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We get it; shopping around for the right life insurance policy can be intimidating; you’ll need to decide between a whole life policy or a term life policy, the amount of coverage you need, which carrier to use. . . need we go on?

But one thing you shouldn’t stress about is the inevitable physical exam that comes along with most life insurance policies. Why not stress? Sure, it’s important, and will generally effect your life insurance rates, but stressing out will raise your blood pressure – which is exactly what you want to avoid at your life insurance physical.

In fact, high blood pressure can be a good excuse for insurance carriers to give you higher rates than you’d otherwise receive, as it’s an indicator of current or future health problems. So when you’re ready to secure your policy, follow our tips for lowering your blood pressure.

Avoid Caffeine: Sorry, coffee fiends; consuming caffeine before your insurance exam can give you artificially high blood pressure. Schedule your exam for first thing in the morning, or else plan to have your “morning coffee” after your appointment.

Calm Down: Just being in a doctor’s office can be stress enough to spike your blood pressure. While you wait, take some deep breaths and practice some quick meditation. Staying calm will help the nurse get an accurate blood pressure reading.

Kill the Smokes: A smoking habit will give you higher life insurance premiums anyway, but you can at least help improve your blood pressure score by nixing the cigarettes for a day before your exam. We suggest nixing the habit altogether, but that’s just us.

Follow the instructions: Many doctors will suggest fasting prior to your exam. This is a great idea, especially because several types of food can contribute to higher blood pressure.

Time it right: Some studies indicate that your blood pressure is the highest during the early afternoon, so try to schedule your appointment first thing in the morning or later in the afternoon for the lowest reading.

Don’t let the stress of life insurance get your blood pressure up! We’re happy to help you find the policy that’s right for you.

Originally posted 2013-02-21 12:22:41.

If you are over 55 years old, chances are you’ve heard of an AARP classroom course you can take to lower your car insurance premiums.  If you live in Nevada, you should really consider taking the course for a few reasons.

Shortened classroom time- The first big advantage to taking the AARP course in Nevada is we are one of only a handful of states where the DMV has worked closely with AARP to encourage 55+ drivers to take the course.  One complaint they were hearing from many attendees is the standard time the course takes is 8 hours, taking up your whole day.  Nevada worked with AARP to create a shorter 4-hour course, half the time required for most other states.  I took the course myself and the format is surprisingly fun and passes the time quickly.

Nevada Insurance Companies required to give discount-  This was interesting to me to learn that in most states while insurance companies may offer a discount for taking the course, they are not bound by law to do so.  Nevada insurance law requires companies to provide a discount.  From what I’ve seen with our own companies, the discount is usually between 5 – 10%, which can definitely help with your insurance payments.

Best Place in town to take the course-  Here at AMS, we volunteer to host courses here in our office the first Wednesday of each month.  The cost is $14 per person and $12 if you are an AARP member, all of which goes back to AARP.  I am proud that the Nevada director for driver safety courses came to our last class and mentioned that it is by far the best venue she has been to for taking the course.  We limit the number of attendees to 10 to encourage participation.  It is also held in our conference room overlooking Lone Mountain to hopefully provide a comfortable and relaxing setting.  And last but not least, we bring Dee’s Donuts!  If you’ve never had one, then what better reason is there to come?

To RSVP for our next class or if you have any questions at all, you can call me at 702-965-3685.

Originally posted 2012-09-22 00:14:55.

Insurance deductibles are intended to keep the cost of insurance low by eliminating very small claims and the cost of dealing with them. Deductibles apply to many different types of insurance but are most common on property and casualty insurance policies. Health insurance also has deductibles, and life insurance policies never have them. Most people encounter their first deductible when they buy auto insurance and have to choose the deductible amount for full coverage insurance when they finance a new or used car purchase.

Deductibles Only Apply to Policyholder’s Loss Claims

When involved in an accident at which you are at fault and needing to file an insurance claim to care for the other person’s vehicle, as might happen if driving a 4×4 and knocking over a costly sport bike parked on a lot, any deductible only would apply to the vehicle for which the auto insurance policy is drawn up. Any claims for repairing the motorcycle in this instance would not require a deductible. The deductible only applies to the insured vehicle and is intended to prevent the owner from filing minor claims for small things like having a flat tire. Deductibles also reduce the number of potential lawsuits over very small matters, and that helps to keep the price of insurance policies lower.

Deductibles Amounts Are Adjustable

People who want to reduce the cost of their auto, home or other insurance can do so by increasing the deductible amount. In most cases, deductibles can range from zero to $1,000. Some larger deductibles are available from some insurers, but most financed vehicles and common sense require deductibles of no more than $1,000 on autos. Most people have a deductible of $500, which is a relatively affordable amount for most working people to come up with in the event of an accident and needing to replace a vehicle. If the vehicle is totaled, the insurer will write a check up to policy limits minus the deductible. If repairs are needed, the insurer will pay up to policy limits minus the deductible. That means the policy holder will need to pay the deductible amount when insured repairs are done.

How much is the deductible you carry on your vehicles?

Originally posted 2014-06-05 00:21:03.

Fictional sales woman Flo in Progressive Insurance commercials became recognizable character in United States. Many people find it pretty funny, others find her annoying and even created groups on Facebook called Progressive Insurance Commercials Aggravate Me, FLO MUST DIE!!!, or I hate Flo!!! As for me, I like the way actress acts and behaves as an advertising character. For some people it is not enough to watch the commercial on TV and they go on YouTube where each clip with Flo received about 20,000 – 50,000 views.

Google keyword suggestion tool shows that people search information about Progressive Insurance ad campaign as well. According Google many people searched typing:

• progressive insurance girl
• who is the girl in the progressive insurance commercials?
• who is the chick in the progressive commercials
• annoying progressive insurance commercial
  …and more.

So, who is this funny, wired, crazy girl?

Okay, the women in the Progressive Insurance commercials is an actress and comedian Stephanie Courtney. Her little wired and enthusiastic behavior turned into something like business card or sales pitch for Progressive Insurance. Appearance in Progressive commercials is her biggest but she also appeared in movies like The Heartbreak Kid and Blades of Glory.

Originally posted 2009-09-02 15:16:20.

Finding a good insurance agent is kind of like finding a spouse – you need to have good communication, common goals and values, and the desire to stick with them for life. Las Vegas insurance agents are every where and you want to find the right one for you. Of course, you don’t owe your agent the same commitment you do your significant other, but when you find the right one, you’ll never want to go through the hassle of finding another.

But unless you’re wildly lucky, finding that relationship can take some work. We’ve broken it down into five steps to help you find the best agent for your needs:

Determine your needs

Using just one agent for all of your personal insurance needs can be very convenient, but it will require you to decide exactly what you need so you can find the agent who can provide it to you. Bundling insurance policies can help save money, so make a list of what lines you’ll need: auto, homeowners, renters, flood, dwelling, umbrella, etc.

Talk to your friends

Referrals can go a long way. Talk to your friends and family to see if they’d recommend an agent or a specific company. Ask them why they’d recommend the agent and broker and decide if these qualities fall in line with what you’re looking for.

Ask questions

Regardless of whether you have gotten some suggestions from friends or family, be sure to ask plenty of questions of your potential agent and their staff. Ask for extensive information on each insurance policy. You’ll also want to ask about the agency and supporting staff as well to get a good feel of the availability of your potential insurance agent and staff.

Get actual quotes

After you’ve narrowed your candidates for insurance agents, get actual quotes on the policies you’re interested in. Be sure to ask about any discounts for bundling policies, as well as other available discounts. A good agent will try to find you the best coverage with as many discounts as possible.

Try it out

If you’ve found an agent you like who also offers you the coverage you need at a price that fits your budget, you might be ready to purchase your insurance policies and work with your new agent. Before you renew your policy, reflect on the service and accessibility of your agent and his or her staff. Hopefully, you will have found an agent and started to build a relationship that can last a lifetime!

How did you find your agent?

Originally posted 2012-09-09 05:26:18.