Tag: dallas home insurance dallas car insurance

When Should you Drop Full Coverage Car Insurance?

I’m asked this question on a regular basis. It usually comes up when someone’s paid off a car, their insurance is renewing and they’d like to lower their premium, they’re buying a cash car or they just have an older car. It’s an excellent question and the answer depends on two factors. Once those two factors are addressed, then it’s truly up to the client to determine what’s best for them and their financial situation, as well as what their risk they’re willing to tolerate.

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Hurricane Preparation in 3 Steps

Hurricane season runs from June 1 through the end of November. Hurricane forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are predicting a busy hurricane season. If you’re not prepared, now’s a great time to prepare instead of waiting until a storm is bearing down on your section of the Texas Gulf Coast, or where ever you happen to live.

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3 Things Car Thieves are Stealing

Car thieves don’t always steal the whole car, sometimes it’s only a part. My son drove a Ford Probe when he was attending Lake Highlands High School. One night, the car was parked on the street in front of our house and it was broken into. I did not discover it until the next morning when I saw wires poking out from the dash where the stereo had been. It was a cheap stereo to begin with but I was angry someone had taken it and had to confront feeling violated.

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4 Suggestions for Texas’ new Insurance Commissioner

Outgoing Texas Insurance Commissioner, Eleanor Kitzman, vacated her office on Monday, May 27th when Texas State Senators blocked her from another two year term. Governor Rick Perry quickly appointed Kitzman’s replacement, Julia Rathgeber who until May 27th had been Lt. Governor David Dewhurst deputy chief of staff. Prior to serving as Dewhurst’s deputy chief of staff, Rathgeber served as a Director of Research for the Texas General Land Office and also as former division head for the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission.

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Expecting? Here are 4 Insurance Items to Review!

On a Sunday in February, Sheri (my wife) and I had breakfast at Cindi’s Deli in Dallas with Jordan & Christine (my son and daughter in law). The two of them were in town and this gave us some nice time together and to catch up. They presented us with a Valentine’s Day card that happened to have a picture of a sonogram showing they were expecting their first child. I was completely caught off guard but incredibly excited for them and us. This is the first Wise grandbaby and I’m thrilled!

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Too Old to Drive?

In August of 2012, Preston Carter, a Los Angeles centenarian (he was 100 years old at the time of the accident), injured nine children and two adults when he backed his car onto a sidewalk. The injuries were serious but thankfully, no one died. Mr. Carter simply misjudged what he was doing. He thought he was turning onto a street instead of backing onto a sidewalk full of parents and children buying snacks from a sidewalk vendor. According to the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Carter had a valid driver’s license and a clean record. The LA Police Department did not file any charges but they did look into his competency to keep a driver’s license.

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We Hit a Horse, What Would You Do?

I was 14 or 15 at the time and sitting in the back seat of my dad’s 1972 Pontiac Grand Am. My two younger sisters were on the back seat with me while my youngest sister sat on my mom’s lap in the front passenger seat. No one had a car seat back then and most of us rode in our cars without buckling our seat belts.

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5 Home Gotchas that are Tough to Insure

Every couple of months, I get a call from a realtor, an insurance agent, or a mortgage loan officer. The stories are variations on a theme; they have a client that’s trying to buy a home but there’s one little issue that’s threatening to derail the close. Usually these gotchas present themselves when the home buyer has found their dream home only to discover their current insurer is unable to insure it. This usually is not discovered until two weeks or less before the scheduled close and creates a mad scramble to find insurance for the buyer’s dream home. They call me.

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Insurance Lessons from West, Texas

On Wednesday, April 17, a fire broke out at the West Fertilizer Company in West, Texas, a community of 2,849 about 70 miles south of Dallas. 10 volunteer firemen and two people who joined them responded to the calls that began being fielded by the 911 call center at 7:33. As first responders, they began to assess the massive fire and plan how to begin putting out the blaze. They were killed moments later from the explosion that occurred at 7:51 pm.

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