Newsletter

Most of us are hardworking honest people, who are building strong families and are productive members of our community. Unfortunately, there are a few people who try to take advantage of us and we need to be educated on what to watch for. Fraud, including insurance scams, is the second-most burdensome financial crime in the United States. Tax evasion is number one.
Your personal insurance company and agent can be a great resource to you before, during, and after an accident.

Here are a few of the most common scams:

1.Forced Rear-ending – Typically, the scammer will slow down or come to a stop in busy traffic, or swoop in front of the victim at an intersection or an on-ramp, causing the driver to crash into them from behind. In most states, the person who rear-ended the other driver is the liable party, thus the scam begins. At this point, the scammer will claim high medical bills and unusual property damage, (loss of IPhone, damage to other personal property, etc).

2.Counterfeit Air Bags - Each year, about 1.6 million air bags inflate during crashes, saving thousands of lives. But, during the repair process, at least a small percentage of those deployed air bags will be replaced with counterfeits, which can be life-threatening.  Make sure you use a reputable repair shop and ask to have factory airbags installed.

3.Windshield Replacement Rip-Offs - Don’t fall for the person in a van who stops you to say he can offer to fix your windshield. The scammer takes your insurance information and files a false claim. Only use well known repair shops.

Phantom Victims - Often after an accident, you are not fully aware of everyone and everything around you. The scam is the injured party will say there was another passenger in the vehicle and make a false claim. When gathering information after an accident, such as the other driver's license number and contact information, also count the number of passengers in the other car (if any) and take photos of the other car, its passengers, and the general scene.

As always, all of us at Neate Dupey Insurance Group thank you for your continued business, and hope you are enjoying your summer!

Do you need insurance for your boat, RV, motorcycle, or ATV?
Regardless of whether you are relaxing on your boat at the lake, traveling through the Rocky Mountains, camping with friends and family, or enjoying the open road on the bike of your dreams; you need to take the proper steps to protect what you have worked so hard to enjoy.

All these activities need personal insurance to protect you against damage and other claims. Generally, we have found that we can get better coverage and pricing when we use our specialty carriers. For example, watercraft insurance has pollution coverage for fuel spills, coverage for injured water-skiers, and on-water towing coverage that homeowner’s insurance won’t provide.

RV Insurance
RV insurance rates differ from company to company, so it really pays to have us shop your insurance. Some markets offer better rates for trucks, RV’s, and campers, while others can offer better rates for motorcycles. To properly insure your RV, you may need liability, collision, comprehensive, uninsured motorist, medical payment, and towing coverage.

Motorcycle Insurance
All motorcycles on the road are required by law to have motorcycle insurance. Motorcycle insurance protects a motorcycle and its owner in the event of a loss. You may need to consider special coverage. Custom parts and equipment (ACPE)/Accessory coverage can be purchased for motorcycles less than 25 years old. You may spend thousands of dollars customizing your bike and that is why you need custom motorcycle insurance.

Boat/Watercraft Insurance
Your boat will need boat insurance for liability and damage to the hull and personal property. Boat insurance can include physical damage coverage, medical payments, liability, and trailer coverage.

ATV Insurance
ATV insurance is similar to motorcycle insurance. We can combine motorcycle coverage and ATV insurance into one policy for multi-vehicle discounts. We offer additional ATV coverage for damage to custom equipment that you’ve added to your ATV.

Why Work With Our Insurance Agency?

• We know and understand your risks
• We are a full service independent insurance agency
• Our goal is to provide the best possible combination, of coverage, price and service

When was the last time you reviewed your personal insurance coverage? Most of us know that major life events can make it necessary to update our personal insurance coverage. But did you know that even subtle changes can have an impact on your financial needs and plans?  Call our office today, and we can help you find the right combination of coverage and price.
Insurance “To Do” List.
 

• Review my home and auto insurance to make sure I have the right coverage
• Take the time to read my insurance policies
• Consider increasing my umbrella coverage
• Check my credit score
• Get a quote for earthquake insurance
• Consider an alarm system
• Clean my gutters
• Have I replaced all the batteries in my smoke detectors?
• Does my independent agent have all my correct information, including a new phone number, address, and newly purchased property?
• Consider increasing my auto deductibles on my older vehicles
• Make sure I have identity theft insurance
• Combine my auto and home insurance to save money
• Complete a home inventory to ensure my property values are correct
• Do I have enough life insurance?
• Do I need life insurance for my spouse?

 
Have there been any of the following changes in my life situations? If so you may need to have your insurance adjusted to make sure you have the correct coverage.

• Bought a new car or sold a car
• Changed your marital status
• Bought a boat, RV or ATV
• Change of address
• Welcomed a new baby into the family
• Major inheritance
• Have a new teen driver in the family
• New purchase of guns, jewelry or art
• Child headed off to college
• A child over the age of 26
• Purchased second home
• Plan foreign travel
• Started a home-based business
• Retirement

 
Give us a call today.
 
 

As the summer vacation season approaches and thoughts turn to fun in the sun, getting on an airplane or even camping. Remember your homeowners insurance will cover your personal property while on vacation. If you plan on traveling to a foreign country, call our office for an insurance review.

Here are some tips to protect your data from prying eyes so you can have one less thing to worry about on your vacation.

• Set a budget.  Begin with the vacation as the finish line, and mark out the steps it will take to get there. Determine how much you want to spend on everything including hotels, gasoline, souvenirs and meals.
• Don’t post on social media until you return.
• Let a trusted neighbor know you will be away and have them keep an eye on your home. It is a good idea to leave your vacation address and telephone number with a neighbor so you can be reached in case of an emergency.
• Be aware of any travel and health alerts at your destination
• Write out a schedule and give it to a family member for safety purposes.
• Make copies of all of your credit cards, important identification information, including your medical insurance cards, and your traveler's checks.
• Look for deals. You can find websites all over the internet that can help you score deals on hotels, amusement park tickets, airline travel and so on. Make sure you look for bargains after you set the budget.
• Put inside and outside lights on timers.
• Advise your alarm company and local police if you will be gone for an extended period.
• Stop the paper and garbage service.
• Don’t take expensive jewelry with you. Jewelry can get lost or be a target for thieves.
• Never put your home address on your luggage tags. Write your phone number instead.
• If you are traveling to a foreign country remember to study up on laws and customs. You will have a much better time if you understand the culture.
• Make sure all electrical appliances are turned off.
• Before you leave for vacation, you may decide to close your curtains to prevent people from peering inside your home to see whether you're there. However, closed curtains also stop those who aim to help the police, your neighbors or friends from seeing inside your house

Why Choose Neate Dupey?

* Strong personal client relationships based on a platform of high professional standards.
* A combination of size, technical expertise, agility and innovation.
* We allow our clients to make fully informed decisions based on independent advice.
* Superior client outcomes driven by a clear understanding of our clients' business and industry risks, matched to comprehensive and cost effective insurance 
solutions. 

We look forward to speaking with you and assisting you with your insurance and risk management requirements.

Are you one of the people who think you don’t need life insurance? Please think again. Life insurance provides real security for those you care about. Life insurance benefits can provide financial security and resources for your family or loved ones after you are gone. Let’s look at a few of the reasons to consider life insurance:

• Payment on Debt– If you have any outstanding debt (mortgage, credit cards, etc.) at the time of your death, it does not go away. Your estate will still be responsible to settle all accounts. Life insurance can provide the financial resources to cover debt.

• Continuation of Income- Life insurance can provide the funds to replace your income upon your passing. Family income will certainly diminish with the loss of an income earner, which means your family will experience a lower standard of living. The death benefits of a life insurance policy can prevent this from happening, or at least keep the impact to a minimum, by replacing income lost with the demise of the breadwinner.

• Unpaid Medical Expenses- It is highly likely that you will incur medical expenses prior to your death. Some of which may not be covered by health insurance. Adequate life insurance proceeds ensure that these final expenses are covered.

• Funeral Expenses- Most people don’t plan for, or fund, funeral expenses. Again life insurance is there to help.

The good news is that life insurance rates are low and there are many different kinds of products to select from. One question we often get is, “How much life insurance do I need”? The answer to that depends on your individual situation, but the general guideline is, a life insurance limit of at least ten times your annual gross income is a start. For example, if you earn $50,000 per year, your family would need to replace somewhere close to that amount. A $500,000 life policy could return $45,000 to $50,000 annually, depending on interest rates.

The most cost effective type of policy is term insurance. Term insurance provides protection for a specific, limited amount of time, usually in five-year segments, such as for 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years. Typically you pay annually and the premium is locked in for that period of time.

Neate Dupey Insurance Group has some excellent affordable plans available, so please email or call us at 480-391-3000 so we can help you plan for the future.