March Home Maintenance Tips

What do you need to do this month to keep your home running smoothly and your family protected?  Read below to find out! 

Change Batteries In Smoke Detectors - When the time changes, it’s a great idea to change the batteries in all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.  This way you always know that they are working and in good order!  The spring time change this year is on Sunday March 8th. 

Make A Severe Weather Plan - Designate a safe place in your home in case of bad weather.  Stock it with basic emergency supplies and throw in an extra flashlight and batteries too!

Check Your Credit Report - March is Credit Education Month.  When was the last time you checked to see that your credit reports were accurate?  If it’s been over a year, stop by www.annualcreditreport.com and order a free copy today. 

Review Your Insurance Discounts - Are you getting all the discounts you qualify for?  Call us to review your policy and see if there are any changes that need to be made.

And as always, give us a call if you have any questions or need assistance with auto, home, business, or life insurance. 

American Family Insurance offers Teen Safe Driver Program

The Teen Safe Driver Program^SM, an innovative program that uses a combination of technology and parental involvement to help young drivers overcome the challenges of learning how to drive, is now  available to American Family’s automobile insurance customers. More information is available from American Family insurance agent Todd Stanley at 2500 Glenn Ave. in Sioux City. 

American Family, in association with DriveCam Inc., is providing the year-long Teen Safe Driver at no cost to American Family automobile insurance customers who have a beginning teen driver in their household. The program is now available in all 19 of American Family’s operating states.



Teen Safe Driver provides teens and their parents an in-vehicle video and audio unit that captures risky driving behaviors. Parents log in to a Web site, www.teensafedriver.com to view the driving report card, video events and coaching tips, including objective, third-party assessment of the teen driver’s driving performance compared with other teens.

 

“This is a terrific opportunity for parents to help their young drivers identify the issues that all new drivers share,” said Stanley, whose office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. “Teen Safe Driver is a completely voluntary program, and families who are already participating in the pilot program find it really reduces the number of risky driving incidents.”

By helping parents provide guidance to their teens, Teen Safe Driver is achieving a greater than 70 percent reduction in the frequency and severity of risky driving events among these novice drivers.

Protect your identity this holiday season from getting Scrooged

During the holidays, in addition to spending more money, we tend to be busier, more stressed out, and less careful than other times of the year. Identity thieves can and will take advantage of this to make sure you’re holidays aren’t very merry or bright. But in the spirit of Charles Dickens, here are some holiday tips to help protect your identity and make sure you don’t get Scrooged:

Protect your home.

Your greatest risk during the holidays is all of the extra people that come into your home. It makes it very easy to pocket a checkbook that’s on your desk or a brokerage statement in your filing cabinet.

“We’d all like to believe that the people we know wouldn’t steal from us,” said American Family Insurance Agent Todd Stanley. “Unfortunately, statistics prove that identity theft is committed by someone the victim knows approximately 30 to 50 percent of the time. I recommend that you shred every document you don’t need and buy a fire-safe to lock up your valuable identity documents. These safes make great gifts for people you care about!”

Use your credit card.

When you use checks or a debit card, the money is drawn directly from your bank account. If fraud occurs, it’s harder to get the money reimbursed and in the meantime, you don’t have the money to spend. Credit cards generally give you a longer period (ninety days) to catch the fraud before you are held liable. Debit cards generally give you thirty days.

Leave your purse at home.

Forty percent of all identity theft happens when a purse is stolen. So take a wallet that fits in your coat pocket or take your driver’s license and one or two credit cards and store them in your front pocket. If you must have a purse, use one that zips and hangs in front of you.

Watch your statements.

Most forms of holiday identity theft can be caught simply by monitoring your checking, debit, and credit card accounts frequently. By monitoring your financial statements, you will catch credit card and check theft immediately. Most financial institutions allow you to monitor your accounts online, which are fast, convenient, and smart. Many financial institutions will also allow you to sign up for automatic account alerts when any transaction occurs on your account.

Give yourself the gift of identity monitoring.

It is impossible to track all of the ways our identities are exposed, so take a moment and call your American Family Insurance agent about the Identity Fraud Expense Endorsement. The endorsement is in addition to homeowners, renters and condo owners. The coverage helps protect against the high costs related to restoring your identity and good name in the event it’s stolen. This endorsement covers expenses such as legal fees, loan reapplication fees, notary expenses and lost wages due to time taken from work to restore your credit.

So treat your private information with care and you’ll be sure to have a safe and happy holiday.

It’s that time of year again: Watch out for darting deer

An estimated 500,000 deer-vehicle crashes occur on U.S. roadways each year, resulting in thousands of injuries and multiple deaths. Most of these crashes occur between October and November during the deer-breeding season.

Most deer-related crashes occur in the country. But a growing number of these accidents are also taking place in or near residential areas, as new subdivisions are built closer to deer habitats.

Deer-vehicle crashes are often unavoidable, but here are a few defensive driving tips to minimize your chances:

• Stay alert, pay more attention to the road and roadside – and actually look for deer. Be especially alert at dawn and dusk, the peak movement times for deer and when visibility is low.
• Exercise special caution when moving through a posted deer crossing zone; the signs are there for a reason.
• If you see a deer on the road, brake firmly and blow your horn. Deer often fixate on headlights, so it may not be effective to just flash your lights.
• If you are unable to stop, do not swerve. It can cause you to lose control of your vehicle and hit a tree or another car.
• Look for other deer after one has crossed the road. Deer seldom run alone.
• Always wear your seatbelt. Most people injured in deer-vehicle crashes were not buckled.

If your vehicle strikes a deer, contact the authorities. You may be legally required to report an accident with significant vehicle damage, depending on state laws. Also contact your insurance company to report your claim. Collision with an animal is covered under the comprehensive section of your auto insurance policy.

Aim for hunting safety

With the hunting and trapping season fast approaching, it’s important to keep safety in mind when venturing outdoors. Both hunters and non-hunters who live near hunting land have a responsibility to protect themselves, their pets and livestock and their property.

Protect yourself
Many states require new hunters to complete a hunter-safety course before taking to the field. These courses will provide important safety precautions like dressing in proper apparel, whether its camouflage or blaze orange. People who hike in areas where hunters may be present should wear bright clothing. Don’t let children go on hikes without an adult.

Protect your livestock
Even landowners who never pull a trigger or set traps must take precautions to protect their land and animals during hunting season.

Because pets and livestock are sometimes mistaken for deer or are caught in traps, it is wise to lock up animals that usually have free reign of your land. Many farmers spray paint an “X” on the flanks of grazing livestock to help avoid confusion. Pen livestock near farm buildings to further distinguish them from deer, and check your animals and gates daily.

Protect your property
Homeowners should think twice before opening up their acreage to anyone except family members and close friends. They expose not only their property to accidental losses, but also themselves to liability and potential litigation.

If you don’t want hunters on your land, post “No Trespassing” or “No Hunting” signs around the perimeter of your property. If you do permit access, require the hunters to check in each time they enter your property, and get the names of each person in the hunting party. Often one person who obtains permission to hunt on a farm feels free to invite others without informing the landowner.

Think about adding an umbrella

Many people keep an umbrella in the car or office, ready at a moment’s notice if blue skies give way to rain clouds. It’s not an act of pessimism, it’s just common sense.

Likewise, a growing trend in the insurance industry is umbrella liability coverage. Much like a regular umbrella does for rain, an umbrella policy shields its holder against liability claims that go above and beyond the limits of personal insurance policies.

For instance, liability coverage provided by a homeowners or auto insurance policy has set limits, such as $300,000. In the event you or someone in your household is liable for injuries or damages to others, you could be responsible for coming up with any excess funds if a settlement exceeded your liability limits.

That’s where an umbrella liability policy comes into play, providing excess liability coverage and potentially saving you hundreds of thousands of dollars.

You might think that such financial security would come at a high price. In fact, most umbrella policies come relatively cheaply, sometimes costing less than $200 a year for $1 million worth of coverage.

Sounds like a great deal.

But as with any great deal, consumers should consider their individual needs. If you rarely watch television or movies, you wouldn’t buy a new home entertainment system just because it was on sale. Similarly, before you rush out to insure yourself for $1 million or more simply because you can, ask yourself, “Do I really need this?”

A lot depends on your lifestyle factors. For instance, you might have a greater need for increased liability coverage if you have a swimming pool or trampoline on your property, as those items are potentially dangerous and could result in huge lawsuits if a guest of yours is injured. 

On the other hand, some people do not have the same risk factors for large claims against them.

In the end, it is each individual’s decision whether an umbrella policy is a wise investment. Your insurance agent can help you identify your risk factors, but the decision is yours. 

Todd Stanley has been an agent for American Family Insurance since 2011. His office is located at 2500 Glenn Ave., Sioux City. Todd can be contacted at (712) 274-1045 or through his website at

www.toddjstanley.com

Condominium and town home owners: are you protected?

Most people don’t think twice about purchasing adequate insurance protection for their auto or home. But many who purchase condos or town homes mistakenly neglect to insure the interior of their properties, often assuming association insurance policies will cover replacement costs.

Unfortunately, most association policies cover the exterior structure only, not what is contained within an individual unit. It’s comparable to having a car accident where a repair shop fixes only the exterior, leaving the interior untouched, requiring additional funds to replace the seats, steering wheel, etc.

Condominium and town home owners may find themselves in a similar situation without adequate insurance. If a fire, flood or other insurable event occurs, more than likely there would not be sufficient coverage to replace carpeting, cabinets, drywall, fixtures and doors, just to name a few.

To address this gap in coverage, some lenders now require owners to carry a specific condominium or town home policy. Fortunately, this coverage can often be obtained at a minimal cost per month. It’s important to have a discussion with an insurance professional to determine what is covered by an association’s policy and what additional insurance is needed by an individual owner to protect their assets. Associations may not be familiar with the intricacies of insurance and association agreements and by-laws can vary widely.

Some issues for discussion:

• What amount of coverage does my association policy provide?
• If the association provides coverage for the interior, how much? Has the interior of the property been upgraded since the original owner purchased the property (such as new appliances or countertops)? Does the insurance cover the original building elements only?
• What amount of coverage do I need to insure the interior of my property … not just my personal belongings, but fixtures, carpeting, cabinets, etc.?
• How does the deductible I choose for this policy affect my premiums?
• Will this policy cover injury on property due to negligence (liability coverage), and what amount of liability coverage is appropriate?

Be sure to protect your investment by consulting an insurance professional who can assist you with the nuances of condominium and town home insurance.

Todd Stanley has been an agent for American Family Insurance since 2011. His office is located at 2500 Glenn Ave., Sioux City. Todd can be contacted at (712) 274-1045.