Monthly Archives: June 2008

When Is The Travel Insurance Pre-Existing Medical Conditions Lookback Period?

Lookback Period question: If my companion or I are stable and can travel when I buy the insurance more than 181 days before the trip will I have coverage for pre-existing conditions? If I have a condition that requires a doctor visit today and I buy the insurance the next day but more than 181 Continue reading

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Does Medical Evacuation Cover All Members In My Party?

I understand that emergency evacuation covers the person who is sick. But, what about the other people that are traveling with them? Can we cut our trip short and is this a covered expense with travel insurance? Marianne Hi Marianne, Here’s how travel insurance covers you for the situation you describe: one person is evacuated via their Continue reading

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I’ve had a FIRE! What do I do now?

Fire can be one of the most traumatic and devastating losses anyone can experience. If you’ve had a fire and there were injuries or a death, my sincere condolences Continue reading

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A few thoughts on PROPERLY insuring your Rental Property

So, you’re going to be a landlord! Since it’s nearly ALWAYS a good time to buy real estate, you’re making an excellent move. The long-term value of real estate from an investment standpoint is, in my humble opinion, the best leverage available. Now that you’ve taken that step, it’s important to get the right kind of insurance to protect not only your investment from the ravages of fire, vandalism, smoke, and broken water pipes, but also protection from the greedy hands of your tenants should they sustain an injury on your property in the form of Liability Coverage. There’s usually 4 primary areas of coverage you want to explore when looking into insurance for your property that you rent to others Continue reading

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FAQ’s California Wireless Law effective July 1, 2008

NEW HANDS-FREE CELL PHONE LAW IS EFFECTIVE 7/1/08. California finally catches up to what’s safe and realistic by enforcing a requirement to use cell phones while operating a motor vehicle with either a wireless or “wired” ear piece. Soon we’ll all look like Spock and Lieutenant Uhura from Star Trek with those funny “listening devices” protruding from our ears.You can check out the Official FAQ’s at the California Department of Motor Vehicles website, but here’s my personal spin Continue reading

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The Paint on my Fender Isn’t Going To Match the Rest of the Car

Face it. Paint fades over time. Your car sits out in he sun and gets weather-beaten by rain, snow, etc. Continue reading

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Options When You Have Damage from a Prior Accident

A client called me yesterday with an interesting dilemma. Said that recently, when his car was parked on the street, it was hit by a Fire Truck on a call Continue reading

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You and Your Liability Umbrella

In the world of meteorology, whenever it looks like rain, an umbrella is good to have around. Continue reading

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They’re NOT offering me enough for my vehicle.

Whenever your vehicle has been declared a total loss, the insurance company will offer you a settlement based on the fair market value of your vehicle. (this works for cars, motorcycles, RV’s, boats, etc.) In the realm of United States tax law, the definition of “fair market value” is found in the United States Supreme Court decision in the Cartwright case: The fair market value is the price at which the property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither being under any compulsion to buy or to sell and both having reasonable knowledge of relevant facts. United States v Continue reading

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One Picture is Worth a THOU$AND DOLLAR$

Yes, I know a picture is worth a thousand words, but it could also be worth a thousand (or THOUSANDS OF) dollars! I can’t tell you the number of times in my 30+ year career in the insurance business that I’ve listened to a distraught policyholder after a loss struggle to remember everything that was stolen or lost in a fire. Many times I’ll get a call many months after the loss because the client just discovered that, “They got my Grandma’s silver too. Continue reading

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