Fuller Insurance Blog

Military Discount for Florida Motorcycle Insurance

I was working on our Florida Motorcycle Insurance web page this morning and came across a new military discount from Dairyland Insurance. Active and Retired Military members get an extra 10% discount on motorcycle insurance. 

Another great Dairyland Motorcycle Insurance discount is for those military members that have completed the Military Training Safety Course - this qualifies for the Rider Safety Course Discount.

Finally, if your motorcycle is a Harley, you qualify for the Harley Owners Group Discount.

Lots of great discounts on Florida motorcycle insurance from Dairyland Insurance Company!

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Flood Insurance vs. Disaster Assistance: Flood Insurance is a Bargain

Are you putting off purchasing flood insurance because you think the government or FEMA will provide disaster assistance if your home is flooded? Check out this summary of the difference between flood insurance and disaster insurance provided by United Property and Casualty Insurance Company:

 

FLOOD INSURANCE	DIASTER ASSISTANCE
The insured is in control.  Flood insurance claims are paid even if a disaster is not declared by the President.	Most forms of federal disaster assistance require a Presidential declaration.
Between 20 and 25 percent of all claims paid by the NFIP are outside of Special Flood Hazard Areas.	Federal disaster assistance declarations are not awarded in all flood incidents.
There is no payback requirement.	The most typical form of disaster assistance is a loan that must be repaid with interest.
Flood insurance policies are continuous, and are not non-renewed or cancelled for repeat losses.	The duration of a Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster home loan could extend to 30 years.
Flood insurance reimburses you for all covered building losses up to $250,000 and $500,000 for businesses.  Contents coverage is also available up to $100,000 for homeowners and $500,000 for businesses.	The average Individuals and Households Program awarded for Presidential disaster declarations related to flooding in 2008 was less than $4,000.
The average cost of a flood insurance policy is a little more than $500 annually.  The cost of a preferred risk policy is less than $300 annually, depending on where you live.	Repayment on a $50,000 SBA disaster home loan is $340 a month or $3,880 annually at 4% interest.

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Tips for Driving Safely With Children

According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages three to 14.

Reduce the risk and implement these tips for safe driving when there are children in your vehicle:

 

1. Young Children
   • When children have outgrown a convertible safety seat, they should use a booster seat until they are 10 years old.
   • Even when young children are tall enough to use an adult seat belt, they should ride in the backseat until they are 13 years old.
2. Toddlers
   • Keep toddlers in a rear-facing, convertible safety seat for as long as possible.
   • When the child outgrows the safety seat, toddlers should sit in a forward-facing safety seat complete with a full harness.
3. Infants
   • Always drive with infants in a rear-facing safety seat.
   • Once a child exceeds the manufacturer's height and weight limit of the seat, infants should continue to ride facing the rear in a convertible safety seat.

Remember, car seats are only effective in keeping children safe if they are installed correctly. Before driving with any child passengers, double-check that the safety seat is mounted correctly, locked in place and that all buckles and straps are intact.

Are you a safe driver? Take the National Drivers Test from GMAC Insurance and find out how you score against your family and friends on Facebook.

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Fuller Insurance Now Offers Assurant Health Plans

I am pleased to announce that our agency now offers Assurant Health Plans, including major medical insurance, short term medical insurance, accident insurance, and dental insurance.

You can request an instant health plan quote from our website or call us at 850-622-5283.

 

 

 

Hybrid Car Owners: Get An Extra 10% Discount From Travelers Auto Insurance

If you own a hybrid car, like a Toyota Prius or Honda Civic Hybrid, then you can now receive an extra 10% discount on your car insurance from Travelers Auto Insurance. This extra 10% hybrid car discount is in addition to any other discount you qualify for, like a homeowners discount or safe driver discount. For more information, check out the Hybrid Travelers website - a special website dedicated to hybrid car owners.

Since I am writing about auto insurance discounts, I came across another good article about how to cut your auto insurance costs from Daily Finance. This article does a good job of covering all the possible ways you can save money on car insurance. One thing I would add would be: Don't let your auto insurance lapse! Whenever you let your auto insurance lapse you will generally have to pay a higher rate to reinstate it.

For more great ways to save on car insurance, call Shelley Carmichael at Fuller Insurance.

 

Progressive Boat Insurance: A Great Option for Florida Boat Owners

If you own a boat or pleasure watercraft in Florida, you have many different insurance companies to choose from. Let me give you several reasons why you need to consider Progressive Boat Insurance.

Progressive Boat Insurance lowered their overall rates an average of 8 percent in Florida effective January 1, 2011. So you start off with a more competitive rate from Progressive before any boat insurance discounts are applied.

Progressive Boat Insurance has become a leader in offering discounts to Florida boat owners, including these industry leading discounts:

Transfer Discount: If you have prior coverage with Progressive Boat Insurance or any other boat insurance company, you will get a discount for transferring your coverage to Progressive

Prompt Payment Discount: When you make your payments on time using an approved payment method, you receive an additional discount. The easiest way to always receive the Prompt Payment Discount is to sign up for automatic EFT payments from your checking account.

Advance Quote Discount: If you are shopping for boat insurance, call Fuller Insurance a few days before you need the boat insurance coverage to start. When you call ahead for a firm boat insurance quote, you receive a discount. The farther you call ahead the bigger the discount, and you even get a discount for calling just one day before you need the boat insurance coverage to start.

United States Coast Guard Auxilary or Power Squadron Discount: Progressive Boat Insurance now offers a discount if you are a member of the United States Coast Guard Auxilary of if you complete the Power Squadron training.

Years of Experience Discount: Get a discount for the number of years that you have boating experience.

Length of Ownership Discount: The Length of Ownership Discount is in addition to the Years of Experience Discount. With this discount, the longer you have owned a boat or pleasure watercraft, the bigger the discount you receive.

While these are the newest discounts Progressive Boat Insurance offers, there are many more. Plus there is no maximum overall discount - each discount you earn counts, so you could get 50, 60, or even 70% off the base insurance rates.

You may be thinking "does my Florida boat qualify for Progressive Boat Insurance?" If your boat or pleasure watercraft is 35 feet or less, and not worth more than $175,000, then your boat probably qualifies for Progressive Boat Insurance.

Besides the discounts, you receive quality insurance coverage from Progressive Insurance Company,  rated A+ by A. M. Best Company.

Progressive Boat Insurance offers Total Loss Replacement coverage on current year and prior model year boats and pleasure watercraft. In addition, Progressive offers Agreed Value Coverage on any model year boat.

Do you have a pet dog or cat you love? Progressive Boat Insurance automatically includes $1,000 of Pet Coverage for a dog or cat to cover medical injuries or even death.

If you own a ski boat, you probably have water toys such as skis or tubes. Progressive Boat Insurance automatically includes coverage for Water Sports when you purchase medical payments coverage (sorry, no coverage for para-sailing!). Does your current boat insurance company offer Water Sports coverage?

These are just of the few of the reasons why you need to consider Progressive Boat Insurance. With the multiple discounts, you receive a competitive insurance rate on your Florida boat or watercraft. Plus, you can rest easy knowing you have a boat insurance policy packed with the insurance coverages you need in case of a boating accident. Call Fuller Insurance for a boat insurance quote with Progressive Boat Insurance or request an instant boat insurance quote on-line.

 

Win Prizes from Progressive Insurance in the Snapshot of You Sweepstakes

Progressive Insurance is giving away prizes every week through June 4 to celebrate the launch of their Snapshot Discount, which lets you save on car insurance based on how you drive. Just strike a pose and submit a snapshot to enter: http://pgrs.in/snapshotofyou.

Workers' Compensation Essentials for the Business Owner

 
Do you need to better understand workers compensation insurance? The Hartford put together a webinar that will answer these questions for you:

• Who is an Employee?
• Which Employees are "Exempt"?
• When is an injury work related?
• How are injuries outside of the state handled?

If you have additional questions about workers compensation insurance, feel free to call us at Fuller Insurance.

Bankers Insurance (First Community) Seeks 23% Florida Homeowners Rate Increase

I found out today that Bankers Insurance (First Community) is requesting a statewide average 23% rate increase on homeowners insurance from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

The amount of the increase will vary from county to county. As soon as we receive additional information from Bankers, I will post it to our blog.

The good news is you are insured with a Trusted Choice insurance agent - we represent multiple homeowners insurance companies and follow the Trusted Choice Pledge of Performance. 

 

 

 

Individual Health Insurance Plans: 5 Questions To Ask

Shopping for and purchasing an individual health insurance plan can be a tedious experience. There are many different insurance companies, plans, doctor networks, plan options ... and then there is the cost of the health plan.

When you start to apply for an individual health plan you have to disclose your entire medical history, provide details on your doctors, and maybe even provide medical records. Whew! No wonder so many people put off getting an individual health insurance plan - it can be a huge project.

To help you with the shopping process, here are 5 questions to ask when you're shopping for an individual health plan:

1. Do I want short-term or long-term coverage?
2. How much am I prepared to pay out of my own pocket?
3. Are my doctors in the network?
4. How do I want to pay for doctor's office visits?
5. What optional coverage do I need?


If you would like more help shopping for an individual health insurance plan, call Shelley Carmichael at Fuller Insurance. Our phone number is 850-622-5283.