Tag: Evie Wise

Do You Have a Data Breach Response Plan?

Businesses have all kinds of plans; marketing plans, strategic plans, safety plans, sales plans, production plans, staffing plans, and even cash management plans. But do you have a data breach plan? If we’ve learned anything over the past 7 months, data breaches do occur, and they seem to be occurring at a faster rate than ever before.

Read More »

File a Car Insurance Claim or Accept Direct Payment?

A client called me last week with a question about how to handle something. Her teen had been in a little accident with an adult, and it was the adult’s fault. The good news is the teen was unhurt and the damage to her car was minimal; the bumpers simply rubbed together. According to the body shop the client visited, they could either remove, sand, and repaint the bumper or replace it. The difference in cost was minimal.

Read More »

Home Insurance and a Roof’s Impact

Most people usually don’t think about their roof unless there’s been a recent hail storm or a damp spot appears on a room ceiling. As long as it’s not leaking, we tend to ignore it even when we see it pulling into the driveway. This past week roofs have been the subject of three conversations, two were with clients and the other with a Dallas realtor on behalf of a client with an offer on a home.

Read More »

Insurance Implications if You Uber, Airbnb, etc.

Yahoo posted an interesting article on June 2nd listing 25 Ways to Make Money Renting Your Home, Car, Kitchen and More to Total Strangers. I am always fascinated to see how people make money. In this digital age, it’s possible for anyone to participate in the sharing economy and make a little extra money too. The one thing that’s missing from this article and other blog posts I’ve seen are the insurance implications for the owner of the home or vehicle, and there are some.

Read More »

Car Insurance and GAP Coverage

There have been some interesting articles in the news related to cars over the past few months. When taken individually they do not appear to be significant, yet when combined together, they paint an interesting picture for many Americans. The pieces of this puzzle involve rising new car prices, the growing length of car loan terms, and vehicle depreciation.

Read More »

Proposed Changes for Texas Wind Insurance

People who live in the counties along the Texas coast usually have a policy that’s unfamiliar to most homeowners in north Texas. In addition to home insurance, most homeowners in the coastal counties of Texas will also have a separate wind insurance policy. This policy specifically addresses damage to a home caused by high winds normally associated with a hurricane.

Read More »

Life Insurance Considerations in a Changing Economy

Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the results of their annual study on families and how they’re doing economically. It wasn’t great news! Average household income for 2012 to 2013 is down by $103 to $65,069 before taxes, but their expenses increased by $777 a year to $51,408. Contributing the most to the increase in expenses were transportation costs ($8,999 a year on average) and kids.

Read More »

Car Insurance: When Should Your Kids Have Their Own?

My friend’s son graduated from Texas A&M University and moved to Dallas to begin working with a company in the Las Colinas area. As the mom and I discussed the policy, I asked her how long she planned to leave her son on their car insurance policy. She and her husband were thinking about “encouraging” him to get his own policy now that he’s on his own. In response, I asked her if she’d like to know what I recommend all my parents who are facing the same decision.

Read More »

Will My Home Insurance Rate Change Next Year?

A couple of weeks ago, I was having coffee with a retired couple in a Dallas Starbucks reviewing the home insurance quotes I’d prepared for them. They’d been referred to me by a friend who was concerned they were paying too much for home insurance. They were asking questions about the quotes we’d reviewed and the explanation I’d given for the coverage. The wife asked me one final question which was, would the home insurance premium increase next year?

Read More »