Auto and Homeowners Insurance Information
AUTO INSURANCE
Dallas, Plano, Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Frisco
Are You “REALLY” Covered?
Before this question can be answered, it is essential to understand your auto coverage. Each state has a minimum limit of coverage that you must carry. In Texas, the minimum auto liability coverage requirements are 30/60/25.
If you were involved in an accident considered your fault, your policy would cover medical costs and any litigation up to $30,000 per Person & $60,000 per Accident. Any damage done to an automobile, besides your own, would be paid up to $25,000 per Accident.
When you consider the cost of rehab, lost wages, etc and the fact that most cars cost more than $25,000, these minimum requirements can leave you woefully short of protecting you and your family. Think about how you would cover the expense of a multi car crash including injuries with these low limits. It just is not enough.
So How Much Should You Have?
The greater your assets, the more you stand to lose. Most experts recommend $100,000 Bodily Injury per Person, $300,000 Bodily Injury per Accident, and $100,000 in Property Damage per Accident. Some say this sometimes is not enough. We can look at applying a $1,000,000 umbrella which increases your coverage limits to $1,000,000 total per accident for a very small cost.
Your safety is very important to us. At FTS Life Insurance Agency, we care about you. It is our responsibility to ensure you are properly protected for the worst case scenario. We take pride in Helping You Help Yourself.
BIG SURPRISE! Proper Coverage can actually lower your premium!!!
Experience has taught that A Properly Covered Client = A Properly Insured, and that = Better Rates.
Now answer the question, “Are You PROPERLY Covered?”
HOMEOWNER'S INSURANCE
Dallas, Plano, Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Frisco
HOMEOWNER'S INSURANCE provides financial protection in the event that your home is destroyed or damaged due to an unforeseen or catastrophic event. In addition to your home, Homeowner’s Insurance also covers your personal property. It can also reimburse you for medical expenses and liability claims resulting from property damage and personal injury to other people caused by you or members of your family. A Homeowner’s Policy will also pay for Additional Living Expenses (ALE). ALE covers your expenses if you are forced to temporarily move into a temporary dwelling because of a covered loss to your home.
Two ways a Homeowner’s Policy can cover a loss to your property:
- All Risk (also called Comprehensive Coverage or Open Perils Coverage) offers broad protection and covers all perils unless specifically excluded by the policy. You should carefully review the excluded causes of loss section in your policy. Even the most comprehensive policy can exclude certain types of loss (for example, damage caused by flood).
- Named Perils (also called Specified Perils Coverage) offers narrower protection than an All Risk Policy and covers only perils specifically named under the policy. A policy offering Named Perils protection will also contain exclusions named under the policy. If you are thinking about purchasing a policy that provides Named Perils only, it is vital to be certain the policy provides coverage for the perils most essential to you. It is not uncommon for a Homeowner’s Policy to provide All Risk on the dwelling and Named Perils for personal property.
A Homeowner’s Policy also offers different methods of settling your claim and repairing or replacing your property:
- Replacement Cost pays for all necessary expenses associated with rebuilding or repairing damaged property, up to the policy limits, less any applicable deductible amount.
- Actual Cash Value (ACV) factors in depreciation costs to your items and pays you the amount to replace or repair the damaged property, less depreciation and any applicable deductible amount. Most insurance companies offering Replacement Cost will initially pay for the loss on an Actual Cash Value basis. The company will then pay additional costs associated with the “replacement”.
Remember, before claims are paid out, all losses may be subject to a deductible. In the past, flat dollar deductibles on insured homes were common. Insurance companies have gradually shifted to percentage deductibles. Most Homeowner’s Policies today have a 1% deductible for all causes of loss.
However, it is important to know a typical Homeowner’s Policy has two different deductibles that apply, depending on the cause of loss. While both deductibles are often the same, they can vary. One deductible applies for wind or hail damage while a separate deductible applies to most other types of loss (fire, theft, water, etc.). The deductible is a percentage of your property’s insured value; not a percentage of the claim amount. This means it changes as your insured value changes.
To avoid surprises after a claim, we want to help you understand and be aware of any and all out of pocket expense up front. When considering a Homeowner’s Policy, feel free to discuss deductible options with us. An uninformed decision could cost thousands of dollars when filing a claim.
“Are You PROPERLY Covered?”
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