Fuller Insurance Blog

Starbucks Venti Coffee, Whataburger Combo Meal, Term Life Insurance

I believe in life insurance. Life insurance money helped pay for my college education, it helped pay for my grandfather's funeral expenses, and it helped my father-in-law save money for my wife, Terisa. I believe every adult needs life insurance, especially if you are married, have children, or own a business.

So, you think life insurance is expensive? If you buy Starbucks Venti-size coffees or buy Whataburger Combo Meals, you can afford to purchase a life insurance policy.

You don't drink your coffee in one big gulp, do you? Take your most important financial commitment (for example, your home mortgage or your child's college education) and insure that first. It's important to get started with a life insurance plan now, and then as your life changes, make changes to your plan.

Life insurance is flexible. Life insurance companies offer the ability to "convert" your policy to a different plan later in life. When you convert your life insurance policy to a different plan, you generally do not have to prove insurability again (i.e.,  no medical records, no blood tests, etc). So, the younger you are when you start your life insurance plan, the more options you have later in life.

Life insurance is affordable, flexible, and can solve many problems in life. Make sure your life insurance is in place the next time you buy a cup of coffee.

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Auto-Owners Insurance Company Receives J. D. Power Award

For the third consecutive year in a row, Auto-Owners Insurance Company received the J. D. Power and Associates award for "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with the Auto Insurance Claims Experience."

If you are ready for a better auto insurance company, lower rates, and a great Trusted Choice agent, call Fuller Insurance at 850-622-5283 for a quote with Auto-Owners Insurance Company.

Walton Area Chamber Members: Check Out The New Postcard

Walton Area Chamber Members in Santa Rosa Beach, Freeport, and the surrounding area need to check out our new postcard (see below). You will receive a postcard in the mail soon.

Ready to save money on auto insurance AND get a $10 gas card? Call Fuller Insurance for an auto insurance quote today. Just for getting a firm quote you receive a $10 gas card for Chevron gas. Plus, save an extra 10% on your auto insurance with Auto-Owners Insurance Company.

Call Shelley Carmichael at 850-622-5283 for a quote or more details.

 

 
 

 

Auto-Owners Annuities Paying 3.75% - Still Better Than CDs

Auto-Owners Insurance Company announced last week that they will be paying 3.75% on their Item 300 Deferred Annuity effective July 9, 2010 (the previous rate was 4%).

At 3.75%, you generally earn a full point more than what a bank will pay you on a 5-year CD.

Learn why annuities are better than Bank CDs or call Fuller Insurance for more information.

Top Ten Ways to Prepare for Retirement

 
Worried about your retirement? The National Retirement Planning Coalition posted these top 10 ways to Prepare for Retirement:

1. Select a target date for when you want to retire.
2. Calculate how much money you need to accumulate by the time you want to retire.
3. Find out how to maximize your Social Security benefits.
4. Take full advantage of tax-advantaged plans such as employer retirement plans, individual retirement accounts and annuities.
5. If your employer doesn’t have a pension or retirement plan, ask that one be started.
6. Don’t touch your savings for anything but retirement.
7. Diversify your assets and be sure to include guaranteed income for life.
8. Ask questions. Get help. Seek the assistance of a professional financial adviser.
9. Start now, set goals.
10. Do a retirement plan and monitor your progress. 

Read the full article here. Also, find out how Fuller Insurance can offer you a 4% return on your retirement account by using Auto-Owners Insurance Company Fixed Annuities.

Auto-Owners Insurance Company: #418 on Fortune 500 List

Why choose Auto-Owners Insurance Company and Fuller Insurance? Here is another reason:

Auto-Owners Insurance Company announced this week that they are ranked #418 on the Fortune 500 List. Their ranking jumped 58 places from their 2008 ranking of #476. Auto-Owners has been ranked on the Fortune 500 list for eight years in a row.

Here are a couple more reasons:

In 2009, J. D. Power and Associates ranked Auto-Owners "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with the Auto Insurance Claims Experience." This is the second straight year winning this award.

Finally, Auto-Owners is one of 10 insurance company groups rated A++ by A. M. Best. 

Auto-Owners Insurance Company: Fortune 500 Company, J. D. Powers Award, and A++ financial strength. Fuller Insurance is your local Auto-Owners Insurance Agent in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

Why Annuities Are Better Than Bank CDs

(Update: Auto-Owners introduced a new annuity product 5/2011. Guaranteed minimun interest is 1.5%. Current interest rate is 2.5%.)

What is an annuity? The free internet encyclopedia has a great definition of an annuity. Basically, an annuity is a "contract created when an individual gives a life insurance company money which may grow on a tax-deferred basis and then can be distributed back to the owner in several ways." Most annuity customers use annuities to accumulate funds and to take a lump-sum withdrawal later (like bank CD customers).

Fuller Insurance offers annuity contracts with Auto-Owners Life Insurance Company, rated A+ by A.M. Best, the highest rating a life insurance company can receive. So, why are Auto-Owners annuities better than bank certificates of deposit or CDs? Click here for 7 great reasons.

We are an independent insurance agency as well as a small business. Every small business needs a bank checking account in order to send and receive money (we use Regions Bank). But, are banks the best places to invest money? Auto-Owners' motto is "Safe. Sound. Secure."

Regions Bank is a reputable, national bank with many branches and offers traditional banking services. Regions does a good job for us. But, is Regions the best place to invest your money? Let's look at Regions' current CD rates.

Auto-Owners is paying 2.5% interest on the Item 500 Tax Deferred Annuity with no fees!

Are you interested in annuities now? Call Garrett Fuller or Chris Jayne at Fuller Insurance for more information.

(P.S. download and install Adobe Reader so you can open and view some of the files I link too).

Walton Area Chamber Members: New Insurance Discount

Fuller Insurance & Auto-Owners Insurance Announce 10% Auto Insurance Discount

Santa Rosa Beach, January 13:  Local business owners in Walton County and the surrounding area continue to suffer from the slow economy. During these slow times, it is important that business owners obtain as much benefit as possible from their membership in associations and chambers of commerce. Fuller Insurance and Auto-Owners Insurance Company are pleased to announce a 10% Auto Insurance Discount to Walton Area Chamber Members.

Through a new Special Savings Program, Walton Area Chamber Members will receive a special 10% discount on their auto insurance. This 10% discount is in addition to any other discount the Member may qualify for. Walton Area Chamber Members that are interested in receiving this discount should contact Shelley Carmichael at 850-622-5283.

Fuller Insurance is the Local Trusted Choice Insurance Agency serving Walton County and the communities of Destin, Miramar Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, Panama City Beach, and Freeport, Florida. For more information visit http://www.fullerinsurance.us.

Children's Life Insurance Ensures Insurability

If you are a parent, then you probably received a bag or folder of offers for child-related products when you checked your new born child out of the hospital. The offers include information about formula, pictures, and life insurance among other things.

Some financial planners do not recommend the purchase of life insurance on a child because there is no loss of income if the child should die. These same financial planners also say that insurance agents will appeal to your emotions to convince you that your child needs to be covered or the fact that children's life insurance is so inexpensive. These financial planners generally forget one key fact about children's life insurance: it ensures insurability.

A children's life insurance policy is a whole life insurance policy. A whole life insurance policy is a life insurance policy designed to have level premiums over your entire life, up to age 100 or higher. When you purchase a children's life insurance policy, even for small amounts of coverage, you are ensuring your child has locked in life insurance for life.

I know of many situations where friends and family have very young children that have developed disease or disorders, like juvenile diabetes, autism, or other developmental issues. Such situations could prevent your child from being able to purchase a life insurance policy later in their life. When you purchase a children's life insurance policy on your child, you don't have to worry what the future may hold for him or her, you can rest assured they have life insurance.

At Fuller Insurance, our children's life insurance policy is underwritten by Auto-Owners Life Insurance Company (rated A+ by A M Best). We can issue the policy for a child from 15 days old to age 17. The policy and premiums are guaranteed to age 110.

If you want to ensure your child's insurability and purchase an inexpensive children's life insurance policy, call Garrett Fuller at 850-622-5283.

Buy Life Insurance and Save On Auto Insurance

Auto insurance companies are competing aggressively in Florida for your business. Every day I receive an email about a new benefit or a new discount. One of the best auto insurance deals I have seen is with Auto-Owners Insurance Company.

When we quote your auto insurance with Auto-Owners we also offer you a life insurance quote with Auto-Owners. If you buy the life insurance you get a 5% discount on your auto insurance. In some cases, the life insurance pays for itself because the discount is greater than the cost of the life insurance policy! This usually happens if you have more than 2 cars or if you are about 40 years old or younger.

There are lots of ways to save on auto insurance. We started mailing a new auto insurance postcard to our customers that lists all the different discounts possible. I will post the list of discounts next time.