North Texas spent last weekend digging out from the previous week’s ice storm. The sun finally came out and we got above freezing allowing the ice to melt. By the middle of the week, power was restored to most people, schools were in session, people were working, and the roads were clear.
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.
Last week, I introduced Ben and Amy (not their real names) who are first time home buyers in the McKinney / Allen area of north Texas. Because they are buying their first home, this also means they are first time buyers of home insurance, something Ben admitted to me, he knows nothing about.
Every year, I like to review the current state of personal insurance for Texas. Personal insurance is what most individuals and families concern themselves with. It includes car, home (condo & town homes), renters, and umbrella insurance policies. The goal is to help most people keep their finger on the pulse of what’s happening. An informed consumer is a powerful force!
On Friday, February 15th, a meteor entered the earth’s atmosphere at approximately 9:20 a.m. above Chelyabinsk, a town of about 1 million inhabitants in central Russia. The 50 foot wide, 7,700 ton meteor caused a blinding flash of light as it traveled at 40,000 miles per hour or over 52 times the speed of sound. Most of the meteor’s energy was consumed in the upper atmosphere about 9 miles above the earth’s surface. The energy released in the upper atmosphere was equivalent to at least 20 atomic bombs about the size of one exploded above Hiroshima.
As Hurricane Sandy bears down on the east coast, I’m reminded how important it is to be prepared for a natural disaster. It doesn’t have to be a hurricane that forces an evacuation. The disaster could be a flood (remember what happened in the Midwest last year), wildfires (Texas last year), hurricanes (Katrina, Ike, & Sandy), tornadoes (Joplin, Missouri & Tuscaloosa, Alabama) or an earthquake.
Where you live influences the rate you pay on home and car insurance. The premium difference between different areas is greater for home insurance than car insurance. The real question that needs to be answered is why the difference in premium if everything else is roughly the same, such as
A prospective client called me a few weeks ago to quote the insurance for a new camping trailer they were buying. The quote I provided
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