Allstate's Good Hands Roadside Assistance

Have you ever been stranded on the side of the road or locked out with no one to call? Now there’s an answer, with all the benefits of AAA without an annual premium or any membership fees.

Allstate's Good Hands Roadside Assistance

Introducing Good Hands Roadside from Allstate. It’s free and available to all people, not just Allstate customers. You can be a lifetime member, only paying if you ever use it. We only dispatch reputable service providers, and you pay Allstate the fee via a secure credit card transaction. No more giving your credit card to the shady stranger on the side of the road.

Services and Costs

If you need a tow, it is $75.00 for the first 10 miles of towing; $3.00 per additional mile. It is $50.00 for lockouts, jump-starts, tire changes, and fuel delivery up to 3 gallons.

Register Now

Register now at Matt Elwood's Allstate site. Registering allows us to get you the help you need more quickly because we’ll have your key information on file. It takes less than two minutes to register and you’ll receive a free welcome package by mail.

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. 

Port Angeles Ambassadors

Port Angeles Ambassadors

I would like to highlight a group I recently joined, The Port Angeles Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are a committee of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce. Our mission is to celebrate and promote businesses in Port Angeles.

Ambassadors

Founded in 1997, the group has now grown to 22 active members. While membership in the Port Angeles Region C.O.C. is required to be an ambassador, businesses who want a ribbon cutting do not have the same requirement. The Ambassadors are active several times a month performing ribbon cuttings, ground-breaking ceremonies, grand or re-openings and other business milestones. Pictured here is a recent ribbon cutting for ACTI Composites done in January 2012.

ACTI Composite Building Jan 2012

Other Ambassador activities include greeting members at the weekly chamber meeting, held every Monday at Noon at the Crab House, assisting at the monthly Business Spotlight Night and even doing Cruise Ship greetings in conjunction with the Chamber and the Port Angeles Downtown Association. The Ambassadors are a positive group of people who are enthusiastic about business in Port Angeles. I am proud to be a part of the group and look forward to future events promoting P.A. businesses.

Donna Pacheco

I would like to thank current Ambassador Chair, Donna Pacheco, for all her efforts with the group. Donna maintains the Ambassador’s Facebook page, organizes our events and runs our monthly lunch. In addition to her Ambassador efforts, Donna is Advertising and Promotions Coordinator for Lumber Traders Inc, a local employee-owned company which operates two well-known stores Angeles Mill Work and Hartnagels . If you would like more information on joining the Ambassadors or having them attend one of your events, please call the Chamber at 360-452-2363.

Knowledge is power

Sign up for Matt's monthly insurance newsletter and he will share with you how to better protect your family, save more money and achieve financial security.

Eight Tips To Remember Before Your Life Insurance Exam

Your diet and behavior before your life insurance exam may affect the results and ultimately how much you end up paying. The better underwriting class you qualify for, the cheaper your policy will be.

Here are eight tips to remember before your life insurance exam.

1. Schedule your exam for the morning time after a good night’s rest. 2. Avoid drinking coffee or anything with caffeine the day of your exam. 3. Avoid strenuous exercise 12-24 hours before your exam. This will allow your body to fully recover and get your vitals back to normal. 4. When it comes to alcohol, we all know that moderation is best. Just make sure you moderate at least a day before your exam so your liver enzymes don’t go off the chart. 5. Drink lots of water. Not only is it good for you and helps flush your body, but your exam will most likely include a urine test so you will need to be able ‘to go’ when asked. 6. The insurance company is going to want to review your medical records as part of the application. Prepare a list of your health history and doctors including name, address and phone numbers. The more information you can provide, the quicker your application will be processed. 7. Nicotine is stimulant so if you do smoke, hold off until the exam is completed to light up that first drag of the day. 8. Make sure your exam is confirmed. Your agent and examiner should do this as well, but nothing is more frustrating than confusion as to the date and time of the exam. If you live in a gated community, apartment complex or any other area with special access instructions or hard to find roads, notify your agent and/or examiner when making the appointment.

Life Insurance exam

Fasting

You may also be wondering whether or not you should fast before your exam? I have heard varying opinions, but if it were me, I would fast the night before. If you do feel the need to eat, just make sure it is light and easily digestible.

These tips along, with a healthy lifestyle, will ensure you getting a better outcome with your next life insurance exam. If it has been a while since you reviewed your life insurance or are considering it for the first time, please give me shout.

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. 

Holiday Gift Idea: A New Car From Michele Robbins Of Wilder Auto

December is the time for holidays and what a better gift to give than a new car? Your loving spouse has been driving that old beat up car for long enough. It is time to visit Wilder Auto in Port Angeles and have Michele Robbins show you what they have in stock.

Michele Robbins

Wilder Auto Group

Michele is a great person to buy a car from because she has a ton of experience and she truly cares about her clients. She has helped several happy customers buy new cars this year. Michele is constantly being recognized on Wilder’s Twitter feed for her recent sales, along with the other members of the Wilder team.

Wilder Auto

Wilder is a well-known auto dealer in Port Angeles, WA and has served the community for decades. Wilder’s lineup includes Honda, Toyota, Scion, Nissan, Jeep, Volkswagen and they even sell RV’s. That old clunker you have been driving around may be worth a little more in trade-in value than you think. Special deals and financing are going on right now. Even Santa can’t compete with a new car so head over the Wilder Auto and see what kind of deal Michele can make!

What About Insurance?

Want an estimate on what this new car will do to your car insurance? Give us a call at the number below and we can help you out.

Knowledge is power

Sign up for Matt's monthly insurance newsletter and he will share with you how to better protect your family, save more money and achieve financial security.

Six Reasons To Consider Buying Long Term Care Insurance

By now it is no surprise to you that our nation is aging. Baby Boomers are the largest segment of our population. With over 10,000 people currently turning age 65 every day, more and more people need Long-Term Care services. However, given these staggering numbers, Long-Term Care insurance is still a major gap in most people’s financial plans. Here are six reasons why you should consider buying LTC Insurance.

1.      You are in good Health

If you are in good health now in your 50’s or 60’s there is a good chance you will live into your 80’s and 90’s thus increasing the chances of needed Long-Term Care. Take advantage now of the good health discounts available while you still can.

2.       Emotional Toll

If you’ve had a personal experience with someone that needed LTC, you know the emotional toll it can bring. Without insurance, you may have to rely on your children or other family to take care of you. Would you really want to put them through that?

LTC Insurance not included

3.       The Government will not pay for LTC

Medicare only pays for a short period of time, usually not past 100 days. The government knows they can’t afford to pay for this given the other entitlement programs already in place. That is why they are giving tax advantages to buying long term care.

4.       Rising Costs

If you think it is too expensive then wait until you have to pay for it without Insurance. When it comes to cost of care, Washington State is higher than the national average. In a recent study by Genworth Financial titled “2010 Cost of Care Survey” the median cost for LTC Home care in Washington State is $49,695 versus the national median of $43,472. Care in a nursing home is even higher.

5.       It Won’t Happen To Me

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 7 out of 10 people reaching age 65 will need Long-Term Care services at some point in their lives. That is pretty sobering considering the odds of using your auto and home insurance.

6.       Home is where the heart Is

The thought of going to a nursing home is not a pleasant one. In fact, most people would rather remain in their home. And that is exactly what LTC insurance provides. It allows you the freedom and money to chose where you want to receive care and that includes your home.

If you would like to discuss your own personal situation or would like a Long-Term Care insurance quote, please reply or call 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.