What Is Full Coverage Car Insurance?

A lot people use the term full coverage when describing the amount of car insurance they desire. I have found that full coverage can mean different things to different people. Let’s review what full coverage car insurance looks like.Quick caveat: Every situation is different and as an insured, you assume some financial risk with the use of deductibles and different policy limits, but with that said, here are the main coverage’s to consider for full coverage:

Car Insurance Claim

Liability

This is what the State of Washington requires you to have. If you cause an accident and people are hurt, you could be held legally responsible for medical costs for everyone involved. The state minimums are 25,000 per person/$50,000 per occurrence with $10,000 property damage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist

Washington State requires that drivers have insurance, but not everyone obeys the law. If a driver with minimum or no insurance runs into you, you could be left paying the bill. Uninsured motorist fills in that gap.

Medical Payments/PIP

This coverage can help pay for some of your medical costs or funeral expenses if you or anyone in your vehicle is injured in an accident. This coverage also applies if you are a pedestrian struck by a car.

Collision

Collision coverage pays for damage to your car if you collide with another car or something else such as a tree or building. Typically, a deductible paid by the insured applies. The lower your deductible is, the more expensive your premium, and vice versa.

Comprehensive

Comprehensive coverage generally pays for damage to your car cause by something other than a collision, such as theft, storm damage or a rock chip to a windshield. Hitting an animal like a deer is also covered by Comprehensive.

Rental Car

Rental car coverage is triggered by a collision accident. We often are asked if rental car kicks in when someone’s car breaks down, but unfortunately it is not.

Towing

Towing is an important but often over-looked coverage. It is very inexpensive to add to your policy, and it covers not only towing, but refueling, jump-stars, tire changes and lockouts. So to summarize, it is important to review your car insurance policy at least annually to make sure you have all the coverage’s you thought you had. The last thing you want is to hit a deer and find out that it is not covered because you declined comprehensive.

To learn more about full coverage car insurance or to get a quote please call Matt Elwood at 360-452-9200 or visit his Allstate Agency Website at www.allstate.com/mattelwood

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Financial Procrastination

Financial Procrastination

It is human nature to procrastinate. I even procrastinated writing this month’s newsletter! It is so much easier to put off for tomorrow that which needs to be done today. After all, does it really make a difference if I clean my room now or tomorrow? Probably not, but when it comes to financial procrastination putting things off until tomorrow can have a dramatic impact. The problem is that tomorrow never comes. Days turn in to weeks, weeks into months and months into years. Financial speaking, you may miss out on years of compounding interest, pay higher insurance premiums or miss out on years of savings as a result of procrastinating. Whatever your situation may be, here is a list of common items I see clients delaying action on:

Bundling Your Insurance

By bundling your auto, home and life insurance with Allstate, you save more on each policy. Depending on your situation, you could be save 30-40% with multiple policy discounts.

Rolling Over An Old 401K

Have you changed employers in the past 5 years or longer? If so, you may have a 401K sitting at an old employer that is not actively being managed for your benefit. You have the option to roll that 401K into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), often with lower fees and more investment options.

Buying Life Insurance

A lot of people consider life insurance a luxury. I consider it a necessity, especially if you have people that depend on you financially. Allstate just came out with a new term life insurance policy that requires no exam, ages 18-45. With the convenience of doing the application over the phone and signing via email, now is a great time to get that policy your family needs.

Exploring LTC Insurance

There are over 10,000 people turning age 65 everyday is this country. The cost of health care is constantly increasing. If you have ever had an experience with a loved one that needed Long Term Care, you know that it can cost on average $6,000/mo. For a fraction of that cost you can get an LTC policy that will provide care if needed and protect your retirement nest egg at the same time.

There Is No Time Like The Present

These are just a few of the many financial topics that people tend to put off. Did any of them resonate with you? Did you think of something not mentioned here? If there is something on your financial to-do list that you would like me to help you check off, please reply to this email or give me a call at the agency 360-452-9200.

Want more information? Please visit Matt Elwood - Allstate Insurance to get more information on the Allstate products and services I can offer in Port Angeles, Sequim or anywhere Washington State. 

 

Why You Need Two Umbrellas Living In Port Angeles

Two Umbrellas

It has been said that summer doesn’t start around here until after July 4th. Too bad it only lasts through Labor Day! Living on the Olympic Peninsula, the need for a good umbrella to shield you from the rain is almost year-round. However, the need for a Personal Umbrella Policy (PUP) to shield you from lawsuits is constant.

Your nightmare

Here is the worst case scenario: It is raining out, your car skids and side-swipes an on-coming car causing an accident with a doctor and his wife aboard. The wife is killed and the doctor is hurt so badly that he will never be able to work again. A jury awards him millions of dollars and you are liable. Even though you have great limits of liability on your auto and homeowners policy of $500,000, the lawyers continue to go after your home, life savings and even garnish your future income until the full amount is paid. To protect you from one of these lawsuits, we recommend a PUP. A PUP is excess liability coverage over your current car and home policies. PUPs take care of the liability for the lawsuits and medical bills of the auto accident victim or any other situation where you become legally obligated to pay. The great thing is that PUPs also pay for the cost of lawyers and other legal expenses. Whether lawsuits are valid or not, you wind up having to defend yourself against them. In situations like these, it is great to have Allstate on your side with a Personal Umbrella Policy. There are countless examples of claims we see that reach the liability thresholds of traditional auto and homeowners insurance policies. No one is immune to these types of situations and they could happen at any time. Don’t leave yourself financially exposed.

Your Solution

Allstate offers a range of coverage amounts from $1 million increments up to a maximum limit of $5 million. They cost as low as $15 per month and that is truly money well spent. Call us today at 360-452-9200 to see if this policy might be right for you.

Want more information? Please visit Matt Elwood - Allstate Insurance to get more information on the Allstate products and services I can offer in Port Angeles, Sequim or anywhere Washington State. 

No Exam Life Insurance from Allstate

Now it’s quick and easy to take life insurance off your to-do list. Allstate has recently come out with a new life insurance policy called Basic Term.  The great thing for you is that they have taken the hassles with getting life insurance away!

Simplified Underwriting

Basic term is a simplified issue product that requires no exam. That’s right, no nurse coming to your home to prick you with a needle or make you pee in a cup. The policy is issued depending on answers to health questions on the application. What’s even cooler is that this can be completed over the phone and signed via email. This saves time, energy and money. In addition, there are three simple database checks used to determine eligibility.  These are the Medical Information Bureau (MIB), the Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) and the Prescription Database Check. The approval or decline decision is given within days instead of weeks.

There are four Basic Term underwriting classes with two Tobacco and two Non-tobacco classes. The issue ages for this product are 18-45. This is great news for young families who are too busy to sit down and go through the traditional life insurance application process.

Product Specifics

All Basic Term policies are issued as 15-year level term, with the option to convert to a permanent policy at a later date.  Allstate offers three different face amounts to choose from: $50,000, $100,000 and $150,000. Your premium will remain the same and will not increase for the term of your policy. If your situation requires more insurance or for a longer period of time, you can still qualify for those products with a traditional life insurance exam.

Spread The Word

We are very excited to announce this product in conjunction with our Auto/Life Discount. For more information or to get a quote, please contact Matt at 360-452-9200.

Want more information? Please visit Matt Elwood - Allstate Insurance to get more information on the Allstate products and services I can offer in Port Angeles, Sequim or anywhere Washington State. 

Life Insurance From Your Employer

My biggest responsibility as an Allstate agent is to provide financial security to all of my clients. What does financial security mean? To me, it means protecting everything you own as well as the people you love. Most people think of Allstate for their home and auto insurance, but usually not life insurance. Life insurance tends to be ignored, delayed or purchased at work. Commonly, people say they have life insurance through work. While that is a great starting point, it can leave some major gaps in your planning. Here are a few reasons why.

Employee discussion on life insurance

Salary Multiple

The amount of life insurance offered in an employer setting tends to be only 1-2x salary. This is vastly inadequate considering the average family needs 8-10x salary.

Do you and your spouse have life insurance outside of your employers, equal to at least 8x your salary?

Portability

Group life insurance from your employer is only good while you work there. It is not portable – meaning if you decide to quit, retire or get laid-off you lose your insurance. In this economy, that can be a real concern. On the other hand, your own individual policy stays with you for as long as you pay the premium.

Cost

Life insurance at work is usually more expensive assuming you are in good health and could qualify for your own policy. Think about it this: if an insurance company has to guarantee insurance to everyone in a group they have to raise rates to account for the less healthy.

If you are in good health, purchasing life insurance on your own can be more affordable and you can take it with you no matter what happens with your current job.

I am not against group life insurance from your employer because it can be a great starting point, especially if your boss is paying for it. However, individual life insurance tends to be better solution. What’s even better is that Allstate just came out with their Auto/Life Discount for customers with both auto and life insurance. Contact me to see how much you can save!

Want more information? Please visit Matt Elwood - Allstate Insurance to get more information on the Allstate products and services I can offer in Port Angeles, Sequim or anywhere Washington State. 

What Is The Best Age To Buy Long-Term Care Insurance?

Couple considering when to buy LTC Insurance

By now you understand that having Long-Term Care insurance is a good idea, but when the heck are you suppose to buy it? Boomers get inundated with financial advice everywhere they turn. Depending on what time of the day it is you will get a different answer on the best time to buy LTC insurance.

Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey says the best time to buy is after age 60. In Dave’s cost comparison example, he illustrates how it is cheaper to buy LTC at age 50 than it is at age 60. This is of course true. However, his premise that if you wait to buy at age 60 and invest the difference you will come out ahead is not always true. Even if you had the discipline to invest the difference, (which most people don’t) doing so in the stock market gave you a whopping 1.2% average from 2000-2009. I’m not sure where you can get the 5% he talks about these days. Given interest rates and returns of other investment vehicles, you are probably losing money when considering inflation. I do, however, agree with his second point that it is a personal decision and that you should buy it when you can afford it and have peace of mind.

Matt Elwood

I say the best time to buy Long-Term Care insurance is when you can reasonably afford it. There is no magical age when it comes to buying insurance. If you know you need it and you can reasonably afford it, you should buy it. Insurance is meant to provide financial protection from a risk you can’t afford happening without it.

Is It Time For You?

If you would like to have a personal discussion about your Long-Term Care needs, please reach out to me at 360-452-9200

Want more information? Please visit Matt Elwood - Allstate Insurance to get more information on the Allstate products and services I can offer in Port Angeles, Sequim or anywhere Washington State.