friend to check up on your home and make sure that everything still seems to be in order.

 

5) Don't be shy about leaving an interior light on in the home, this shows potential intruders that someone is still occupying the residence.

 

Hopefully these tips will give you the peace of mind that you can still share your vacation with your friends and family via social media without worrying about coming home to a nightmare.

 

Travel Safely!

And a Happy New Year....

Spalding Insurance Agency would like to wish you a very Happy New Year. To celebrate ringing in the New Year safely please take the time to remember these safety tips for those of us going out and for those of us who are hosting gatherings.


Hosts

- Make sure all guests have a designated driver upon arrival. A great host makes this their top priority.
- Have phone numbers readily available for local cab companies for guests who have not planned ahead.
- Offer non-alcohol drinks as alternatives to your guests. This can include sparkling juice, pop, water, or punch.
- Encourage guests that are leaving the party to stop drinking hours before the party ends, even if they have a designated driver for the evening.
- Always welcome guests a place to sleep in your home. This will encourage those who "only had a few" and feel comfortable with driving an alternative solution.
- Don't be afraid to take the keys from a guest who plans on driving home and is intoxicated.

Remember as a host, you may be held responsible for your guests actions after they leave your home.

Party Goers

Did you drink? If so, do not drive.

- Plan a head and have a designated driver.
- If you don't have a designated driver, call a taxi , use the bus system, or stay where you are until sober. Don't be afraid to ask to stay the night at your host home. A good host will be prepared for overnight guests.

 Happy New Year!

About Spalding Insurance Agency

Spalding Insurance Agency provides exemplary service and access to Michigan's finest insurance companies. We proudly serve the personal and business insurance needs of people in East Lansing, Okemos, Haslett, Lansing, DeWitt, Perry, Detroit, Holt, Mason, Grand Rapids, Laingsburg, Bath, and other great Michigan cities. For a quote on auto insurance, home insurance, business insurance, or life insurance click here. 

Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill

It’s the end of your day and you walk into your house, saying hello to the kids. You’ll spend the evening with your family, maybe watching some TV, and finally going through your stack of mail.

In the mail is the dreaded monthly cell phone bill.  Although you love your smart phone and all of its features, much like insurance, you hate seeing that bill. All of the add-on’s, the taxes, etc. really add up, so you go over it for any possible reduction.

In the list of charges is insurance, which may be $6 to $10 a month depending on your carrier. $6 to $10 a month doesn't seem like a lot of money to offer protectio

n on a $700 phone (retail value, not the $200 it'd cost if this was for an upgrade), but what if you’re covering multiple phones?  Now the numbers really start to add up…..you’re paying anywhere from $300 to $480 a year to “insure” them!!

  

How your Homeowners or Renters Insurance can help save you $410 a year.

Assume you have the same family of 4 and you're shelling out $480 a year for coverage on your smart phones.

Here is a little secret on how to reduce this cost, schedule your phones on your homeowners or renters insurance policy.

What does it mean to “schedule” an item on your homeowners/renters insurance policy?

Scheduling an item means you’re listing the item on your policy, and paying the additional cost to insure it.  The value is usually determined through an appraisal or receipt of purchase.

For example, you would schedule your phone not for the promotional price you received as an update but for the price to replace your phone should you not receive promotional pricing.

How would scheduling my cell phones save me $410 a year?

Let’s continue our assumption that you are paying $480 a year under your insurance program with your carrier for four phones and their insurance.

The average rate you can expect to pay on your homeowners/renters insurance policy is $17* a YEAR per phone. With four phones your out of pocket expenses for the YEAR is $70*.

So instead of the current $480 you’re paying your costs are now $70, which is a savings of $410.

By scheduling your smartphones on your policy you can reduce costs on your cell phone plans.

Think about all that you could do with an extra $410 a year.

-Buy tickets to more concerts or sporting events

-Stay an extra day or two on your vacation

-Invest in life insurance or more life insurance

We Can Help!

We can, in all probability, reduce this cost and improve your coverage!    Are you aware of the Deductible under your cell phone carriers plan?   Depending on the type of phone you have, it might be as high as $99.  Our companies are offering better rates, with no deductible, by “scheduling” your phone on your homeowners/renters insurance policy.

*All figures are used to represent the potential savings and cost to schedule your cell phone. This information was taken from current clients accounts. 

Spalding Insurance Agency is an independent agency with two locations in mid-Michigan to service your insurance needs.We love to save you money in life and on your car, home, and business insurance. For a quote on your personal or business insurance click here.

What Guy Fieri Knows About Grilling Safety

The three d's might have been one of the best TV shows over the past decade. Unaware of what the "three d's" is, no worries, it is a slang for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives a show hosted by Guy Fieri, one of America's original bad boys.

So what exactly does Guy Fieri know about grill safety? I am sure that he knows a lot about it but there weren't any direct tips that I could find online. In fact, most of the stuff I found online was under his name was some great recipes that you can try out this summer.

Since Guy wasn't able to provide us with any grilling safety tips we figured we'd share with you some tips from our very own experience.

Grill Safety Tips

1) Location

Do you have a nice deck or patio that you store your grill on? If so, make sure that upon starting your BBQ you move the grill or smoker away from your garage or home. Every year we hear the horror stories of homes catching on fire because the grill wasn't it a safe location.

2) Fire

What is your contingency plan if your grill gets out of control? Having a bucket of water or hose nearby is never a bad idea. For those of you who are using a gas grill, do you know the safest way to cut the fuel supply if the fire gets out of control? In case you didn't know, charcoal and gas grills should only be used in an outdoor area.

3)Food Safety

Growing up, I was always preached to the importance of food safety. This could be something as properly cooking your meat to the right temperature or making sure you wash your hands after touching raw or uncooked meats.

Now I am not saying that I am by any means the safest man on the grill but the one thing I can tell you is that common sense pretty much applies to grilling safety. So next time you light up that BBQ make sure to remember that thousands of injuries and fires occur each year from a grilling related incidence. They are called accidents for a reason.

Spalding Insurance Agency is an independent agency with two locations in mid-Michigan to service you. We want to be invited to your next BBQ. For a quote on your personal or business insurance click here.

Going away on Spring Break?

Spring has rolled around and that means one thing for a lot of families, SPRING BREAK. A chance to get out of the cold and head to a sunny oasis for a week.

I remember growing up and whenever we were going on a family vacation we didn't go around broadcasting that our home was going to be vacant for an extended time. Why? Well living in a small town, news tends to travel pretty quickly and if the word got around to the wrong crowd that our home was going to be empty for a long time, we knew that is a burglars dream.

Fast forward to the year 2013, now we tell the whole world that we are going on vacation through social media. So how can we continue to share our vacation experiences with our friends and family while still being cautious about who sees this information? Here are some tips:

1) Make sure your privacy settings on social media sites are restricted to private. This allows for you to share information only with the people you want to share information with, not the entire world.

2) Don't give people a timetable of how long you will be gone or that your home is vacant. The worst thing to do is to let people know when you are leaving or when you will be coming home.

3) Consider making a fake post thanking a friend or family member for house sitting while you are away/

4) Ask a neighbor or friend to check up on your home and make sure that everything still seems to be in order.

5) Don't be shy about leaving an interior light on in the home, this shows potential intruders that someone is still occupying the residence.

Hopefully these tips will give you the peace of mind that you can still share your vacation with your friends and family via social media without worrying about coming home to a nightmare.

Travel Safely!

Spalding Insurance Agency is an independent agency with two locations in mid-Michigan to service you. We wish we were going on your vacation with you. For a quote on your personal or business insurance click here.

Why I Could Care Less How Much You Currently Pay for Insurance.

Looking for an insurance quote? Well if you call Spalding Insurance Agency I can tell you one thing, we do not care what you currently pay! That might sound rude but let me explain to you why.

Reason #1: We are going to give you the best premium with the best coverage options that we have available, no matter what. As an independent agency we have access to 4 of Michigan’s finest insurance companies. Each one of these companies offers great coverage, financial stability, and pricing. 

Reason #2: Some people think that the insurance industry just makes up our pricing on the go and by telling me what you currently pay, I am automatically going to be able to beat your current premium. This of course is not true. The rates are determined at the company level and I have no saying on what you pay. I can of course influence your rate by finding out and using the insurance discounts that you qualify for. 

So if you’re looking for an auto or home insurance quote and give Spalding Insurance Agency a try, we don’t really have any interest in what you’re currently paying. We will always give you are best. 

What is an Umbrella?

It is hard to change the channel as Umbrella by Rihanna  comes on to your favorite radio station. The song is so catchy it is nearly impossible to not sing along with the chorus.

A lot of people do not know that the insurance industry has our very own version of an Umbrella. The sad truth is, for the majority of people, an umbrella is a policy they know nothing about or don’t think they need

.

So what is an umbrella?

An umbrella is a policy that provides liability coverage for you above the limits you carry on your auto and homeowner’s insurance. It offers protection for you against liability claims or judgments.

Why is this coverage important? 

Sadly, we live in a world that lawsuits are not uncommon. There are plenty of instances in which you might be dragged into a lawsuit, legitimate or frivolous. The biggest question is, can you afford the potential damages awarded to a victim of a lawsuit you were dragged into?

Not always the other family!

A lot of people wonder how often an umbrella policy is even needed. Bad things in life happen daily and like my mom always told me “it’s not always happening to other people.”

Prime Example

Bob and Jane (fictitious names) were an older couple driving home from a weekend up in Traverse City. Driving down U.S. 127 right before the I-69 interchange they hit a bad storm. Bob lost control of the vehicle and it rolled into the ditch. Sadly, his wife Jane did not survive the accident.

Sometime after the funeral Bob was served with papers stating that his children were filing a wrongful death lawsuit against him for the death of their mother. The court awarded the children a settlement that exceeded the liability limits that Bob had on his auto insurance policy.

We had an Umbrella policy in place for Bob that picked up the damages where his auto insurance limits ran out. The umbrella picked up the remaining balance and Bob, already emotionally damaged, was not financially ruined.

Should I Carry an Umbrella? 

Yes, everyone should carry an umbrella policy. For as little as $12 a month you can purchase an extra $1 million worth of liability coverage. Plus, if you have Auto-Owners insurance you qualify for a 5% discount on your home and auto insurance policies.

Before the Loss: Homeowners and Renters

I recently had the chance to move and with moving comes one of my favorite activities: purging.Now I am not saying my wife and I are hoarders but like everyone, we accumulate a lot of stuff over the years. 

35% of the stuff we had in our home I had either forgot about or most likely wouldn't remember we owned if we suffered a total loss. Why is this a problem? Lets pretend a loss occurs, such as a fire. The insurance adjuster gets in touch with you and wants a list of everything in your home destroyed by the fire. So you start to make a list and before you know it, you have everything you remember down. 

Well a few months down the road you go to use your waffle maker because you love waffles and only make them on special occasions. Problem is you forgot you had a waffle maker that was destroyed in the fire. So instead of enjoying your waffles you become frustrated as this is just one of the several dozen items you forgotabout whilst making your list. 

Since 99% of us will only remember 65% of the stuff we own, I always advise clients to document all that they own, as a way to avoid waffle maker mishaps. 

A few great ways to document what you own:

1) Make an Excel spreadsheet with each item that is in your home. Go room by room and get a good idea of exactly what is in the room and the approximate cost to replace it. If you can, be specific, get the makes and models of items.  Save this file and e-mail it to yourself, this way if your computer is destroyed in the loss, you will still have access to this information. 

2) Take photos of everything you own. This might not mean everything but go to your closet and snap a few photos. Walk around your place and take photos of the rooms from various angles showing all four corners and the room's contents. For higher priced items, such as electronics, appliances, or  furniture make sure you take photos of the brands. Again, e-mail these photos to yourself.

3) Make a video. Walk around the house with your camcorder (they still have those, right?) and capture all of your belongings.  I am sure a lot of people will not use a camcorder, as smartphones are highly capable too, but it is still important to either e-mail yourself this video or store this information in a place protected from potential perils. 

Being prepared with this information before the loss will greatly reduce the stress you might feel after it. 

Have a recommendation for another way to track everything in your home/condo/apartment? Leave a comment. 

What Does a Renter's Insurance Policy Cover?

We recently talked about how not having renter’s insurance was a mistake that fools make. 

Now that you have made a decision not to be a fool, you are wondering what exactly a renter’s insurance policy covers.

Here is an idea of the basic parts of a renter’s insurance policy. 

Personal Property

This is the coverage for your stuff. Your furniture, clothes, electronics, jewelry, and other knickknacks around your home/apartment. 

Loss of Use

An important coverage for you in the event of covered loss. This provides you with additional living expenses for you or your family while you are temporarily misplaced.  Items such as temporary shelter, dining out expenses. 

Personal Liability

Providing coverage for your actions or negligence in property damage or bodily injury to others. 

Medical Payments

Coverage for medical payments that may cover others’ medical expenses that result from and accident or injury on your property. 

Those are the four majors parts of a renter’s insurance policy. Later on this week we will give you coverage options that we feel that no renter’s insurance policy should be without. 

Renter's Insurance and Your Excuses!

Odds are pretty good that if you rent your home or apartment, you don’t have any coverage for your belongings or personal liability coverage. In the United States it is believed that nearly 65% of renters do not have coverage for their belongings or liability protection. 

Why don’t you have renter’s insurance? This is because at some point you made a decision that you didn’t need this coverage or your insurance agent didn’t tell you why this coverage is important.  So why didn’t you get renter’s insurance? Here are some of the worst excuses:

- “It is too expensive!”

- “I don’t have anything valuable, so I don’t need insurance.”

- “My landlord has insurance, therefore I have coverage.”

- “My roommate has insurance, so if anything happens I will just submit a claim under their policy.” 

All of your excuses are CRAP. Don’t believe me? Let me tell you why:

“It is too expensive!” – Renter’s insurance is one of the least expensive insurance products to purchase. A typical policy can range from $12-$25 a month depending on the coverage amount you decide on, among other factors. In most cases by applying the multipolicy discount to your auto insurance policy you can greatly reduce the expense of your auto insurance to the point were your renter’s insurance pays for itself. 

 ”I don’t have anything valuable, so I don’t need insurance.” – So you don’t have anything of value? Walk to your bedroom, open your closet door, and then tally up all of your shirts/pants/shoes alone. Say you have 100 articles of clothing, imagine that in order to replace them it is $50 a piece. Your closet alone is worth $5,000. If a loss occurs, do you have $5,000 sitting around just to buy new clothes? Remember, you haven’t even calculated how much value you have in electronics, furniture, or kitchen supplies yet. 

“My landlord has insurance, therefore I have coverage.”- A major misconception among renters all over the US. Your landlord has coverage for their interest in the home and only their interest. There is $0 worth of coverage for your stuff under their policy.

 ”My roommate has insurance, so if anything happens I will just submit a claim under their policy.” – A renter’s insurance policy requires the policy owner to have a financial interest in the items they’re insuring. Since you bought the items, your roommate has a 0% financial interest in them. So if a loss were to happen there would be no coverage for your stuff. Think you can pull a fast one and attempt to submit a claim under their policy? Insurance fraud is a crime and an insurance adjuster is trained to detect fraudulent activity. 

Still have a reason for not purchasing renter’s insurance? Leave a comment.

No longer have an excuse? Request a quote! 

Are you a good cook? If so, read this.

In the past we have touched on the safety devices that you should have in your home. We hope you are thinking about ways to make your home a safer place. The problem with some of you is that just because you have these devices, doesn't mean they are in working order.

Let me ask you this, when was the last time you checked to make sure your smoke detectors worked? If you're a bad cook you might unintentionally test your smoke detectors often. But for those of you who are a whiz in the kitchen, the odds are you haven't tested your smoke detectors lately or ever. 

I am sure you're a busy person just like everyone who claims they don't have the time to test their detectors. The good news for you is that it only takes a few minutes and is pretty dang simple. Make it a weekly routine like getting the Sunday morning paper or right before you start your work week.

The most precious sound in your life just might be that alarm going off in the middle of the night. A smoke detector is a life saving device. Make sure it is able to do its job should it need to. 

Spalding Insurance Agency is an independent agency with locations in East Lansing, Michigan and Perry, Michigan. We want to make your life easier. For a quote on your personal or business insurance click here.

What Safety Devices Should I have in my Home?

One question we often get asked is "what discounts can I get on my homeowners insurance if I make it safer?"

Seems like a silly question. So if you didn't get a discount for having safety devices in your home, to protect you and your family, than you wouldn't bother to have them? 

Of course, there are discounts available for having safety devices in your home. All of our carriers offer these discounts.The biggest discount for safety devices is by having a central station reporting alarm system, think ADT, in your home. But not everyone is in the financial situations to have one of these systems installed. 

Here is a list of protective devices to have in your home. These devices should be in your home to help reduce risk and protect your family (and get a discount). 

-Smoke Detectors

-Fire Extinguisher 

-Carbon Monoxide Detectors

-Deadbolt locks

All of these devices are imperative to have in your home for your family's safety. Although we love to tell you about insurance discounts, don't forget that these devices are about protecting you and your loved ones.

A Festivus Pole doesn't have this problem.

It is that time of year, when we welcome the great outdoors into our homes. We go out to the forest (or tree lot) pick that perfect conifer, chop it down, strap it to our car roof and then drag it into our home.

The process involves a lot of danger, an ax or strapping foreign objects on a car, but that is not when the Christmas tree danger ends. With decorations and internal heat sources, our homes do not make for a very good wilderness environment. That is why it is important for you to keep your tree watered and properly maintained throughout the holiday season.

Click here for proof if how quickly a dry tree can catch fire. 

The NFPA offers a Christmas Tree Safety sheet for you. Click here for more information.