Robble & Moss Insurance Group

It a great time of year! Our minds turn to family and friends, gifts and food, but lets not forget about safety.
At this time of year people have a great deal on their mind.  Therefore, driving takes on a higher level of self-preservation & safety.  Remember to fine tune your defensive driving skills and expect the unexpected where others are concerned. Consider using your headlights during the day to maximize your visibility to others. Always buckle up both yourself and family members when traveling. If you carry small children, please remember to place them in approved child or booster seats and follow the manufacturers instructions concerning proper use.

SAFETY TIPS FOR DECORATING YOUR HOME
Along with appearance and price, make safety a priority in picking out your home’s decorations this year. Here are some general tips to consider:

DECORATIVE LIGHTING

• Use only UL-approved lights.

• Make a careful check of lights for damaged sockets and wires. If you have a doubt, replace them.

• Do not use indoor lights outdoors, or outdoor lights indoors.

• One of the most common problems people tend to overlook is overloading extension cords. Do not connect more than three sets of lights to one cord.

• Make sure tree lights are securely fastened.

• Turn off all holiday lights when you leave home or go to bed.

• Remove outdoor lighting as soon as the season is over. Even though specifically designed for outdoor use, they are not designed for prolonged exposure to the elements.

• Never use a lit candle near a tree or other decorations.

• Extinguish candles before leaving or going to bed.

USING LIVE TREES

• The most important safety factor to consider is freshness. The fresher, the safer. Check by examining needles. When you bend them between your finders, they shouldn’t break. Also, tap the tree on a firm surface. If more than a handful of needles fall off, it’s too dry. You can’t depend on the tree’s color because some are sprayed green.

• Keep the tree away from fireplaces, portable heaters, wall heaters and other heat sources.

• To maintain your tree’s freshness, cut off about two inches from the trunk and place it in a sturdy water-holding stand with legs that are widely spread.

• Remember to keep watering your tree. A 6-foot tree will use a gallon of water every two days.

• Mix a commercial tree preservative with the water.

• Leave the tree outside until ready to decorate.

• Don’t block stairs or doorways with the tree because this blocks exit pathways in case of an emergency.

• Dispose of the tree if a significant amount of needles begin to fall off.

ORNAMENTS & TRIMMINGS

Avoid placing small or breakable ornaments on lower branches of your tree where children or pets might knock them off. Among the list of injuries related to holiday decorations each year, children swallowing small ornaments and cuts from broken ornaments are among the most frequent.

TRYING TO SAVE MONEY? AVOID THE FIVE BIGGEST INSURANCE MISTAKES.

With far too many Americans out of work, and others forced to make ends meet with less money, many people are looking for ways to cut costs. There are smart ways to save on home and auto insurance; however, there are also mistakes that can result in being significantly underinsured.

When money is tight, it is extremely important to be financially protected against a catastrophe with the right amount and type of insurance by taking a few simple steps, it is possible to cut costs and still be protected should disaster strike.

Following are five of the biggest insurance mistakes that consumers should look out for:

Insuring a home for its real estate value rather than for the cost of rebuilding. When real estate prices go down, some homeowners may think they can reduce the amount of insurance on their home. But insurance is designed to cover the cost of rebuilding, not the sales price of the home. You should make sure that you have enough coverage to completely rebuild your home and replace your belongings.

A better way to save: Raise your deductible. An increase from $500 to $1,000 could save up to 25 percent on your premium payments.

Selecting an insurance company by price alone. It is important to choose a company with competitive prices, but also one that is financially sound and provides good customer service.

A better way to save: Check the financial health of a company with independent rating agencies and ask friends and family for recommendations. You should select an insurance company that will respond to your needs and handle claims fairly and efficiently.

Dropping flood insurance. Damage from flooding is not covered under standard homeowners and renters insurance policies. Coverage is available from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), as well as from some private insurance companies. Many homeowners are unaware they are at risk for flooding, but in fact 25 percent of all flood losses occur in low risk areas.

A better way to save: Before purchasing a home, check with the NFIP to check whether it is in a flood zone; if so, consider a less risky area. If you are already living in a flood zone area, look at mitigation efforts that can reduce your risk of flood damage and consider purchasing flood insurance.

Only purchasing the legally required amount of liability for your car. In today’s litigious society, buying only the minimum amount of liability means you are likely to pay more out-of-pocket—and those costs may be steep

A better way to save: Consider dropping collision and/or comprehensive coverage on older cars worth less than $1,000. The insurance industry and consumer groups generally recommend a minimum of $100,000 of bodily injury protection per person and $300,000 per accident.

If you don’t own your home, neglecting to buy renters insurance. A renters policy covers your possessions and additional living expenses if you have to move out due to a disaster. Equally important, it provides liability protection in the event someone is injured in your home and decides to sue.

A better way to save: Look into multi-policy discounts. Buying several policies with the same insurer will generally provide surmountable savings.

SCHEDULING ITEMS UNDER YOUR HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE

Perhaps it’s the latest electronic gadget or large screen hi-def television, or new sporting goods gear or maybe a piece of sparkling jewelry. If you happen to receive or purchase a particularly expensive item, you may consider purchasing extra protection, just in case.

Why would I need to schedule valuable items?

The protection provided for personal property under the typical homeowners, condo or renters policy is very broad, and includes coverage for your furniture, clothing, and appliances. It only provides limited coverage for valuable items such as jewelry, silverware, furs, and art. It may not cover some types of loss that may be important to you, such as the stone falling out of your diamond ring, your china being accidentally broken or your rare coins being stolen.

What types of property can be covered?

Here’s a quick listing of some of the items typically covered:

cameras (video or still) and related equipment
china and crystal
coins (rare and current)
firearms
furs
golfer’s equipment
jewelry
musical instruments
personal computers
stamps (rare and current)
silverware
works of fine art, including paintings, etchings, pictures and other bona fide works of art (such as oriental rugs, statuary, rare books, manuscripts and bric-a-brac) of rarity, historical value or artistic merit.

If you own something of value that is not listed above, it may still be eligible for coverage.

How to Schedule Personal Property

The process for scheduling valuable personal property differs from one insurance company to another. The insurance company keeps copies of appraisals or recent receipts for the items on file. The dollar amount of the value of the items added determines the price of scheduled property insurance.

Scheduling items allows you to purchase better protection for your special property than would be available under the typical homeowners policy. In addition to being able to purchase higher limits of coverage, more perils are covered.