Fall is the perfect time of year! The summer heat begins to fade, leaves don their annual colors, football games take over the weekend, and pumpkin-flavored everything hits the shelves. fall preparation
However, it also serves as a reminder, that as the days grow shorter and the leaves start to fall, now is the ideal time to look around your home and get prepared for the oncoming winter. Fall’s mild temperatures and adequate daylight provide an opportunity to check the heater, repair gutters, and add extra insulation to the attic. An early autumn storm or blizzard is no time to learn you have leaks or other problems.
TheInsurance Information Institute estimates that winter-related damage causes over a billion dollars in insurance losses annually. So, enjoy the nice weather and your pumpkin spiced latte while you can. Just don’t forget to look ahead. Prevent your home from being a winter-storm statistic and make the necessary preparations to your home this fall.
Fall Preparation Checklist:
Have your heating system checked and cleaned.
Inspect ceilings, windows and outer walls for cracks.
Change air filters.
Check your pipes and plumbing.
Inspect your roof for wear or damage and clean the gutters.
Install weather stripping and caulk around windows and doors.
Seal up foundation and driveway cracks.
Check your fireplace and chimney for cracks or leaks.
Look around your deck or patio and yard. Now is the time to clean and store seasonal outdoor furniture and flower pots, drain sprinkler systems, trim trees and shrubs, fertilize lawns and mulch gardens. Before your lawnmower goes into hibernation, schedule a time to have it serviced. If your snowblower needs some TLC after its summer break, bring it in with your mower and tackle two chores at once.
During the fall it is also important to make sure your home is fire safe. Hundreds of fires break out each day during the autumn and winter months. Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and make sure everything is working properly. The National Fire Protection Association warns carbon monoxide poisonings also climb during the fall and winter months.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector Preparation Checklist:
Install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area, and on all levels of the home.
Test all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace the batteries.
Have all heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected.
Keep all flammable material at least three feet from heat sources.
Check fire extinguishers. Replace or have them serviced as needed.
Know and practice home escape routes.
A vital preparation step for any season is to review and understand your homeowners or renters insurance policy. Make sure you know what is covered under your policy, if you need to up your coverage, or add additional coverage for the coming winter months.
This article is furnished by California Casualty. We specialize in 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.
Joe Volponi, President & CEO of California Casualty, speaks about the insurance industry during the coronavirus with David Perry on the “Great Pause” online news program.
As other insurance companies jump to reduce premiums, during the pandemic, Joe explains why a long-term premium relief strategy, like the one California Casualty is taking, has policyholders’ best interest for the future.
Do you know the most popular time to receive jewelry? You guessed it – February. Now, do you know if your homeowner’s or renters’ insurance policy protects your jewelry? Whether you said “yes” or “no,” you are correct.
Here’s why: Your homeowner’s policy only provides limited coverage on certain high-value items. You may not receive the full value if a loss occurs. Scheduled Personal Property (SPP) insurance, sometimes called a floater, provides additional coverage of valuables – above and beyond what your home insurance provides.
Here are some very important advantages with Scheduled Personal Property plans:
Scheduled Personal Property (SPP) offers much broader coverage for your precious items – if you misplace a set of earrings, they are covered; if a diamond falls out of a ring, or a guitar neck breaks, they’re covered.
There is no deductible if the covered items are stolen, lost, or damaged.
SPP provides a replacement for the actual appraised value of the item.
SPP usually costs about one to two percent of the item’s value.
And, Scheduled Personal Property insurance isn’t just for jewelry; you might need the endorsement if you have:
Fine art
Furs
Coin or stamp collections
Expensive cameras
Firearms
Fine silverware
Sporting equipment
Antiques
And even if you already have gold and jewelryor a rare watch covered with Scheduled Personal Property coverage, you may need a review. Gold and diamond prices have climbed the past few years and you may not have enough protection for their new value.
By nature, many of us are collectors of stuff, and much of that stuff is valuable. Whether you have purchased your priceless items from exotic locations around the globe, inherited them or painstakingly monitored eBay to find them, you no doubt want to protect them.
TAKEAWAY: Don’t wait until your precious items are lost, stolen or damaged to find out if you have enough coverage to replace them. Contact CalCas Customer Service today, at 1.800.800.9410 option 3, or www.calcas.com/customer-service.
When you purchased a California Casualty insurance policy, you received a valuable gift – free help if you are ever a victim of identity theft.
We realize that almost every stage of your life-journey can put you at risk for ID theft. From getting married, purchasing a new home, going to the hospital or registering children for school, your personal information can be grabbed by identity thieves and fraudsters.
When your personal identity has been taken, it takes an emotional toll and can cost thousands of dollars and many hours to resolve. The sooner you react, the sooner you can start regaining your good name and re-establishing your credit.
Having a trusted company walking with you can make all the difference. That’s why California Casualty offers free ID theft resolution services from CyberScout.
CyberScout is the nation’s premier provider of identity services, providing these services (and more):
Tax fraud support
Financial identity theft
Utility identity theft
Payday loan identity theft
Document replacement and break-in theft support
Travel identity theft
Child identity theft
California Casualty started offering the ID theft resolution services offered by CyberScout in 2006. At that time, few companies offered this type of help to customers, and many of those who did charge a fee. California Casualty wanted to make certain that all customers would receive identity theft resolution services at no charge and to make the process as simple as possible. Customers simply call the toll-free number for California Casualty, where a Customer Service representative verifies their policy and transfers them to CyberScout. CyberScout assigns a personal fraud specialist who works with our customers until the fraud problem is resolved. That means you have unlimited one-on-one access to a dedicated fraud specialist who will assist you in understanding credit reports, gathering evidence against the fraudsters, working to limit damages, and following up to make sure the problem has been cleared up.
With insurance from California Casualty, if you or a loved one’s personal information is compromised, you can rest assured that a CyberScout fraud specialist will get in the trenches to help speed the recovery process – placing fraud alerts, contacting creditors and sticking with you as long as it takes to restore your good credit.
CyberScout has actively helped 17 million households across the world with data theft resolution and education. Their testimonials say it all:
“We are very pleased with the help received after our credit cards and ATM card were compromised. We feel more secure after our CyberScout advisor’s help and advice.”
“My fraud investigator was an angel. She answered all my questions, assisted with calls and letters to retailers, assisted with a seven-year credit freeze and followed up with all closed accounts. She is truly knowledgeable, friendly and compassionate.”
If you fear you have been a victim of identity theft or an account takeover, you can take solace that you have the expertise of CyberScout, provided by California Casualty, to help you battle the criminals and restore your peace of mind.
TAKEAWAY:
Learn more about the FREE identity theft protection from CyberScout that comes with your insurance policies from California Casualty at www.calcas.com/Identity-Theft, or contact a customer care specialist at 1.800.800.9410 option 3.
If you love the roar of a muscle car or the gleaming chrome of a restored classic – and have made your passion for owning one a reality – these important insurance facts pertain to you.
As you know, collectible vehicles are an investment. Some are now selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars. If something were to happen to your beloved ’57 T-bird convertible, ’69 Camaro Z28, or ’55 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, you need full replacement value insurance coverage.
And the insurance you have on your every day, commuter vehicle doesn’t offer that. A typical auto insurance policy is based on actual cash value and depreciation, so the older your vehicle is, the less it is worth.
Some people don’t insure their collector vehicles because they store them or drive them so seldom, but that could be a big mistake.
Classic car auto insurance pays the agreed value if the vehicle is damaged in a fire, flood or during transportation, or if it is stolen. It also covers the higher cost of repairs if someone scratches the paint or chrome, or steals a specialty part.
It’s true. Classic car insurance protects the vehicle for the full agreed value, meaning it covers these desirable cars and trucks for their increased worth.
Classic auto policies offer the same coverage options as standard insurance – liability, collision, comprehensive, and medical pay – while also protecting the vehicle’s true worth.
Here’s the best part, classic auto insurance usually costs less than standard auto insurance because classic and collector vehicles are normally driven less, are kept garaged, and owners typically maintain them better; therefore, they are considered a better risk.
Classic car policies do come with restrictions:
The vehicle must be stored in a locked, safe garage or storage facility
The insured vehicle is unique or at least 15 years old
It is not used as a regular commute vehicle
All drivers have a clean driving record
California Casualty’s Agency Services division offers insurance for collectible, classic, antique and exotic vehicles with:
Protection for the full agreed value
Adjustable deductibles
Towing
Coverage for lost or stolen parts
Mileage plans
There are many choices to insure your classic vehicle. Our partner for classic car insurance is Condon Skelly. Unlike most classic insurance providers, Condon Skelly does not limit mileage or require seasonal coverage, while still offering competitive rates.
TAKEAWAY:
Contact one of California Casualty’s Agency Services advisors today to arrange insurance for your classic or collectible car at 1.877.421.8348 or visit www.calcas.com/classic-car-insurance
Imagine the heartbreak of coming home to find burglars have cleaned out your valuables or that a fire reduced everything you owned to ashes. Having renters insurance can help you replace all that you lost and get you back on the road to recovery. If you don’t yet have a renters insurance policy, here are some facts that might convince you to do so.
Your landlord’s insurance does not cover your possessions. It only protects the structure: roof, walls, etc. Their policy ends where the interior walls begin.
You probably own more than you think. From kitchen goods and cookware, bedding, clothing, shoes, electronics and other household essentials, most people underestimate the expense to replace those items. Imagine how much it would cost to buy new furniture, clothes, personal items, computers, stereos, and electronics if they are stolen, damaged, or destroyed by a fire, water leak or a broken pipe.
Renters insurance provides for the cost of meals and other expenses. This includes a temporary place to live (like a hotel) while your place is repaired or rebuilt after a claim.
Renters insurance gives you liability protection if someone gets hurt at your place. It pays medical bills and some court costs if someone sues after an accidental fall on your steps or is bitten by your dog.
For the protection it offers, renters coverage is very affordable. The Insurance Information Institute estimates the average policy costs $185 a year, just over 50 cents per day. The savings from bundling with an auto policy can make renters insurance practically free.
Plus, a renters policy from California Casualty protects your items away from home – like luggage lost on vacation, a camera or computer taken from your vehicle, and TVs and furniture in storage. Each policy also comes with free ID theft protection.
TAKEAWAY:
Make sure you have the protection you need as a renter. Contact one of our advisors to get coverage tailored to your specific needs at 1.800.800.9410 option 3, or visit www.calcas.com/renters-insurance.
Do you know the most popular time to receive jewelry? You guessed it – February. Now, do you know if your homeowner’s or renters’ insurance policy protects your jewelry? Whether you said “yes” or “no,” you are correct.
Some people don’t insure their collector vehicles because they store them or drive them so seldom, but that could be a big mistake.