Dude, Where's My Truck?

Stolen Truck Log:

Tuesday, October 13, 2015 

It was a brisk October morning. I was dressed and ready to head off to work. I opened up the garage door only to find, or rather not find, my truck. I know I parked right outside the garage, didn’t I? I walked outside because just maybe I’d parked it out in front of the house because I had hauled a trailer the day before. Nope… not in front of the house. Hmmmm…. Was it at the office? No, because I had to pick up Donna’s car to go pick her up at the airport so yes, the truck was at here, at my house last night before I went to bed. Right? 

I headed back inside to tell Donna, “My truck isn’t outside”, with the hopes of her telling me, “You left it at the office,” or anywhere but outside the house. Donna replied with exactly what I didn’t want her to reply with, “WHAT?!” So she gets on the phone to call the police and I head back out because just maybe I didn’t see it. Nope. Still gone so I waited for the police to arrive to take the report and went back inside and to wait on Donna to hitch a ride with her to the office. 

Later that afternoon:

While the search for my truck started, I now had a list of things to take care of:

1.     Call claims and figure out what the steps are for a stolen vehicle.

2.     Changing locks for keys that were in the truck. 

3.     Figure out what items in the truck were covered under what type of insurance: 

        Auto, Homeowners, Business, Umbrella, GAP?

4.     Was it worth a claim based on what was in the truck?  

5.     Sit and wait to see if the truck is recovered.

Most important was my family! After someone steals a vehicle off of your property there is a feeling of being violated and not feeling safe anymore.   It’s horrible to see them like that, so you bet precautions have been put in place now! 

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Still no sign of the truck. The search continues…

We started the process of evaluating the truck value and processing paperwork for the insurance company to pay me for the truck. 

And now the search for a replacement starts............

UPDATE: Monday, November 2, 2015 

The truck has been found!!! The plates had been changed but it still had a particular sticker that I had made, and only a handful of people had that same sticker. Oh, and it was found in the Fort Worth area!!! You would think that if you’re going to steal someone’s truck, you might take the stickers off and NOT drive it in the same area that it was stolen from? Just thought… 

Since Farmers Insurance had already paid for the truck, they take possession of the recovered vehicle and sell it off to help recoup the expense of what they paid for the vehicle when it was considered a total loss.

Do you leave things in your vehicle? If it were to be stolen, how much trouble, time, and money will it take to replace those items? Besides you, will other people be affected? Will everything be covered under my current auto insurance? Homeowners? Business Insurance? My Umbrella policy? All or none of the above? These are all things we may not automatically think about if our vehicle were to be stolen. Let’s set up a Farmers Friendly Review and look over your policy to make sure it is still the right fit for you.

Most people think personal belongings in the vehicle are covered under their auto insurance but that isn't the case. Auto insurance covers only those things that belong as part of the auto. Your personal belongings are covered under most homeowners/renters policies as personal property off premise (and subject to limitations). For most people that means that the deductible could be high enough that claiming the stolen items inside the vehicle doesn't meet or barely meets the amount of their deductible. That's if the items belong to the person. If a business owns them then there could be even different issues. Is it worth it?

National Drunk Driving Prevention Month

With the end of November starting us off with Thanksgiving leading to December with office parties, visiting family for Christmas and more gatherings into the New Year. One gathering after another, sometimes driving to several different places during the holidays and maybe even enjoying a few festive adult beverages at each stop. It’s perfectly fine to enjoy the holiday’s with a beverage just make sure you have someone else drive.

In search of difference ways to sober up before you get behind the wheel, I went to the best place possible, the internet. If it’s on the internet then it’s true, right? Here’s a few drinking alcohol MYTHS that I found on Lifehacker.com:

1.      Drinking caffeine can sober you up – it may counter the sleepiness from drinking alcohol but it’s NOT going to sober you up.

2.      Having a bite to eat will soak up the alcohol and sober you up – maybe eating before you had alcohol and only if it was a few sips.

3.      Drinking kills brain cells – research shows this to be false but I don’t know. We all have that one friend. Just kidding.

4.      Once you “Break the Seal” you’ll be “going” more often – it’s not that you broke the seal, it’s the alcohol itself that makes you go more.

5.      One drink an hour keeps you sober enough to drive – we all process alcohol differently so this one is hard to measure.

To summarize, caffeine nor food will help you sober up, you just have to wait it out. You won’t lose any brain cells from drinking. Alcohol is what makes you “go” more. Instead of the “one drink an hour keeps you sober enough to drive” theory, go with the “better safe than sorry” theory.  

December is National Drunk Driving Prevention Month. No one likes to read about tragedies but it’s important to raise awareness. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, from December 1, 2013 – January 1, 2014, there are 2,367 DUI-alcohol traffic crashes in Texas resulting in 763 serious injuries and 92 fatalities. One life lost is too many but according to TxDOT, these numbers are down 8.9% compared to the same time frame as the previous year. Less is great but none is even better, especially since this can all be avoided.

There’s no excuse for driving under the influence. It’s against the law so why would you want to, especially when you have options:

1.      Call a taxi

2.      Get the Uber or Lyft app 

3.      Have a designated driver

4.      Take one for the team and you be the designated driver

5.      If you have to get out, make arrangement to stay at your destination

If you going to have an adult beverage, use these options. Don’t put your life or anyone else’s life in danger this holiday season. Have a safe and happy holiday season.

Are you an Uber or Lyft driver? Give the office a call today and let us make sure you have the right auto coverage because having the right insurance is NO accident.

One More Week Until the The Kirkwood Agency's Annual Christmas Open House and Shopping Extravaganza!!!

Join us for a night of fun and festivities! We will have.....

Senior Angel Tree (Adopt a local senior citizen)

Pictures with Santa from 6:30 - 7:30 (FREE)

Shopping with local vendors (Scentsy, Mary Kay, Origami Owl, Younique, Jamberry, Stella and Dot, Doterra Oils, Massage Gift Certificates by Tara Hayden, Clothing Boutique, Pampered Chef, Princess House,  and more)

Wine tasting with Sarah

Can food drive to support Community Storehouse

Food and beverages.

Make plans to stop by, we know it's a busy time of year, but you can get some Christmas shopping done and see some great people

Prepping Your Home for Winter Weather

I know… I know… It’s only been cool for a week or so and it’s probably too soon to put up the summer clothes with our unpredictable weather. Even so, why not be one step ahead of the game and at least get our homes ready for winter? Better to be ahead than behind, right?

Start off by doing a walk through of your house, inside and outside. Check the windows and doors, specifically for drafts. You don’t want any warm air going out and you certainly don’t want any cold air coming in. You also want to check for breaks or cracks in your pipes and then cover them up with insulation to prevent them from breaking or cracking if it were to freeze this winter.

When’s the last time your gutters have been cleaned out? Now is the time to give them a check and clean them out to prevent damage to your home in a freeze. If you don’t get them cleaned out, melting ice and snow can get into your home through the roof or even flood your home because of full gutters not letting the melted ice or snow drain. While you’re cleaning your gutters or if you have your gutters cleaned by a professional, have them check out your roof as well for any damage. If there is damage to your roof and a snow or ice storm happens, once it all starts to melt, those damaged areas have the potential to let water seep into the roof and cause damage to the inside of your home. 

If you have a fireplace you should have that checked as well. Make sure that birds have not built nests in there and that you don’t have build up from last year’s cozy fireplace time. I’ve heard it said that chimney’s should be cleaned once a year, depending on how much you use it. Most companies will inspected it while they are there to clean it as well, checking the integrity of the chimney and making sure all is secure and clean before you use it.

STOCK UP... Our family made the mistake of not completely stocking up the year of Icemageddon back in 2013. We honestly didn’t think it was going to be that bad. Thank goodness we aren’t too far from a 7-11. We really needed to get out of the house anyway so we bundled up and made the trek on foot to stock up on as many things as we could carry. When Icemageddon of 2014 was on its way, WE WERE READY! Mental note taken and we were not going to get caught without supplies this time. Stocking up not just on the food but on batteries, wood for your clean fireplace in case the power goes out, candles, board and card games. It’s good to have these around your house once the weather starts to get cold that way you don’t have to fight the crowds. Avoid the madness and be prepared just in case there's an Icemageddon III. 

While the weather is nice, turn on your heater and open up your windows. Let your home air out from the funky smell the heater lets out when you turn on the heater for the first time. 

For more information on prepping your home for the winter, check out, “Winter Weather Home Maintenance Checklist” and the picture below.

The information contained in this page is provided for general informational purposes only. 

The Kirkwood Agency's Annual Christmas Open House and Shopping Extravaganza

The Kirkwood Agency's Annual Christmas Open House and Shopping Extravaganza

Join us for a night of fun and festivities!
Thursday, December 10th from 4:30pm - 8:30pm

Farmers Insurance, The Kirkwood Agency
130 E Hill St.
Keller TX 76248

We will have.....
Senior Angel Tree (Adopt a local senior citizen)
Pictures with Santa from 6:30 - 7:30 (FREE)
Shopping with local vendors (Scentsy, Mary Kay, Origami Owl, Ramon's Swag Bags, Younique, Stella and Dot, Doterra Oils, Massage Gift Certificates by Tara Hayden, Clothing Boutique, Pampered Chef, Princess House and more)
Wine tasting with Sarah
Can food drive to support Community Storehouse
Food and beverages

Make plans to stop by, we know it's a busy time of year, but you can get some Christmas shopping done and see some great people!

Hydroplaning

As we all know, if you live in Texas, expect the unexpected when it comes to the weather. It can be pouring rain one minute, stop raining and the ground dry as dry can be a few minutes later as if nothing ever happened. It’s the strangest thing but that’s how it goes.

Driving in the pouring rain can be difficult, especially if it’s coming down so hard that your windshield wipers can’t keep up with it. The more it rains the faster the wipers go and it’s just an overall distraction. And then there’s the possibility of hydroplaning. Now that is scary!

Our first instinct is to slam on the brakes which is not the right thing to do. Slamming on the brakes will just make matters worse, locking up the brakes and could also cause you to spin out. Hitting the gas is not the way to go either. Remaining clam is the first thing to do, point your vehicle straight and let it slow down on its own.

Driving like a NASCAR driver is not the way to drive in the rain. No one is saying to drive at a snail’s pace but slow it down. Driving at a high speed can cause you to hydroplane. If the tread on your tires is worn, that also could put you at a higher risk. You can check the tread with a penny by placing it upside down in the tread of the tire. If you can’t see Lincoln’s head, your tread is good. If you can see his head, I’d consider looking into buying new tires.

Cruise control when it’s raining is a no-no. Your vehicle does not know when it’s raining and won’t know to slow down when there’s water in the road. With your car in cruise control the water could cause your car to appear to be slowing down and therefore causing the cruise control to speed your car up. It’s always better for you to be in control of your vehicle, especially if it’s raining so give the cruise control a break.

Vehicle speed, tire tread and weather all can contribute to causing your car to hydroplane. Farmers posted a great article, Hydroplaning. What it is and how to avoid it with more detailed information and helpful tips on what hydroplaning is and how to prevent it. 

Teal Pumpkins At Halloween? What Do They Mean?

There seems to be more people effected by food allergies, especially nut allergies, these days. Peanut allergies are so bad that most if not all schools are nut free zones.  That has to be scary for parents during this time of year with Halloween and trick or treating.

In an effort to protect food allergy sensitive children, an organization called FARE or Food Allergy Research & Education came up The Teal Pumpkin Project. What they came up with is, to show homes have an alternative to candy, they place a teal pumpkin outside their homes. How cool is that? These homes have a bucket of candy and a separate bucket with stuff that’s not food like bubbles, stickers, things that glow, pencils, erasers, crayons, etc.

No one wants to feel left out, especially for something that is out of their control. I encourage you to participate and put out a teal pumpkin for those children that have food allergies. If you don’t have a teal pumpkin, have a sign saying you have nonfood items as well as candy.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

For more information on the Teal Pumpkin Project and a list of non-food items, go to http://www.foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project. 

HELP! My Teen Will Be Driving Soon!

October 18^th through the 24^th is National Teen Driving Safety Week so let’s talk about what parents can do to help teens be a better driver and what to expect when shopping for insurance for them.

Our kids learn from us all the time. When my kids were little, I often heard, “They’re like little sponges. They pick up everything.” Isn’t that the truth? They pick up what you say and how you do things very early on in their lives. This also goes for how you handle yourself while driving. And just when you think they are completely zoned in on their phones, tablets or a movie they are watching. 

Here are a few tips to follow, especially when your kids, babies thru teenagers, are in the car:

• Be a good driver – Remember, they are watching you, even if they have their faces in their phones or tablets. Be the example by not being on your phone while you’re driving, control your road rage and obey the traffic signs. I know there are some not so safe drivers out there so drive defensively but stay calm.
• Put them in Driver’s Ed- There are people out there that are trained to teach our teens how to drive so let them. Sign them up for Driver’s Ed. Less stress for you and probably for your teen as well. OH!!! And it could very well help with a discount on your auto insurance. More on that later…
• Give them rules – You’re the boss so you get to say when they can drive and who they can have in the car. Farmers has an article, Parents of Teen Drivers that suggests even to write out a contract with them, listing what the guidelines are and what you expect of them while they are behind the wheel. As time goes, if none of the rules are broken, maybe that can mean they gain more drive time or some sort of a rewards for sticking to the rules.  
•    Be real with them about driving risks – Talk to them about the dangers of drinking and driving. Also talk to them about the dangers of distracted driving with their phones, the radio, even a passenger. Sit down with them and really dig into the dangers of drinking and driving and with distracted driving. It’s not meant to scare them but to raise awareness of the possible dangers that can happen when behind the wheel.

Have you started shopping for Auto Insurance for your teen?  Is it better to put them on your existing policy or set them up with their own policy? There are benefits to both. If you put them on your policy, although it may raise your rates, they could get the same benefits you have and get a discount. Now here’s the reason you may want to get them their own. *Car accidents for teens 16-17 are three times higher than the general population. Some families decided to go with setting them up on their own to keep their insurance clean, just in case their teen were to get in an accident.

Once you decide on whether to add your teen to your account or separately, we can look into what kind of coverage to get for them. Will the car they are driving be a used or a new car? Will they be driving with others in the car besides siblings?  Do you go with just liability if it’s an older car? Would you need to add any other coverage for your teen driver? These are all things we can look at because having the right insurance is NO accident.

With the possibility of high rates with a teen on your policy and talk of possible extra coverage, I’m sure you’re wanting to know more about any possible discounts that can help lower premiums. Well there are a few Classroom Discounts :

• Driver’s Education – Did your teen go through a state-approved drivers education course? If so, this can qualify for a discount.
• Good Student – For High School students, with at least a B average and College Students with at least a 3.0, discount! Is your student is on the Honor Roll or the Dean’s list? Discount! Are they in the top 20% of their class and/or top 20% in national standardized tests? Discount! It pays, or discounts, to be a good student. Parents are then rewarded.
• Distant Student- If your teen driver is off at school and it's +100 miles from home, discount!
• Multi-car – Putting your teen driver on your policy can also give you a discount.

It happens in the blink of an eye. One day they are little ones, getting into everything they can and then next they are getting into a car to drive themselves to and from places. The best things for us to do is be the example or as Parents of Teen Drivers says, “Think of yourself as a road role model, and drive that way.”  

"So it's simple: You burn me, you fail. You don't, you pass." -DMV Examiner, License to Drive 

*Information was taken from Car Insurance Shopping for Teens and Parents of Teen Drivers. The information taken from these articles is provided for general informational purposes only. The information is not meant as professional or expert advice, and any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. 

**Information taken from Insurance Institute for Highway safety

Is Coverage for a Specialty Home the Same for a Primary Residence?

TRUE or FALSE:

You don’t need a whole lot of coverage on a specialty homes (vacation, seasonal, rental or vacant home) because it’s not your primary home.  Just the minimum will do just fine!

 

FALSE! The reason why is because property damage or loss does not care if it’s a primary residence or a specialty home. Neither do thieves or vandals. They are definitely not biased. The coverage won’t be exactly the same but coverage is vital for your protection in an event of any of the above.

 

It’s important to know that when you’re shopping around for Vacation and Seasonal Home Insurance that not all insurance companies will insure a secondary home unless you primary is insured with them. Some will not insure them at all.  That’s not the case with Farmers. Regardless if you have your primary coverage with another insurer, we will be happy to set you up with the coverage that best suits you. Whether you prefer to go with a prepackaged policy or we can customize one to meet your specific needs, we are happy to help.

 

Searching for Vacant Home Insurance and coming up short? Many insurers shy away from this type of insurance as well.   Why? Vacant homes are more vulnerable to break ins, vandalism and liability, just to name a few. It’s important that you have the right coverage because, for instance, if an intruder were to slip, fall and injure themselves while breaking into your vacant home, unfortunately, even though they were there without being invited to be there, you could be sued for their injuries. Most homeowner policies do not cover these type of situations. The good thing is that Farmers gives you options. The Farmers Vacant Home Program is an option that we can sit down and look through for your vacant home insurance needs.

 

If you have rental properties, we can help you there as well. There are several avenues we can explore to get you the best for your situation. Whether you have multiple properties, duplexes or even vacation rental homes, we can fit you into the best Landlord or Rental Property Insurance for your needs.

History of the Selfie

Where did this selfie phenomena come from? How did it get started? When did it get started? Curiosity struck, so I went to the best place I knew of to find out more, Wikipedia, did a little research and decided to blog about it.

Wikipedia defines a selfie as:

A selfie is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or camera phone held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick.

Selfie stick… How does Wikipedia define that? I thought you’d never ask:

A monopod used to take selfie photographs by positioning a smartphone or camera beyond the normal range of the arm.

The first known “selfie” was taken way back in 1839 by an American pioneer in photography named Robert Cornelius but it was called a daguerreotype. There was a longer process back then to take a selfie so my guess is that’s why it was a longer name for it. In the 1900’s, more techniques came about with people taking “selfies” using a mirror. Wikipedia has Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna as the first teenager to take a selfie using the mirror method in 1914. She took it to send to a friend through the actual mail.

As far as who coined the word “selfie” it’s not completely clear but credit is being given to an Australian man named Karl Kruszelnicki. Uploading them to social media (from a disposable camera), credit also being given to Australia sometime in 2001.

Here’s something I didn’t expect to find when looking into the history of the selfie. Did you know that death by selfie is higher than people killed by shark attacks this year? Just for 2015, USA Today lists 12 incidents were people have died while attempting to take a selfie. That’s 4 deaths higher than the number of deaths from shark attacks this year. Who would have thought we would need steps on how to take a safe selfie. Check out the illustration below for safer selfie taking steps:

Selfie Safety brought to you by The Telegraph

When I started this blog, there was a video circulating on social media about a group of sorority girls at a baseball game, eating churros and taking selfie after selfie. The announcers for that game had a play by play on the shot that was pretty funny.  It looked over exaggerated at the time but it was said to not be and was real. What better way to start off a blog, with that video! Well… Now there’s an apology from the announcers because it was indeed not real. What a buzz kill. Everything on the internet is supposed to be true, right? Turns out the girls were actually doing some sort of a team promotion that would later be aired in the broadcast. According to Fox 4 News, the girls were all offered free tickets to an upcoming game. They accepted the tickets but with October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month they wanted the tickets to be donated to an organization called A NewLeaf who is a supporter of domestic violence awareness.  

Here's the video that was circulating, just in case you missed it:

Video brought to you by Foxsports.com

Firefighters and Police Officers, This One's For You

Firefighters and Police Officers put their lives at risk every day for our safety. Their continued dedication to their line of work and to their community are greatly appreciated. What better way to show our appreciation by offering special preferred rates on their auto and homeowners insurance. Farmers goes above and beyond to make sure all our clients are provided top notch customer service, especially these brave men and women.

Choosing auto insurance can be difficult at times and having the right coverage is important as well. Making sure you have the right coverage for the best price is key. We can sit down and lay out all your options to make sure you are where you need to be at with the price that’s right for you.

Home insurance is just as, if not more, important as auto. Farmers specializes in getting you into the best policy to give you peace of mind in an event of a loss to your home and belongings. Whether it’s your home or a rented property your policy will fit your needs.

Bundling with Farmers is another good way to save. Protecting your home and auto with coverage is great but what about protecting your family in an event of a tragedy? What if the unthinkable happens to you? Life Insurance is not something that is easy to talk about, but it is definitely a necessity. Let’s look at what your options are and put you in the most beneficial policy for your needs.

Farmers offers what we call a Farmers Friendly Review®, which is exactly that. A review of your policy(s), to make sure your coverage still fits you. At least once a year is what is recommended but at any time, if there are any changes in your life and you need to change up your policies, please give us a call and we will sit down and review what you have.   

We appreciate the hard work our firefighters and police officers put in everyday and Farmers believes that they should be rewarded. Let’s put it on the calendar to sit down with some coffee, water or soda and a couple fresh baked cookies and discuss what is best for you and your family.

Protecting Your Pets During the Holidays

The holidays will be here before we know it. Halloween kicks it off with kids knocking at your door for tricks or treats.  Then comes the hunt for the best Thanksgiving turkey in town which quickly leads, and usually happens before Thanksgiving, to the Christmas music, ornaments, lights, movies, presents and anything Christmassy you can think of. Last but not least, we end the year with a BANG, welcoming 2016!

I’m sure all pets love this time of year just as much as we do. Especially the food part. Going into the holiday season, please know that there are several dangers that need to be avoided for your fur babies. With Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, here are a few things to keep them away from:

Halloween*:

1. Candy and Halloween type plants (pumpkins and corn) for pets are no-no’s! Chocolate especially, is not a pet’s friend. Make sure that you keep all candy where your pets cannot reach it. Not just your dogs but your cats as well. Although cats may not be as sensitive to candy, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.  Candy upsets their stomachs, as does “Halloween plants”. Not because the plants are poisonous but if they eat large amounts of them, it will surely upset their tummies. And if you have Jack-O-Lanterns out that are lit, also keep them where your pets can’t get to them to avoid getting burned.

2. You can find all sorts of Halloween costumes for your pets, but make sure they are comfortable with wearing them. Make sure that the costume doesn’t obstruct their breathing or hearing, and that they can move freely in it. If you have a pet with sensitive skin, make sure you try it on before the big night to make sure it doesn’t irritate their skin.

3. On Halloween night:

a.      Make sure they have some sort of ID, whether it’s a microchip or on their collars in case the get out of your house and get lost.

b.      To avoid ‘a’ confine them in a safe place.

c.      Also to avoid ‘a’ keep them away from the door as in ‘b’.

Thanksgiving*:

1. Bones… Keep them away from turkey bones. They are choking hazards and if it happens to get past their throat, it can still injury them internally. So instead of giving them as a treat, trash them.

2. Take the trash out so that there’s no worrying about #1. Dogs especially just can’t help but nose through the trash, especially when there’s yummy goodness in there. Cats are not innocent either. They too have been known to paw through trash as well. As soon as it fills up, take it out.

3. While the sweet tooth comes out in all of us around the holidays, keep the sweets to yourself. Our pet's bodies don’t do well on sweets so it’s better not to share with them. Say no for your pet to chocolate, cakes, pies or anything like that.

Christmas*:

1. Tinsel can make your tree look great and shiny. It’s also the shiny that incises animals. If ingested, it can get stuck in the bellies and cause them pain. Avoid tinsel if you can.

2. Ornaments are enticing as well. They’re dangerous in the way that they are choking hazards. If they’re glass and are broken they can end up in their paws or in their months and that’s not good. Edible ornaments or tree décor is dangerous as well. For instance with strung popcorn, they can pull on the string and bring the tree down on them or others. They can also unknowingly swallow the string and that’s not good either.

3. Twinkling lights… while they look beautiful, they are another pet danger. Hide the wires or tape them down to avoid your pets chewing on them. Limit the danger of them being electrocuted.

New Year’s Eve*:

1. This is a bit of a loud holiday. If your pet is sensitive to noise, I’m sure this is not one of their favorite times of year. Some areas restrict fireworks but if you’re in one that does not, this is a tough time for some animals with their sensitive ears. While it will most likely be difficult to do so, try and put them in the farthest room from the noise.

2. Be mindful of any alcoholic beverages around your animals as well. If they get a hold of a festive, fun cocktail, the result for them is not so fun. In some instances it could cause death so put those cocktails where they can’t be reached.

Our pets can’t help but be curious about decorations that aren’t normally in their homes and definitely can’t help themselves around yummy food. It’s our job to protect them and make sure they don’t get themselves into any sort of trouble. Keep an extra protective eye out for your fur babies during the holiday’s season.

On a side note, here are more food to keep away from your pets throughout the year:

Farmers also cares Pet Insurance. If Pet Insurance is something you want to know more about, give us call or check out Instant Pet Insurance Quote. 

*Tips were taken from the following websites:

Halloween Safety Tips

Thanksgiving Dangers 

Christmas Dangers

Holiday Safety Tips

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month

With September being Life Insurance Awareness Month what does that mean for you? Well, it depends. If you have life insurance, that’s awesome but is it the right fit for you and is it enough? If you don’t have life insurance, we need to talk. It’s not an easy topic to talk about but it’s something that many of us overlook or just think that it’s not that big of a deal if we don’t have any. Truth is, it is a big deal. In an unthinkable tragedy, it could mean leaving your family with all or nothing.

Family dynamics have drastically changed over the years and it’s not the norm anymore for dad to go off to work every morning, leaving mom to stay home with the kids. There are more stay at home dads, single mothers and the woman of the house sitting in the primary breadwinner seat these days than ever before.  With this being the case, it’s important to know your options and what the best route is when you invest in life insurance for your family.

Having the right amount of coverage is essential for your family’s financial future. Who may need life insurance the most in your family? Let’s talk about that:

The breadwinner absolutely needs to have life insurance. The entire family depends financially on whom ever the breadwinner is so it’s vital that they are covered. Whether it’s the man or the woman of the house, coverage is definitely a necessity.

Some may not think that older couples don’t need life insurance when in fact they do especially if they are still paying on a mortgage. Leaving the surviving spouse with the financial support to pay the mortgage would be a huge burden they don’t have to worry about.

Single parents should also have a life insurance policy. Giving your children more of a secure financial future is peace of mind for you if something were to happen to you. Come by the office and let’s look at your options with Farmers Life® to provide that peace of mind.

If you have the ability to have one parent stay home with the kids, that is definitely something to be thankful for. If this is the case you for, it is still important to have coverage for both parents. In an event of something happening to the stay at home parent, costs for child care, keeping up with the house, transportation and such needs to be taken into account. Having this breakdown will help fit you with the best life insurance for your needs.

There’s no set amount when it comes to knowing just how much life insurance is enough. What it boils down to really depends on your individual situation. For more information on life insurance, please give us a call. Also, a great tool to use is lifehappens.org. There you can explore what options are available to you.

I Got A Ticket... Now What?

It can happen to anyone. You’re running late dropping of the kids for school, trying to get to an appointment or late getting to work and so you’re driving over the speed limit to try and make it on time. Zooming in and out of traffic, trying your hardest to get there when you hear the sirens go off. You look in your rear view mirror and sure enough, it’s not a fire truck that you need to move over for, it’s a police officer pulling you over. So what do you do, you speed up and try and lose him! NO!!!! Worst idea ever! Pull over and wait for the officer to come to you before you get your driver’s license and insurance out. It’s not against the law to get it out before they get to you, but it makes the officer feel a little safer. You’d hate for him to think you have a weapon or something. Just wait for them to approach you and ask you for it.

Whatever kind of moving violation you receive, make sure you don’t sit on it because chances are you could forget about it and then you’re in even bigger trouble. Take care of it as soon as possible to avoid any more penalties that may come with forgetting to take care of your violation.

How do you take care of a moving violation? Well you have a few options. You can pay for it outright, go to traffic school, or you can go to court and plead your innocence.

Why not just go with paying the tickets and moving on? That way seems to be the easiest, least time consuming way to be done with the issue. We are all just too busy these days that, yes, paying it and moving on would be the easiest. However, if this is how it’s taken care of, that is you admitting that you are at fault and knowingly accepting the conviction that could show up on points that you don’t want on your Motor Vehicle Report. On top of that, then comes other possible penalties that could affect your premiums.

Depending on what state you live in, Farmers usually won’t raise your rates on a first time, (depending on what the moving violation is). If the violation occurs while you are covered and no claim is filed, there’s a chance you will be forgiven on your first violation. Now if you have several moving violations in a short period of time, your chances for forgiveness are not so good. This could actually result in higher premiums or cancellation of coverage.

In some cases, you can attend traffic school. While this may not be a whole lot of fun, there are comedy traffic schools that you can go to, that make it at least a little fun. But seriously, in some states, if you attended traffic school the ticket will not go on your record, as if it never happened. There are some rules that apply to this method. If your driving record is clean and there are no major incidences on your record, your chances are good to be able to attend traffic school.

We’ve talked about how paying for your ticket is admitting to your guilt. Well, you can always go to court and contest the ticket. Yes that would mean taking time out of your day, possibly taking off work or finding a sitter for your kids. It could also mean the possibility of the ticket being thrown out and never hitting your record or even a lesser fine. It may be worth a try to plead your innocence.

There is no such thing as a perfect driver. We all make mistakes and sometimes that results in a moving violation. The good thing about being with Farmers is that there is a little thing called Incident Forgiveness*.  While the ticket process and all that needs to be done to get that taken care of isn’t convenient and by far is it fun, if you’re not a repeat offender, the Incident Forgiveness could be an option for you.

*To receive the Incident Forgiveness, as long as the violation happens while you are covered under Farmers and no claims are filed. Any incidents prior to your policy with Farmers are excluded. 

Liven Up Your Small Talk

Awkward silence is… well it’s awkward. What do you talk about? What don’t you talk about? Do you just power through the silence and hope the other person has something to say? I guess it depends on whether you’re fine with the silence.

I found an article from Chris Colin and Rob Baedeker on TED Talk, How to Turn Small Talkinto Smart Conversation. In the article they talk about several different ways to have more of a conversation to fill in the silence. What it talked about is asking for a story and not just a one or two word answers. Ask open-ended questions to make the other person talk to you. Ask questions that will start up more of a story instead of just a yes or no answer, leading to the awkward silence. I thought this could be beneficial to those of us who aren’t comfortable with the silence.

Chris is an author/journalist and Rob is a writer/performer/and a comedian so there are some pretty off the wall suggestions, I’m guess from Rob. Here are a few of their “Instead of” and “Try” ideas to use:

Instead of:                                                                    Try:

How are you?                                                                What’s your story?

How was your day?                                                       What did you do today?

Where are you from?                                                    What’s the strangest thing about where you                                                                                                                                   grew up?

How long have you been living here?                           If you could teleport by blinking your eyes,                                                                                                                                      where would you go right now?

What line of work are you in?                                       How’d you end up in your line of work?

How was your weekend?                                             What was the best part of your weekend?

Mirroring in a conversation. Have you heard of that? It’s were a reply back is pretty much the same as what was said in the first place.  For example:

Donna: It is so hot outside.

Steph: Yes, it sure is hot outside.

And that ends that conversation. Instead of ‘mirroring’ what Donna said, Steph could have gone with something like, “It sure is hot outside. The weatherman said it’s a good idea to stay inside because you may melt upon exiting your house.”

The article also suggested to jump on the conversation and try and make the most out of it as you can. Being absurd or comical was encouraged. Be creative and “leapfrog” over the conversation by taking the boring out of what the answer typically would be and answer with a complete tangent.

Instead of:

Greg: Where did you get that fishing rod?

Eddie: Cabela’s.

Try:

Greg: Where did you get that fishing rod?

Eddie: At Cabela’s but I also saw the coolest thing there! They had this deer blind that was so camouflaged that you had to put a tracker on it so that you could find it so I bought that, too! You get this free app with it to track it. And then, a couple weeks later I got a hardback catalog in the mail. Now that is some good reading material there.

Some of us are completely fine with silence and that’s ok. For those of us who are not, I hope this helps.

Author’s of TED Talk: Chris Colin and Rob Baedeker

Date: 7/28/2014

Title: How to Turn Small Talk into Smart Conversation

Dirt Can Hurt So Wash Your Car

Is your car a victim of “Wash me” being writing on it?  So funny, right…? Not so much. Dirt can’t hurt. It’s kind of like the dirt is a layer of protection from the sun, like sunscreen. Well, again… not so much. Truth is, dirt can hurt your car in several ways. It is one of the many culprits that start damage to the outside of your car.

Taking the time to go wash your car is important. When there is dirt piling up on your car, it doesn’t protect it like sunscreen, not at all. Dirt weakens the paint on your car and works like sandpaper. When it rains, the dirt mixes with the rain which can then cause it to scratch your car. Other pollutants like bird droppings and sap from trees will also ruin the paint on your car.

Protecting the paint on your car is important so that the paint protects the body of your car. Paint works in two ways, makes your car look cool, and but more importantly, it acts like a sunscreen for the body of your car. Once the paint is compromised and starts to chip and crack, that’s when real trouble can start. Those chips and cracks lead to the body of your car being exposed to rain and the elements, leading to rust. Rust can lead to holes which then leads to more damage to your vehicle that you have worked hard for.

So paint, if it is a “sunscreen” for the body of the car, but what’s the “sunscreen” for the paint? Wax! Wax will protect it from the elements like bug splats, tree sap, bird droppings and it will keep your car shiny. Cleaning your car the right way and using wax afterward extends the life of the paint and protects your car which will help when you decided to sell it. Everyone likes a nice shiny car, not one with rust holes in it.

The inside of your car is just as important as the outside. It can be difficult, especially with children and/or animals. Being organized helps with keeping your car clean inside.  You can find organizers that hang on the back of your seats that are great, especially for long trips. To cut down any sort of smells, dryer sheets under the seats of your cars helps with that.

Taking care of your vehicle is a plus all the way around. As Mr. Miyagi said to Danielson in the Karate Kid, “Wax on. Wax off.” At least you don’t have as many cars to wax. Poor Danielson…