If you own a home, car, or boat, you’re likely to have primary insurance policies that provide liability coverage for each of these assets. However, your primary policy limits may not be enough to cover all claimed damages, which can cause unexpected financial hardship. That’s where umbrella insurance comes in. Umbrella liability insurance is designed to further protect against the costs of: Claims made against you for bodily injury to others due to a car accident, boat incident, fall or other covered accidents. Claims made against you for covered damage to others’ property. Personal liability for claims like libel, slander, defamation of character and invasion of privacy. Potential out-of-pocket expenses related to each of these (or other) covered incidents.  Additionally, with increasing dollar amounts awarded by juries in personal auto liability cases—driven partially by social infla ...

When winter weather strikes, drivers face out-of-the-ordinary challenges when they get behind the wheel. Snow, slush or icy roads are involved in nearly one in four weather-related vehicle crashes.1 These conditions can make it harder for drivers to see, slow down and stop – all factors that can increase the chances of an accident. If you must travel during winter weather, preparing your car in advance, knowing the forecast and driving based on road conditions are three key ways to help you drive more safely. Following are some winter driving safety tips to help you prepare for the elements – before you face them – on the road. Preparing Your Vehicle As temperatures start to drop, it’s time to make sure your car is stocked with a winter driving survival kit, including an ice scraper, a snow shovel and sand or road salt. This way, you’ll be prepared if winter weather arrives while you’re ...

The warm weather is a great time to take your cooking outdoors and fire up the grill! One of Summer’s simple pleasures is inviting friends and family over for a cookout in your backyard during a warm summer evening. Unfortunately, nearly 9,000 home fires that occur in a year are due to outdoor grills according to the National Fire Protection Association. Gas-fueled grills were the cause of four out of five home fires involving outdoor grills as opposed to charcoal grills. Keep the following in mind next time your fire up the grill to enjoy a delicious meal with friends and family.   First and foremost, think about the location of your outdoor grill. Make sure that your grill is not too close to your home, especially if your house has combustible siding. The grill needs to be on a level surface and at least ten feet away from your house, your garage, or other outdoor structures. Also, do ...

Workers’ compensation is a type of insurance that all new employers need to provide for their employees. Therefore, it is important to understand what it is, and how it covers you and your employees from costly misfortunes. If an employee is injured while at the workplace, he or she will need to be insured to cover all medical and rehabilitation expenses. Workers’ compensation is a form of insurance that will cover all these expenses, and it will in some cases cover lost wages. As an employer, it is important to provide this type of insurance to your employees because it will give you, and them, peace of mind. Since this insurance will be covering all costs due to an injury on site, your employee gives up his or her right to sue your business for negligence. This is a win-win for all parties involved because of the time and expense that comes along with a lawsuit. The cost of workers’ co ...

Did you know that many lease agreements contain clauses that outline the responsibility of tenants in situations where the property is damaged? In many instances, the person leasing the property is deemed liable for any damage done to the property, regardless of cause. Are you aware of what you would be liable for if the property you lease becomes damaged? It is important to make sure you know and understand the terms of your leases and how to ensure that you will be protected in case something unfortunate and unexpected happens to the property under your care. Without proper insurance, you could face hefty costs that could drastically impact you and your quality of life. If something happens to the property you lease and it becomes damaged, you can be held liable. If you do not have sufficient insurance, the landlord has the ability to sue you for the damages done to the property that y ...

Umbrella insurance coverage is a type of liability insurance that protects you beyond the limits of most other types of insurance. An umbrella insurance policy takes over when your other policies hit or exceed their limits of coverage. In the event that all of your insurance policies exceed their limits, umbrella coverage can protect your assets such as your home, cars, and retirement funds. While most policies cover you for one specific type of coverage such as auto insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance, umbrella coverage is a single policy with coverage that extends beyond other policy limits. Umbrella coverage covers most of your financial life and takes care of the extra costs in case you exceed the limits on other policies. Umbrella coverage can be thought of in a literal sense, too—just as an umbrella covers your entire body in a rainstorm, umbrella coverage covers all ...

If you’re a business owner, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with taking risks—that’s part of the entrepreneurial spirit. But you’re also likely familiar with the overwhelming notion of multi-tasking, and trying to solve a lot of problems in one day. One problem that you shouldn’t have to worry about is liability insurance. You’ve surely been told that it’s one of the many things you need, but many business owners don’t have a true grasp as to what general liability insurance really is, much less whether it’s necessary. To save you from some research, we’ll break it down for you. In its simplest terms, commercial general liability insurance safeguards a company from claims that may be filed in the workplace- ranging from personal injury to property damage or potential negligence, and covers the financial obligations that can stem from these claims. In the event of a lawsuit filed a ...