auto – Susman

November 14, 2016

So Little Time

Wake. Workout. Eat. Shower. Coffee. Makeup. Hair. Coffee. Clothes. Drive. Coffee. Work, Work, Work, Work. Eat. Work, Work, Work, Work. Drive. Eat. Makeup. Hair. Clothes. Drive. Socialize. Eat. Drive. Sleep. REPEAT. (sometimes I forget about the whole eating and sleeping thing)

That is just a ‘normal’ day. That doesn’t include my to-do list.

Life is full of schedules, activities, appointments, routines – and then some. If you are like me, then you know that slowing down is not an option. I am working hard to build a career for myself and attempt to have something that resembles a social and love life. I don’t have time to stop and a read bunch of paperwork or add additional appointments to my schedule. I don’ want to be bogged down with information that is overly technical and that doesn’t give me exactly what I need in a few short bullet points or paragraphs. When I need to get something done, I want to do it in the most effective and efficient manner possible. Time is the most precious commodity. MY most precious commodity. I don’t want it wasted.

When it comes to purchasing an insurance policy, I need to know that whether it is for auto, home, earthquake insurance, flood insurance, jewelry, renters, condo, house, life, or health insurance the entire process with be efficient, knowledgeable, and straight to the point. With our business, online, over the phone, or in person – purchasing the insurance YOU need insurance has never been easier. There are numerous methods to find quotes and purchase inventory – online, over the phone, thru an app, and even in person (GASP!). With so many options, there really isn’t a time excuse. You can choose what will best fit in to your schedule. I mean, I can choose what will best fit in to my schedule.

I know the importance of having the proper insurance coverage, which means I also know I need to make the time to get it!

I am busy. You are busy. Let Susman Insurance Agency do the work for you, so you can use your time for that crazy-busy schedule.

November 4, 2016

Discounts Everywhere

Do you like discounts? I know I do! In fact, I don’t now anyone that doesn’t like to save money! There are numerous factors that can determine the type of discounts you are eligible to receive on your car insurance. Your gender, age, location, and driving record are the most common discounts that most of us either know about, hear about, and/or currently receive. However, the majority of us out there have no idea how many other discounts are available – and if we don’t know about them, then we can’t ask about them, and then we can’t receive them!

You can potentially get discounts for – age, gender, location, driving record, driving training courses, multiple vehicles, policy bundling, being a good student, maintaining low mileage, having a low-risk profession, having a public service career, holding a degree in a specifc occupation, have memberships to auto clubs, credit unions, alumni organizations ( and more), bing in the military, being a federal employee, paying your policy in full – and SO MUCH MORE.

That is nowhere near an all encompassing list of potential discounts. Speak to your insurance agent as soon as possible and see how much money you could be saving with all these “hidden” discounts!

October 31, 2016

Keeping Your Home Safe

Our previous blog was about protecting and keeping your children safe on Halloween. There is something else you need to keep safe as well – your home. Whether you stay home to h and-out c andy or join your kids in the neighborhood, you still need to take steps to keep you home out of harm’s way as much as you can. It is unfortunate that property crime increases on Halloween, but you can still try to decreases the incidences.

Start by reviewing your insurance. You want to make sure you are covered in the event of v andalism or burglary – the two mist popular crimes on Halloween. If something happens, you will want that policy to be updated well in advance. You also want to review your car insurance policy. If you park your car outside, it is worth it to make sure you are protected from v andalism to your vehicle.

Don’t turn-off all your lights. Some people do this to let other know they aren’t h anding out c andy. Other do it when they leave to take the kids out. Either way, leave a light and television on to make people think someone is home. A couple of rings of the doorbell might be annoying, but not as much as a break-in would be. Yes – break-ins happen all the time on Halloween, because there are so many people walking around that hardly anyone notices what is going on. KEEP LIGHTS ON!

Stay off of social media. Announcing where you will be and when gives criminals the perfect opportunity to find you or your empty home.

We hope you have a safe and happy night!

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October 16, 2015

Gap Car Insurance: Do You Need It?

What is gap car insurance and how do you know whether you really need it? Gap car insurance, like many other types of insurance isn’t necessarily required. That is to say that you can certainly purchase a new car without gap car insurance; however, you could be leaving yourself open for some losses if you don’t purchase it. Read on for more tips to better underst and whether you need gap car insurance or you can skip it.

Gap car insurance covers the difference between the market value of your car and your loan amount. Aren’t the two the same, you might ask. Not necessarily. You see, the moment you drive your car off the lot it depreciates, or loses value, immediately and quite significantly. Let’s say you purchase a new car and pay $25,000 for it. On average a car will depreciate at least 20% right after it leaves the dealership. That means your br and new car is now worth only $20,000. What happens if you have an accident soon after the purchase? Even if you have full insurance coverage, including comprehensive and collision, your insurance policy will still only cover the market value of the car. Unfortunately, even though the market value and insurance policy are now worth only $20,000 you still owe in the neighborhood of $25,000 for the car. Without gap car insurance you’ll be stuck covering that additional $5,000 on your own.

Be aware that not all gap car insurance policies are the same and this is important. For example, some gap car insurance policies will cover losses due to theft and accidents but not all so be sure to ask questions regarding specifically what is covered in the policy before you take it.

Usually, gap car insurance is a good idea if you are about to purchase a new car and are concerned that you wouldn’t be able to cover the difference between the market value and the amount that would be cover by the C&C policy. Be aware that gap insurance is not available for older vehicles in most cases.

While you’re certainly not required to take out gap car insurance by your lender or the dealer, it can help you to rest easier in knowing you won’t be stuck owing thous ands of dollars on a totaled car in the event that you suffer an accident or theft shortly after the purchase.

It is also important to underst and that if you finance your car through the dealership you can usually take out gap car insurance at the time of the purchase; however, you’ll probably end up paying more for the policy than if you simply took it out with your regular auto insurance agent.

Before taking out gap car insurance, always be sure to check your existing policy to find out whether gap insurance might already be contained within that policy. You never know, it might not necessary to purchase an additional policy at all. If it’s not included, give some thought to whether the price of the gap insurance would be worth the trade-off of not having to worry if you have an accident and can’t afford to pay the difference between market value and coverage amount with a regular policy.

March 10, 2015

Auto Insurance 101 Explained

Auto insurance can be confusing for most consumers; there are so many different types of insurance and it can be difficult to determine the type of coverage you’re required to carry versus the types of coverage that you really should carry in order to protect yourself but that are not required.

When considering how much car insurance you should have, it is best to do some research and find out what type of insurance is required by the state in which you reside. Not all states require the same levels of insurance. Some states require more types of coverage than others and states also vary in terms of the amount of coverage that is required. So, be sure you know exactly what the minimums are in the state where you live.

You should also underst and what is covered by the different types of insurance in order to underst and whether you need insurance coverage above and beyond the minimum required by your state of residence.

Bodily injury liability covers injuries that you cause to someone else while driving your vehicle. Generally the rule of thumb for this type of coverage is to purchase more than is required by your state minimums in order to protect your private assets from a law suit in the event that you injure someone.

Medical payments or personal injury protection, commonly known as PIP covers the treatment of injuries for the driver and the passengers of the vehicle. Depending on the level of coverage, this type of policy will compensate lost wages as well as medical payments.

Collision covers any damage that occurs to your vehicle in the event of an accident, even if it is your fault. Of course, a deductible will apply. Your lender will generally require this type of coverage while you still owe on the vehicle.

Comprehensive coverage is for the loss of your vehicle due to damage by something other than a collision such as theft, fire, natural disaster, v andalism, etc. Again, your lender will probably require this coverage for a financed vehicle. Once your loan is paid off, it’s up to you whether you want to continue carrying comprehensive and collision coverage.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can come in h andy in the event that you are either involved in a hit and run or if you are hit by someone who does not have insurance or who is underinsured.

When considering how much insurance to take out, start with the amount that is required at a minimum by your state and then consider whether you’re required to take out any additional coverage due to lender requirements. Remember that while we all hope we won’t have a need for insurance, in the event that we do, it can be a financial lifesaver.

Finally, don’t forget to consider your options regarding deductibles. Raising your deductible can help you lower your premiums and that can make taking out additional insurance coverage more affordable. Just be sure you can reasonably afford the deductible in the event you need to use it.

March 9, 2015

Auto Insurance – which one?

Auto insurance is often a sticky subject. Everyone feels like they’re paying too much to insure their car, and wants to know how to get their premiums down. It’s an industry that really lacks an effective way to make price comparisons, leading many people to switch every few years the way they do with credit cards or phone providers.

When you underst and the factors that go into deciding the price you pay for auto insurance, however, you should find it much easier to read the market and use it to your advantage. This article should give you a basic grounding, but whole books have been written on the subject – it’s up to you how much you want to learn.

The most basic thing you need to underst and is that insurance companies don’t decide premiums based on how much they like you, or how much they think you can afford. Insurance is based on one thing, and one thing alone: risk. Every time the insurance company has to pay out for an accident, they keep a record of the amount, and every other factor they can find – the make, age and model of the car, the age and gender of the driver, where they live, how long they have had a license, and so on. There are hundreds of factors.

From this, the insurance companies can build up what is called a ‘risk profile’. This allows them to work out the risk that they will have to pay out to any given person, and how much they would be likely to have to pay, based entirely on past experience. This is why a newly-qualified male driver in his twenties driving a sporty car has to pay so much to get insured – the statistics show that this group is by far the most likely to have an accident.

Once you underst and this system, you can use it to your advantage. Obviously you can’t change who you are, but you can change your car. The make, model and age of your car are three quite important factors in your risk profile, and they’re all open to you to change. It is not difficult to use online insurance quotation tools to find out which cars are pricey in insurance terms, and which ones are cheaper, and use this to help you make buying decisions.

March 4, 2015

Auto Insurance – Which Type Is Right For You?

Auto insurance is a form of insurance available to consumers who own cars, trucks and other vehicles. It covers the insured party against the risks involved in owning or driving a vehicle. This may be a car accident, damage caused to other cars or property, loss to passengers in your car, and damage to your car itself.

Optional Covers

There are different levels of insurance available depending on what risks you wants to cover. You can cover against the costs of repairing your vehicle after an accident. You can cover the cost of purchasing a new car should yours be stolen or damaged beyond repair. These are optional covers.

Liability insurance on the other h and is compulsory for all drivers. This will cover the risk of claims being made against you as the driver or owner of the vehicle that caused damage to the property of another, the vehicle of another, for medical expenses of others injured as a result of an accident, including passengers in your car. If you have liability insurance, it will only cover these risks. If you have comprehensive insurance it will cover also the risks to yourself and your own vehicle.

GAP Insurance

However, even comprehensive insurance will not fully cover your risks. First of all there is the issue that, as soon as you buy a new car, its price suddenly drops significantly because it is no longer new. It is used. So if you were to destroy your car the day after buying it, the insurance company would likely assess the value as something less than what you paid for it, even though you may still owe a good deal more than that in payments and financing.

To cover the chances of this happening, so called GAP insurance was developed. This covers the difference in the actual value of your car, and the amount you still owe in payments. The growth of vehicle leasing has also led to GAP insurance becoming more important.

Extra Cover

In the US, the insurance policy will generally cover the owner of the vehicle and any others who drive the vehicle so long as they do not live at the same address. For those living at the same address, you should have them specifically added to your insurance policy for an extra fee. This means that if you crash someone else’s car, while driving it with their permission, you will be covered by their policy, not your own. Non-owner policies are available to cover you on other people’s cars but these will only be available if you do not own your own car.

March 2, 2015

Auto Insurance – risk your car free

Shopping for auto insurance is the only way to save on the auto insurance. Car Insurance is the perfect solution for your problem on car theft, accidents etc. People are quite dependent on their vehicles and losing a vehicle by an accident or theft will be a financial loss. Moreover it will affect our day to day activities like office, school, doctor’s appointment etc.

Auto Insurance provides property, liability and medical coverage:

• Property coverage pays for damage to or theft of your car.
• Liability coverage pays for your legal responsibility to cover for injury or property damage
• Medical coverage pays for the cost of treating injuries, rehabilitation. It also pays for any lost wages and funeral expenses

A st andard form of auto insurance is a package of different kinds of coverage. Some insurance policies offer number of st andard benefits, while other benefits are available as optional covers in return for an extra premium. Some of the more common Car insurance policy benefits are:

• Windscreen
• Driving other cars
• Medical expenses
• Personal effects
• New car benefits
• Lock replacement

Additional auto Insurance policy services include

• Motoring protection
This service pays for personal injuries that you have sustained from the accident and also we pay for injuries that others might have sustained. This service also covers for any kind of property loss. This service also h andles any legal technicalities.
• Breakdown assistance
This services provides assistance incase your car breakdown and more often than not at a worst possible time. Complete details of these services are available when you get your car insurance quote or renew your policy online.

August 31, 2013

Cherry-Flavored SUV

Working as an insurance agent in Los Angeles, one gets to see some pretty crazy stuff. Like the time I got called out after a guy drove a car into his pool in Malibu; I had to assess both his vehicle and his property for damage. Then there was the night some girl went crazy and knocked the side mirrors off her boyfriend’s truck before breaking out his windshield with a baseball bat; that girl had one wicked swing.

My all-time favorite though was the morning I went out to assess an SUV that had supposedly been involved in some sort of flood. Of course I was immediately suspicious as Southern California isn’t exactly prone to that issue but off I went with my clipboard and camera in tow to follow-up on the claim. I pulled up next to this incredible three-story house, walked up the huge curving driveway and knocked on the door. After a minute, a blond in her mid-forties wearing way too much makeup pulls open the door and flashes me this perfect, bleached smile.

“You must be the insurance man,” she gushed.

“Yes ma’am,” I replied. “I’m here about your SUV.”

“It’s such a mess!” she exclaimed as she stepped outside. “It was just a terrible flood!”

She clicked the garage remote as she spoke and I waited as the door slowly rolled up to reveal a very innocent looking white SUV. From the outside, everything appeared to be perfectly normal. Then she opened the tailgate. Though it was obvious that the upholstery in the car had once been white, it was now tinted with a very vibrant cherry stain. She stepped out of the way, shaking her head at the damage and I moved in for a closer look. It took only an instant to see that the unusual reddish color had not only soaked through the back part of the car, but extended all the way up to the front as well; it had even dyed the creases of the leather seats. I went through the entire car but other than a faint cherry-scented odor and the new interior color, I couldn’t see anything wrong with it.

“You said this happened in a flood?” I asked as I returned to the owner.

“Yes, it was awful!” she exclaimed.

I cleared my throat. “Exactly what kind of flood was it? We haven’t had any rain…” I began but then trailed off. There wasn’t any such thing as cherry-colored rain anyway.

“Oh it wasn’t that kind of a flood,” she explained, with a shake of her head.

“Well, what kind of a flood was it then?” I pressed when she didn’t go on.

“It was punch-mix.”

“Pardon me?” I asked after a moment of silent shock.

“Punch mix,” she repeated as if I was hard of hearing. “Cherry-flavored punch mix.”

“How did cherry punch mix flood your car?” I asked after another minute of surprise.

“It’s what was in the giant inflatable pool that popped. I was parked right next to it.”

I stared down at my clipboard, realizing that I was in for a very long story.

“Ask a stupid question…,” I muttered to myself.

August 26, 2013

Insurance – Another 4 Letter Word?

Yeah, yeah. There are more than 4 letters in the word "insurance" but when you think about it, think really hard, 4 letter words come to mind. Lets face it. If we didn’t have to have insurance, we wouldn’t pay for it. Accidents, fire, disasters don’t happen to us. They happen to other people. Its on the news. Its in the newspapers. Its on the internet. It isn’t here. Not in your life.

Yeah. Right.

Insurance isn’t anything more than legalized gambling. The insurance people know that something will happen to someone sometime. That’s because they use something called an "actuarial table". This is a mathematical formula that shows how often an accident or a disaster happens. And, for what its worth, it shows how often something can happen to you, based on how you live your life.

For instance, if you drive more than 20 miles to work, you have a higher chance of being involved in a motor vehicle accident than someone who lives less than 20 miles to work. Another example is if your parents lived to be older than 75, the chances are, you’ll live to be older than 75. These factors affect how much you have to pay for automotive insurance and life insurance.

But, insurance is one of those "facts of life". We have to have it even though the odds are we may not ever need it. You drive safe. You are young and healthy. Your home is in a good place. You work hard and are a productive member of society. Why should you take dollars out of your pocket to pay for something as aggravating as auto insurance, homeowners insurance and life insurance?

The reason is: stuff happens. It happens to us, to our homes and to our lives whether we like it or not. That’s why insurance is a good thing, When you are in an accident, a fire happens or even something as fun as a tornado, insurance can help us recover. It may be a pain to deal with the agents and dealing with claims but when that check comes to help pay for car repairs or to help you fix your home, its all worth it. Insurance may not cover everything but it certainly helps to cover the biggest part of it.

You may not like paying for insurance but for cars, the law says we have to have it (in most states.). If you’re buying a home, part of the mortgage agreement says you have to have homeowners. In today’s world, insurance is one of those necessary evils that we all have to deal with. However, having insurance can be the best thing we’ve ever done when worse comes to worst. There are good things and bad things about having to cope with the insurance industry, but on the whole, having insurance means you’re doing everything you can to protect your future. That in and of itself is worth the trouble.

So Little Time

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