Thursday, June 25, 2015

Get a Life… Insurance Policy for your Children

Life insurance is the gift that keeps on giving, even when giving them to children. It is a non-traditional gift to give but it comes with future benefits. A life policy can potentially be a source of funds that your children and/or grandchildren can access when they get older, protects their future insurability, and by starting coverage early, it can keep premiums down.

Talking about life insurance can be tough especially when it’s for your child or grandchild. As parents we don’t like to think about something tragic happening to our kids. As an example, let’s say the unthinkable happens to your child while away at college. Having a life insurance policy for them that covers tuition in case of an accident will stop a monthly tuition bill, reminding you that your child won’t be coming home.

There is also a juvenile permanent life insurance policy that builds cash so that come time for college, your child or grandchild can access it to pay for college. A juvenile permanent life insurance policy is commonly purchased to supplement a college fund.

Here are more notable advantages for a life insurance policy for your children or grandchildren:

-        Important Cash Accumulation – The cash value of the policy grows with your child so the earlier the better.
-        Guaranteed Insurability – Regardless of their occupation or their health, when they have a life policy as a child, those factors will not interfere with them qualifying for a life policy as an adult.
-        Cost Savings – The earlier the coverage begins, the lower the cost may be.
-        Guaranteed Self-Completion – In the event of your death, an optional payor benefit may be available that could cover the premium payments of the policy for you.

Talking about Life insurance  isn’t always the easiest subject to talk about. Let’s set up a meeting and lay out all the benefits of a Farmers Life Insurance policy for your child or grandchild. Like Professor Burke says, “The more you know, the better you can plan for what’s ahead.”



Thursday, June 18, 2015

Surviving a Road Trip with Kids



“Are we there yet?” “When are we going to be there?”  “Are we almost there?” “How many more hours?”  "He's on my side!" These and a variety of other ways to ask these same questions are usually what we hear on a road trip with children. In my experience, we aren’t even out of the city yet and the questions begin.

When I was a kid, there were no portable DVD players, cars with DVD players in them, or smartphones. If you were lucky you had a Walkman. (On a side note, Walkman’s are still around! Check out The History of the Walkman: 35 years of iconic musicplayers).Other than that, we played I Spy, Slug Bug, or who could annoy the other sibling the fastest.  That never ended well.

So in our modern day, fast paced world, what is a kid to do on a long road trip? The possibilities are endless, right? Even with all the choices, do you still get the, “I’m bored…”  “Are we there yet…?” Yeah… me too. Well, here are a handful of ideas that hopefully will help pass the time and not make you lose your mind on a road trip with the kids:

1.      Invest in a portable DVD player
If your vehicle doesn’t already have one, it’s worth the money to purchase one.  I’ve seen them priced from $50 on up. You can also load movies onto a tablet or smartphone and have them watch movies on those as well.

2.      Load games to a tablet or smartphone
In my experience, that will keep my kids quiet for quite some time.

3.      Play car games
I do like my kids and I don’t want to necessarily keep them quiet the entire trip. Here are a few ‘classic car games’ that even you can join in on:
·        I Spy – ‘I spy with my little eye, something…’ That was one we played on road trips. Someone finds inside the car and gives everyone a clue (color, letter, texture). The others playing have to guess what the object is.
·        The Alphabet Game – The object of this game is to go through the alphabet using road signs or something in the car that begins with the letter that falls on your turn.
·        The License Plate Game- There are a few different ways you can play it.
o   Look for license plates from different states
o   Take the letters from the license plate and name a celebrity with those letters (JF = Jimmy Fallon).
o   Take the letters from the license plate and make phrases out of them (BEO = Big Elk Outside).
·        Celebrity Name Game – How this game works is the first person to go picks a celebrity’s first and last name. The next person has to take the first letter of that celebrity’s last name and name another celebrity with it. Did I confuse you yet? It’s a little difficult to explain but here’s an example: First player names Julia Roberts. The next player would us the ‘R’ in Roberts and chose another celebrity – Ryan Reynolds. In a situation where the celebrity’s first and last names start with the same letter (and there are more than 2 players playing), the turn reverses back to the ‘Julia Roberts’ player. This game can go for hours!

4.      Bring board games that are car-friendly
Playing cards in a car can be tough but it’s doable. There are car-friendly games you can buy like Battleship and Checkers.  Though it’s not a board game, there is an app called Heads Up.  That’s a good time, too.

5.      Have story time
Even if you have older kids that don’t care about ‘story time’.  If doesn’t have to be about fairytale’s and dragons.  Tell them your stories (maybe not all of them…). Road trips can be a great time to tell stories, catch up and find out more about your kids and vice versa.  We all have busy schedules and may not always have time to just sit and talk to our kids. What better setting than to trap them in a car and chat away.

So, with summer vacation in full swing for the kids, I hope a few of these help to keep you as sane as possible on road trips and keep the craziness in the backseat to a minimum.

Safe travels every one!


Thursday, June 11, 2015

Do's and Don't's for Father's Day Gifts*


SUNDAY, JUNE 21ST is when Father's Day is this year. Any ideas on what to get good ol' dad this year? A tie? Cologne? 'Best Dad Ever' shirt? Those all sound good me. Father's Day commercials usually have one or all of those displayed as things to get dad. 

To see if that's really what today's dads want, I reached out to 20 of my closest family and friends (that were dads) and took a survey asking them to give me at least 5 things dads DO want for Father’s Day and at least 5 things dads DON’T want for Father’s Day. Some of their requests were very specific with an explanation of why and/or why not they chose the items on their lists. It was comical.


So here you go families.  Here are the DO wants and DON'T wants:


DO’S:


With 2-4 Votes: 
Date Night                                          
Family Time
Round of Golf
Lingerie for Wife                                                                                  
Tools
Golf Gear
Athletic Gear
Grill
Gun
Watch
Events Tickets (sports and concerts)
Ammo
Framed Family Pics
Car Detail
Alone Time (this was the best I could sensor it)
Kids Artwork
Sporting Goods Gift Certificates

Single Votes:
Weekend Getaway
MAN Dinner (NO Diet Restrictions)
Sports Memorabilia
BBQ Items
Massage
I pod
Gun Range Outing                 
Gift Cards
New Gadgets
Cologne
Brisket and Ribs (RAW – for the avid BBQ-er)
10,000 Acre Ranch in South Texas
Sunglasses
Ford F350
Drone 
Bacon
Fishing Gear
Itunes Card
Money
Gift Certificate for a Family Day
Food
Time Alone to do what Dad Wants
Guys Night Out
Chores Free Day                                 
1975 CJ7
  

DON’T’s:

With 16 Votes:
TIE

With 1-6 Votes:
Clothes
Cologne
Gift Cards
Candy
Appliances
Socks
Spa Day (Shocker…)
Yard Stuff
Underwear
Pedicure
Golf Gear
Coffee Mug                                                                               
Bottle of Liquor
Golf Gadgets Sets
Goofy Shirts
Books
Gym Membership
Pinterest Creation
Flowers
Nothing
Jewelry, unless specifically requested…



Date Night and Family Time had the highest votes for DO's and as you can see, by a land slide, Ties were a definite DON'T! There are a few that popped up on both lists but I'm sure we all know the dad we buy for well enough to know if they are a DO or a DON'T for those few items.

Since the reasoning behind some of the answers I got back were pretty comical, I thought I'd share a few with you. Enjoy!

“If anyone had the choice to wear a tie or not, they’d NEVER choose to wear one.  They’re as close to a noose as we get in modern civilization.” – Bob Williams

“Don’t want… A tie, a tie, a tie, a tie, a tie!” – Joe Gonzalez

“Bacon. Nothing says I love you more than really darn good bacon.” –Phil Rice

“Men don’t benefit from cologne. We only wear it for our wives to smell.” – Eddie Kirkwood

“No underwear… Unless it’s lingerie for the wife.” –Anibal Campos

“Father’s Day is the wifey getting a great gift for the husband. I agree with lingerie.” – Greg Espinoza






*“Do’s and Don’t’s for Father’s Day Gifts” was written by Stephanie Espinoza. Though it was posted to hopefully benefit him and all the other dads out there for Father’s Day and he did participate in the survey, Eddie did not write it. J 

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Can I Get Life Insurance for Extreme Hobbies?

What sort of hobbies are out there these days? Do people still collect stamps, baseball cards, or coins? What about outdoor hobbies like hang gliding, hot air ballooning, scuba diving, or rock climbing? I guess those could be classified as “Extreme Hobbies” or as Farmers puts it, “Insane Hobbies”.  For the thrill-seeking, adventurous crowd, luck may be on your side, when it comes to your Life insurance that is. There’s a possibility that your policy may cover your hazardous activities.  Be expecting there to be a few exceptions but if you are willing to pay extra for it there may be coverage for a few insane hobbies that life companies can insure.

While these ‘Extreme Hobbies’ are high risk, there are requirements for this coverage and it may be a little difficult to obtain. It all comes down to you. Being responsible, safe, having experience in your ‘craft’, taking known precautions and just being honest with your agent will definitely help in the process. To dig a little deeper, here are 5 extreme hobbies that insurance can cover and what needs to be in place for the possibility of coverage:

1.      Hang Gliding – If it’s just something you can’t live without coverage is possible. Though it may add to your premium, a certification and, of course, experience will help get you coverage.



2.      Hot Air Ballooning – Most insurers don’t have issues with
coverage for Hot Air Ballooners that have a pilot’s license and experience. With the number of accidents in the hot air ballooning category not being very high, your chances are pretty good to get coverage.

3.      Motorcycle Sports – Whether you are riding on a track at crazy speeds or riding to work, expect to pay an extra premium. Motorcycle riding for sport or not, still is dangerous. While wearing a helmet isn't the law, it will help!


4.      Rock Climbing – This is a tough one to cover. If you practice safe climbing with a harness and all the right equipment, there’s a chance of getting you into a Life policy. If you like to go out and climb a rock without a harness, the odds are not forever in your favor.



5.      Scuba Diving – This activity is one of the hardest to get coverage for. That’s not saying you can’t get coverage with this activity on your hobby list. If you have had lessons and preferably, have your certification, getting coverage to be shark bait, I mean, to scuba dive is a possibility.


It’s all about being responsible, taking precautions, and just being safe. It’s also a good idea to have your certification or license, protect yourself with any and all protective gear possible and just honest with your agent.  Tell them up front what your extreme sport is so they know what to look for in the best coverage for you.  If you are able to do all of the above, your agent may be more inclined to taking a risk on you and get you into a life insurance policy.