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Not everyone needs life insurance, but it is a very important safety net for most families in the United States. Life insurance helps ensure families can continue to meet financial obligations and not suffer substantial reductions in their standards of living if there is an unfortunate accident and a family’s primary earner no longer is around. But some life insurance policies cost more than others and work differently. The simplest, most affordable and for many financial advisors the most preferable type of coverage is term life insurance, which is in effect for a set period of time and then expires if the insured individual is still alive.

Term Plans Are Very Affordable

Term life is the most affordable kind of life insurance with rates running often times a tenth or less of that for comparable levels of whole life insurance. Term life policies also do not require a medical exam because the rates are determined based on mortality tables that very accurately assess the odds of someone dying while a term life policy is in force. Those whose lives are insured through term life plans will be happy to learn information from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners indicates the insured individual outlives the term more than 90 percent of the time. A typical term lasts from between 10 years and 30 years.

Term Life Policies Protect Homes, Investments

The most common use of a term life insurance policy is to protect a home mortgage with a decreasing term life insurance policy. A decreasing term life policy is one that has a death benefit that decreases over time to reflect the decreased amount owed on a mortgage, for example. Many term life insurance policies have guaranteed renewal options and can be converted into whole life insurance, although not all term life policies offer such policy options. Many financial advisors prefer purchasing term life insurance instead of whole life insurance and using the money saved on monthly premiums to invest in higher-return investment vehicles.

If you no longer were around, would your family suffer a drastic drop in its standard of living?

Originally posted 2014-04-18 22:30:21.

Driving in Las Vegas can be very trying at times, particularly around 5 p.m. anywhere near the Strip or I-15. Accidents are a too common occurrence, and most times, someone else is at fault. Unfortunately, that leads to another problem in Las Vegas, and that is the high incidence of people driving with no insurance. Studies indicate more than 25 percent of motorists on Las Vegas-area roads are driving illegally with no auto insurance coverage. And even those motorists who do have insurance policies in place in many times do not have enough in coverage limits to pay the full costs of any damages or injuries they might inflict on others.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists Coverage Protects Well

The best way to protect against uninsured or underinsured motorists is to have uninsured/underinsured motorists coverage as part of an auto insurance policy. If hit by a driver who can’t be identified in a hit-and-run accident or by a driver who is unlicensed or otherwise not insured to drive a vehicle, uninsured motorists coverage will pay up to policy limits for any financial losses. When a driver cannot  be identified, such as a hit-and-run driver, that motorists automatically is declared an “uninsured motorist.” Having insurance to protect against losses caused by an uninsured motorists is a wise move in a state where more than 25 percent of drivers have no insurance coverage.

Underinsured Motorists Coverage Pays  When Others Won’t

Even motorists who have state-mandated auto insurance coverage in place many times do not have enough to pay for potential damages to many vehicles and other properties. In Nevada, a motorists can drive legally if the vehicle in which he or she is traveling has enough insurance coverage to pay up to 15,000 for bodily injuries to one other person or a total of $30,000 for bodily injuries to more than one person from an accident. State law also requires at least $10,000 in property damage coverage, which can be exceeded easily by one accident. That makes it important to have insurance coverage in place in case an uninsured or underinsured motorist causes an accident involving you. If your vehicle were totaled in an accident, would $10,000 be enough to replace it?

Originally posted 2014-04-02 22:48:26.

Most of us are guilty of using a cell phone while driving at some time or another, and some much more often than others. But every year, more than one million accidents are caused by drivers using cell phones. Texting while driving rightfully is banned in 41 states due to the potential for distraction leading to an accident. And a dozen states have banned using cell phones altogether while most others have some sort of laws limiting the use of cell phones by drivers. Hands-free only cell phone usage by drives is a popular one.

More Than A Quarter of All Accidents Involve Cell Phone Use

Although most states ban texting while driving, a new study shows that talking while driving is more dangerous. Texting while driving accounts for far less accidents than simply talking on a cell phone while driving, according to the National Safety Council.  About 26 percent of all accidents involve at least one driver using a cell phone. But only 5 percent of accidents occur when a driver is texting. While still a significant percentage that represents thousands of accidents and likely deaths, the toll from texting is much less than that of talking on a cell phone.

Rising Accident Rates Involving Cell Phones

About 1.3 million accidents in the United States during 2013 involved using a cell phones while driving, according to the National Safety Council. That amount is about 1 percent more than during 2012 and is part of a trend of more accidents involving drivers using cell phones. And with cellular plans becoming more affordable and service more reliable, more people are using cell phones. So the percentages likely will continue to rise until states either crack down more on cell phone usage by drivers or more motorists learn better ways to manage their cell phone usage while driving. Have you ever been distracted when using a cell phone while driving and almost cause an accident?

Originally posted 2014-03-28 17:27:01.

With Valentine’s Day swiftly upon us, you may be spending a bit of your time poring over jewelry cases or browsing popular websites. After all, nothing says love quite like a piece of beautiful, unique, precious and likely expensive jewelry. If you’re going the precious metal and gemstones route this V-Day, you’re likely to score big points. But make sure you don’t lose out later; talk to us about a Las Vegas homeowners insurance rider.

You already know that homeowners insurance goes a long way in keeping your property protected. Your Las Vegas homeowners insurance policy include coverage for structure, liability and even much of the contents of your home. That said, most home insurance policies also have set limits on specific types of possessions, jewelry being one of them.

Las Vegas Homeowners Insurance Riders

If you have one or more pieces of valuable jewelry (or firearms, artwork, rugs, furs, etc.), you may want to talk to us today about adding a rider to your existing homeowners insurance policy. To issue you a jewelry rider, we’ll likely need records surrounding your jewelry, such as payment receipts, appraisals and certifications. If you do not have an appraisal of a particular piece of jewelry on hand, you can usually get one inexpensively from a local jeweler or appraisal company.

If you move from your home, remember that your jewelry rider isn’t going to follow you to your new place. Just as you’ll need to purchase new homeowners insurance when you buy a house, you’ll also need to add in a new jewelry rider.

This Valentine’s Day, give a gift that really means something – without worrying about keeping it protected. Talk to us today about adding your jewelry to your Las Vegas homeowners insurance policy with a home insurance rider.

Originally posted 2014-02-07 15:48:12.

Sure, the holidays are a joyous time. But they’re also an expensive time. That’s why, when January 1 rolls around, most of us are resolving to tighten the purse strings a bit and save some cash in the year to come. If you haven’t assessed your homeowners policy lately, January is a great time to do it. You could be able to save on home insurance and make finances a little brighter in the coming year. Here are our top tips:

Save on Home Insurance With These Tips:

Shop around: If it’s been a while since you’ve gotten a quote from a different insurance company, you may be paying too much for your homeowners policy. Save on home insurance by getting a current quote from another company or agency and comparing your current premium and coverage.

Increase your security: Installing new security feature on your property won’t just help protect your family; they also may help you save on home insurance. You could save money on your premium by installing a security alarm, deadbolt locks or even fire extinguishers.

Ask about discounts: Often, homeowners may qualify for premium discounts they didn’t even know existed! Ask your agency or provider about specific premium discounts, like multi-policy, senior citizen, low claims, marital status or security features.

Keep an inventory: You purchase home insurance to protect your possessions, right? But many policyholders fail to keep a current, accurate inventory of their personal property, which could cost them down the line. If you have not yet created an inventory (or it’s been a while since you updated it), now’s the time!

Want to learn more ways to save on home insurance in 2014? Give us a call today and a friendly agent will help determine how to get you the best policy for your budget – and keep you, your home and your family protected this year.

Originally posted 2014-01-01 09:39:42.