It doesn’t take a natural disaster or tragedy to learn that you might be underinsured. An example comes from the holidays. The warmth of the season can turn into an economic nightmare if someone slips and falls at your home or apartment, your dog bites a guest, or someone gets food poisoning. Without enough liability protection, you could be in real financial danger.
Just do a search of personal liability lawsuits and settlements. You might be shocked by the results and the number of law firms filing such cases. You may think that a guest wouldn’t sue you for damages, but it does happen, especially if the injury is serious.
You’ve worked hard for the things you own; you don’t want to put them at risk.
Financial experts advise that as long as you can earn a livelihood, you should have as much liability insurance as you can afford. Most home insurance policies come with $100,000 liability coverage, but boosting your limits to $300,000 or $500,000 offers greater protection at a reasonable cost.
If you have a lot of assets or other exposures for a possible civil suit, you should consider an umbrella policy, which provides $1 million to $5 million coverage.
While you’re at it, what liability limits do you have with your auto insurance? You may be severely underinsured if you opted for the minimum liability limits required by your state. Just like home insurance, you should purchase as much liability coverage as possible, especially if you have a younger, inexperienced driver.
Accidents happen every day, but California Casualty can help you be prepared.
TAKEAWAY: If you don’t know what your liability limits are, or you’d like increase your coverage, Contact California Casualty’ Customer Service at 1.800.800.9410 option 3, or at service@calcas.com.
In these trying times, it’s an honor to work with so many who give so much for our communities. California Casualty appreciates all that you do, and our employees and executives are proud to be a part of your everyday lives. From disaster relief to prize giveaways, we are dedicated to making a positive impact for you, your peers and your families.
Knowing the toll the California fires took on the people that we insure, the California Casualty Cares Committee of the Advisory Board wanted to assist the many heroes who helped others at their own peril. California Casualty donated $20,000 to the CTA Disaster Relief Fund to help CTA members who have experienced significant losses due to the disasters in California.
California Casualty is also working with other groups, such as the Police Officers Research Association of California, California Association of Highway Patrolmen, California State University System, and the California State Firefighters’ Association, to give an additional $12,000 in donations from the Cares Committee. These donations supplemented $7,500 given earlier in the year to help with the 2017 fires that struck Sonoma and Ventura Counties.
In an effort to remind insureds to check their policies and make sure they have enough coverage to protect against a disaster, California Casualty initiated “Wherever Your Journey Takes You…We’ll be There” Sweepstakes. Bloomingdale, Illinois 8th grade teacher Kathleen Nikides was the grand prize winner. She was surprised with the $25,000 award November 16 during an assembly at Stratford Middle School.
“I’m still flying high, I can’t believe I won. My husband and I will take some time to figure out what we will do with the money,” she said.
Kathleen found out about the contest from the Illinois Education Association, but never thought she’d win.
Teaching for 35 years, 30 years at Stratford, Kathleen loves advocating for students and helping them reach their full potential. “I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, and I still love every minute of it. It was great that my students were so excited when they learned that I had won.”
Kathleen is the co-president of the Carol Stream Education Association, which is an affiliate of the Illinois Education Association, and is thankful California Casualty supports education associations. “Thanks to member benefit partners like California Casualty, we feel valued, and that value is very appreciated right now,” she said.
More than 52,000 school administrators, instructors and education support professionals shared their journey and entered the contest.
Knowing how hard firefighters, law enforcement officers and EMTs work, and the danger they put themselves in to keep us safe, California Casualty invited first responders to sign up for the “Better Safe Than Sorry” Work Hard/Play Hard contest. Three winners – in California, Colorado and Oregon – will each be receiving a check for $2,250, to purchase the Liberty Safe of their choice, that they can fill with a collection of provided 5.11 tactical gear – a total prize value of $2,950. We’ll share who the winners are in the next California Casualty Connection.
In an effort to reduce tragic driving deaths and injuries, a total of $12,000 was recently awarded in the Fall Create Real Impact contest, sponsored by California Casualty and Impact Teen Drivers. The Create Real Impact contest encourages the creative efforts of youth ages 14-22 to prevent distracted driving – the number one killer of teens in the U.S.
Grand prizes were awarded for best video, writing, music and art submissions, and to schools that had the most entries. Create Real Impact is one of the many initiatives employed by Impact Teen Drivers to combat dangerous inattentive driving. Your kids, or students at your school, can learn more and enter the 2019 spring contest at www.createrealimpact.com.
TAKEAWAY: Learn more about California Casualty’s commitment to the groups we serve at https://mycalcas.com/community/, and share your pictures and stories about the men and women who make a difference for our communities at our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/CaliforniaCasualty.
As disastrous wildfires recently tore through California once again, our employees went into high gear to reach customers, plan next steps for relief, and get their own feet on the ground to offer the needed face-to-face support.
From the first responders going above and beyond to save lives and property, to the devastated customers who were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs, California Casualty was there to give a helping hand to the decimated communities of Paradise, Concow and Magalia in Northern California, and the Southern California towns of Thousand Oaks and Malibu.
Our Partner Relations and Service Support Teams immediately started calling more than 530 insureds to see if they were okay, how they might be impacted, and help them if they needed to start a claim or required other support. Our employees talked to or left messages for more than 300 people.
The response was overwhelmingly positive, with many thanking California Casualty for reaching out and expressing concern for their safety. “You are even better than I thought you were,” said one policyholder, who was extremely grateful for the call. “Your call means more than words can say,” said another.
“The magnitude of the destruction, and knowing so many people were suffering, made this calling effort a lot more emotional than previous ones that we have done,” said Customer Support team member Karen.
Ruth, another Customer Support employee, said the calls were heart-wrenching at times. One insured told Ruth that she and a neighbor had barely escaped the flames, and they feared they might not make it out alive. She was beyond grateful that we called to offer compassion and caring. Ruth was able to email the customer her policy numbers and claims contact number, as well as information about how to contact the Red Cross and FEMA for additional assistance.
And Lorelei, a member of our Partner Relations team, said the calling effort made her proud to work for a company that takes the time to reach out to customers. While the magnitude of the disaster was overwhelming at times, she says one call to a retired California teacher was “life changing.”
He was in the hospital when the Woolsey fire broke out. His wife was rescued by first responders as their house was consumed by flames, but he had not been able to contact her.
“This was more than just an insurance call, it was a real connection. He needed someone to listen to him and be there for him,” Lorelei said. “He was obviously distressed, but I felt really good knowing what our company stands for and that we cared for him and his wife’s well-being. Just talking and listening to him made a difference, and he thanked me so much for doing that.”
Northern California Field Marketing Manager Christy leapt into action on the ground, meeting with insureds and bringing water, snacks and other necessities for evacuees and first responders to various locations around fire-stricken Butte County.
California Casualty Field Claims adjusters are now meeting with the hundreds of customers affected by the fires. As in past disasters, they are working with insureds to make sure their immediate needs are met, while helping them begin the long process to recovery. California Casualty will do everything in our power to lift up our customers during this devastating period in their lives.
California Casualty is there for our insureds in their greatest time of need. The people who commit to make a difference for our communities deserve financial protection with the highest levels of care, service, compassion, and understanding…which is why we exist.
As one of our adjusters said, “I think we are going to make you proud.”
Here’s an unsettling statistic – about half of US households still haven’t completed a home inventory. Of those who have done one, 40 percent haven’t updated it in many years. It’s a resolution that we urge you to make.
Why? You’ve worked hard to make your house a home. Now it’s time to create a record of everything that you own. Trying to tally what needs to be replaced is not something you want to do in the event of a claim.
Home inventory is so important. It provides a list of your things in case there is a fire, destructive storm or someone breaks in and steals your valuable belongings. Without an inventory, many people have a difficult time pinpointing or recalling everything that might have been destroyed or taken. That could delay your claim or keep you from getting full compensation.
Whether you choose to write everything down or use a video camera (like your phone), now is a great time to get started. Just go room by room and document:
Electronics
Personal care items
Jewelry
Art
Kitchen items and appliances
Furniture
Carpeting
Beds and linens
Clothing
Sports equipment
Yard and garden tools
Don’t forget to take pictures of the exterior of your home from all sides (including the landscaping and any decks or porches), and all the stuff in the garage, attic or basement (holiday ornaments, lawn and yard equipment, tools).
Completing your inventory will give you some peace of mind if the worst should happen. We’ve got a handy home inventory guide that you can download here.
The stress and exhaustion of teaching can take a toll, even if you don’t realize it. Your mind is constantly running back and forth between teaching, meetings, emails, parents, and life at home. So when the weight of anxiety and stress get heavy, here are some easy self-care tips for teachers on those hard mental health days.
As a teacher, you love what you do and want to make sure everyone is taken care of, but don’t forget about yourself. Find a support system in other teachers to talk about their ideas, get exercise, and drink plenty of water. Share with us your tips you use for self-care.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
