FAQs

That's easy! Just call us or click over to our business insurance quote page for a free business insurance quote. 

No. We provide quotes for all our insurance products with no obligation and absolutely free of charge!

Generally speaking, yes. Whether you're truly liable for the claims against you or not, a business insurance policy covers you for any damages awarded against you up to the policy limits. Business insurance also covers you in the event of an out-of-court settlement.  

Some policies also cover the cost of hiring an attorney and other costs related to defending yourself in court. However, it's important to note that a standard business insurance policy won't cover suits arising from discrimination or harassment. For these, you need an "Employment Practices Liability Policy." 

Specific business insurance products include: 

• Commercial Auto
• Commercial Property
• Small Business
• Property and Umbrella
• Worker's Compensation

Yes. Operating any kind of business-even a one-person operation-isn't advisable.  

The following isn't an all-inclusive list but provides a fair overview of coverages for which you can use business insurance. For specific questions regarding business coverages, contact our offices: 

• Buildings and renovations
• Machinery
• Furniture
• Supplies
• Equipment
• Money
• Records and documents
• Automobiles, including passenger vehicles and industrial trucks
• Construction equipment
• Signs, fences, and other similar items
• Intellectual properties (e.g., patents, trademarks, etc.)

Relying on your homeowner's policy to cover losses to your home office is a dicey proposition. Homeowner's policies aren't meant for this kind of coverage, and they generally cap property losses at specific amounts.  

If you've made significant investments in computers, fax machines, telephones, file cabinets, etc., you could easily reach and exceed your homeowner's limits in the event of an unforeseen catastrophe. Even if you're a one-person business operating out of the home, it's a good idea to have a separate business insurance policy. Plus, your homeowner's policy won't provide any business liability coverage. 

A Business Owners Policy (BOP) is a type of specialized policy for small-to-medium-sized businesses combining different coverages into a single policy. Sometimes referred to as a small business package insurance policy, BOP's can significantly reduce premiums. Call or email us today to find out if your business qualifies for a BOP. 

This depends on the size and type of your business. If you own your business as a sole proprietor, you and your spouse can be named primary beneficiaries. If your company is a corporation, officers, directors, and others associated with the company can also be named beneficiaries. It's important to note, however, that BOP coverage only applies to business-related activities. 

Generally speaking, the following types of businesses are best suited for small business package insurance: 

• Accountants
• Repair shops
• Bakeries
• Dentists
• Physicians
• Funeral homes
• Hair salons/nail salons
• Laundry mats
• Drycleaners
• Law firms
• Locksmiths
• Print shops
• Shoe, watch, clock, and jewelry repair shops

Business umbrella insurance is a type of supplemental coverage that provides reimbursement when you reach the payout limits of standard business insurance policies. Business umbrella insurance works similarly to personal umbrella insurance in that, it reimburses you when other policies aren't sufficient to cover your losses. 

Umbrella insurance provides supplementary coverage to standard policies in the event of: 

• Business-related, personal injury, or property damage claims, arising from negligence by you or anyone legally representing your business
• Business-related, personal injury, or property damage claims, arising from an accident caused by hazards on your property
• Business-related liability claims against you, for events occurring on or off your property
• Business-related liability claims against you, related to an accident in a company-owned vehicle
• Business-related liability claims against you for slander, libel, wrongful eviction, and/or false arrest
• Business umbrella insurance can also cover legal costs associated with defending yourself in court.

Because each business and circumstance is different, it's impossible to provide a one-size-fits-all estimate, regarding how much coverage businesses should carry. That said, the typical Umbrella policy provides reimbursement between $1 and $10 million in liability damages. 

Worker's compensation insurance protects your business if an employee suffers a job-related injury or illness. It covers medical expenses and lost wages for sick or injured workers. If you don't have workers' compensation insurance, your business might be obligated to cover those expenses. 

In most states, all regular employees must be covered by some form of workers' compensation. Depending on what state you do business in, failure to provide workers' compensation to applicable employees can result in significant fines, prohibition from public-works jobs, and other, potentially crippling penalties.  

It can. The National Insurance Services Office (ISO) ranks each local fire department on the quality and potential effectiveness of their firefighting capabilities. The ISO ranking is formally known as the Public Protection Class (PPC). The PPC uses a scale of 1 (highest ranking) to 10 (lowest ranking) to rate each facility. 

Home insurance providers commonly use the PPC score in conjunction with a home's distance from the nearest responding Fire Station to determine policy rates.  Some providers might even decline coverage based on the PPC score and related factors. 

The answer to this question will determine how much insurance coverage you require. The following questions will help you estimate rebuilding costs: 

* What are the rates charged by local contractors? 

* How many square feet is your home? 

* How many bathrooms do you have? 

* How many other rooms do you have? 

* Is your home's exterior built of brick, stone, veneer, or frame? 

* What type of roof does your home have? 

* How many floors is your home? 

* What special features does your home have (e.g., attached garage, fireplace, arched windows, etc.)? 

* What is the quality level of your home's materials and finishes? 

We recommend estimating your home's value each year. 

* Know local building codes - These change with varying frequency from the community to community. If an unforeseen event requires you to rebuild, you'll want to make sure you rebuild everything in compliance with local code. Failure to do so could be extremely costly. 

* Don't insure at market value - Rebuilding costs could significantly exceed your home's market value or the amount you paid for it (they could also fall below these values). 

* Have enough coverage for your mortgage and for rebuilding - your lender may only require you to cover the mortgage amount. However, you should also consider the cost of rebuilding when deciding on coverage amounts. 

* Increase your policy limits - If you enhance your home's value, add a room, upgrade your flooring, upgrade your roof, or make any other change to your home that significantly increases its value, it's imperative to also increase your coverage amounts. 

* Full replacement coverage - This kind of coverage reimburses you the full amount required to replace your property, regardless of age or depreciation. 

* Actual cash value coverage - This type of coverage subtracts the amount of depreciation from the replacement cost of new items. 

A deductible is a dollar amount you're responsible for paying in the event of a covered claim.  Deductibles are agreed upon in the terms of the policy, on the declarations page. After you file a covered claim, you're obligated to pay the portion that's up to the amount of the deductible. For example, if your claim is worth $3,600 and your deductible is $500, insurance will pay $3,100 of the claim. You pay $500.

If the covered loss was valued at $475, you would be responsible for the full amount, with no insurance payment.  Deductible payments do not accumulate across multiple claims.  For example, if you file a claim in January, you will owe a $500 deductible. If you filed another claim in March, you would again be responsible for $500.  In the $475 example above, your payment of the full claim has no impact on the deductible you'll owe on your next claim: $500. 

Yes. The three most common deductible types for homeowner's policies are: 

1. Flat - A flat deductible is a set dollar amount owed for each covered claim. The $500 example above is a flat deductible. 

2. Percent - With this type of deductible, the policyholder selects a percentage of the house's dwelling coverage to pay as the deductible. For example, if you have $200,000 in dwelling coverage and a 2.5% deductible, you'd owe $5,000 for each covered claim. 

3. Split - A split deductible uses a combination of percent and flat deductibles depending on the loss type. For instance, the policy might specify that, in the event of a wind and hail-damage claim, a percent deductible will apply.  For all other loss types, a flat deductible might apply. 

The higher your deductible amount, the less you pay in premium. The lower the deductible amount, the more you pay in premium. It's important to select a deductible amount you reasonably believe you can pay. Keep in mind, too, that if you have more than one claim in a short time, you'll have to pay that deductible amount for each separate claim.  

Yes. A certain amount of liability coverage is automatically built into most homeowner's policies.  Homeowner's liability shields you against loss and or injury to other people you are legally ordered to pay. If your dog bit your neighbor, for example, your liability coverage would cover the cost of medical expenses, any lost wages arising from missed work time, etc.  Your liability coverage would also help cover your legal fees in the event you're sued for a claim against you. 

It's not inconceivable that the liability portion of your homeowner's policy could hit its payout limits in the event of a serious claim against you. This is especially true if you were sued by someone claiming you caused their loss or injury. If you lost the suit, the award could easily exceed the payout limits of your normal homeowner's policy, potentially devastating your finances. 

This is when a Personal Umbrella Insurance Policy would be extremely useful.

Personal umbrella insurance supplements your existing homeowner's policy and begins paying when you reach the payout limits on the standard policy. 

Standard homeowner's policies provide only limited coverage for jewelry and other personal belongings. Therefore, you might want to invest in jewelry coverage and/or personal articles floater.

Yes. Taking an inventory, including photographs, is always a good idea. In the event of a covered claim, you'll be able to more effectively catalog and estimate your losses. Some providers even offer forms to make the process of inventorying your stuff easier. Talk to your provider about it. 

You'll need to purchase the appropriate coverages to receive this kind of reimbursement. Such coverage will reimburse you for housing, food, and other expenses within the limits established by the policy. 

Standard homeowner's policies typically cover losses arising from: 

* Fire 

* Lightning 

* Tornadoes 

* Windstorms 

* Hail 

* Explosions 

* Smoke 

* Vandalism 

* Theft 

The following types of events aren't covered by standard homeowner's policies and require separate policies: 

* Earthquakes 

* Flooding 

* Nuclear accidents 

* Warfare 

Yes. Most homeowner's policies will cover this kind of event.

If you add rooms to your home or other additions or make a significant purchase (e.g., jewelry, computer equipment, etc.), it's a good idea to review your policy and consider modifying your coverages.

There are several measures you can take to lower your premiums: 

* Install window locks and deadbolt door locks. 

* Install an alarm system, including outside coverage, that connects directly to your local police department. 

* Install smoke detectors and keep them properly maintained and functional. 

* Install inside fire-suppression sprinklers. 

* Install a fire alarm that sends an alert directly to your responding firehouse. 

* Stop smoking. 

* Bundle your homeowner's insurance with other policies (e.g., auto) from the same provider 

You might have heard the old saying that "the past is the prelude to the future." In the insurance business, this axiom is taken seriously.  Statistics show that your loss claims history is a strong predictor of your future claims. Therefore, your claims history is considered when a provider calculates your premiums. Your claims history can also be used to deny coverage entirely. 

In the event, you're denied coverage, or your rates are negatively impacted by your claims history, the Federal Fair Reporting Act (FCRA) obligates the provider to send you an FCRA notice.

This notice will include information for contacting the consumer reporting agency that gave the provider your claims history information. You can then contact that agency to verify the information in your report and correct any mistakes.  

We can help you with that. We shop our various partner providers to help find you the most-comprehensive coverage possible at the lowest possible rates. What are your insurance needs? Talk to us about it and we'll help you find maximum coverages at minimum prices. 

Different policies provide various coverage levels, so this will largely depend on the policy you purchase. If you've made significant investments in aftermarket customizations to your bike, you'll want to be sure they're all covered. 

Your helmet and leather riding clothes and jacket should all have accidental-damage coverage under your policy. However, most policies don't provide theft coverage for safety apparel. 

Some companies will provide first-accident waivers for certain customers with otherwise clean driving records. Ask us about first-accident waivers when we start shopping for motorcycle coverage for you. 

Yes. Depending on your situation and how often you ride, you might want to consider increasing your liability limits. These limits shield you in case you're cited as having caused an accident. Many riders opt to carry the same liability limits they carry on their automobile.

Many of the same discounts available for auto-insurance coverage apply to motorcycle coverage. For example, your motorcycle's make, model, and age have an impact on rates. Before you buy a new or used cycle, call us first. We'll give you comparison quotes for the various makes, models, and model years you're considering.   

Riders can also lower their rates by bundling other policies with the same insurance provider.    

Maintaining a safe riding and driving record is another effective way to lower premiums. Most providers will reward riders with lower premiums for going a certain number of years without having an accident. 

Being accident-free in your regular vehicle can also impact your motorcycle rates.   

You can also slightly lower your premium by paying an entire six-month coverage period at once, as opposed to paying it monthly.   

You can also raise your deductible amount. The more you choose to pay out of pocket for a future claim, the less you will pay in premium.   

Getting older-especially in the absence of serious accidents or citations-will also automatically reduce your rates over time.    

Beyond these most common ways to lower motorcycle insurance rates, several providers also offer various company-specific discounts. To find out what unique discounts your provider might offer, give them a call.

Yes. Most companies offer optional roadside assistance in case your bike breaks down on the road. Generally speaking, this coverage adds relatively little expense to the overall premium. We can help you find reasonably-priced Roadside Assistance coverage through one of our various partner companies. Ask us about it.