The Messenger
We are offering general information and opinions. Talk to your insurance professional for questions and concerns about your insurance policy.
Payson Senior Center
My Grandmother was a regular at the Senior Center, back in the early 1980s. Even though she did have family around, and had no need to receive meals on wheels, the Senior Center was a wonderful resource for her. It was social contact with her own peers, which is very important, it was information and entertainment and companionship. Payson Senior Center was a blessing for our entire family. How much more of a blessing is it to the senior who does not live with their children, does not have family nearby to be their chauffeur and may not be able (financially or physically) to prepare their own meals?
"We are an approved charitable organization under the Working Poor Tax Credit Program. This program is separate from the Credit For Kids and tax credit program for the private schools. You can donate up to $200 for an individual and up to $400 for a married couple. You can also take it as a charitable contribution on your federal taxes.
Your donation will be put to good use. We serve approximately 200 meals a day between our Meals On Wheels Program and our Daily Lunch Program. We also transport about 450 seniors a month. These programs are so important to the health and well being of our seniors. For many of the people we service, we are their only contact with the outside for days on end and give them their main and sometimes it is the only meal of the day."
Contact Joanne for more information or to get the form for a donation. Call her 928-474-4876 or email her at pseniors@npgcable.com
We are offering general information and opinions. Talk to your insurance professional for questions and concerns about your insurance policy.
Crabdree Family
Cris' son is part of the Payson Longhorn marching band. They were invited to perform at the 70th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. What a great honor! We are so proud of our band; they were one of only 12 schools invited to perform. Here's a link to watch them
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/18995074
We are all so proud of these young musicians, and we feeled honored as a community to be represented there, commemorating "a day that will live in infamy". With our deepest respects to all our veterans, and especially to those who lost their lives on that fateful day in December of 1941. Bless you all.
We are offering general information and opinions. Talk to your insurance professional for questions and concerns about your insurance policy.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/18995074
We are all so proud of these young musicians, and we feeled honored as a community to be represented there, commemorating "a day that will live in infamy". With our deepest respects to all our veterans, and especially to those who lost their lives on that fateful day in December of 1941. Bless you all.
We are offering general information and opinions. Talk to your insurance professional for questions and concerns about your insurance policy.
Auto Insurance 101
Should insurance coverage change for an older car?
We hear that question every week. The answer is, "No for some parts, and maybe for others." Sounds like a vague answer, doesn't it? For a complete answer, let's talk about the parts of your coverage.
First is liability insurance. This is the part of your policy that pays for damages and injuries for which you are legally responsible. This is the part that is required by law. How much liability insurance do you need? Ask yourself, how much do you have to protect?
The value of your own vehicle doesn't have anything to do with how much liability insurance you need, really. If you hurt someone or damage their car in an accident, it doesn't matter how old your car is. You want to make sure you have enough liability insurance to pay the damages you caused. If you don't have enough, their insurance company and their lawyers are not likely to just say, "Oh, that's ok. Never mind." They are going to want to collect the money from you somehow.
The same is true for uninsured and underinsured motorist. (read more about that coverage here) That is protection for you and your passengers.You aren't protecting the value of your car, you are protecting yourself and your loved ones.
Physical damage is the place you need to look to decide if you should lower your coverage. If your car is totalled in an accident, for example, could you afford to replace it? You need to seriously consider how much you could afford to spend to get your car repaired or replaced. If it is an extra vehicle in your household that you wouldn't replace at all, then maybe you don't want comprehensive or collsion coverage. But what if your car, whatever its age, is your only transportation? If you couldn't readily come up with the money for another car, it's a good idea to keep that physical damage coverage in place.
Let's talk about deductible. You know, of course, that the higher deductible you choose, the lower your premium. There are two ways you can look at deductibles. Find out how much you save with a higher deductible and then figure out how many years you would have to go without an accident to have saved any money. Many people would rather pay a little more each month, and have to come up with less money out of pocket if they did have an accident. Or you can think of a deductible as a bet: "I bet I won't have a loss of any kind, so I will save the money now and take my chances on paying more out of my pocket for a claim."
Liability claims are an unknown possibility. How bad might an accident be? What if you hurt more than one person? Worse, what if someone dies in an accident you caused? What if you cause an accident that damages a very expensive car, a fancy motorhome or even causes a pile-up? You have to insure for a worst-case scenario there. Physical damage of your own car is a known risk. "My car is worth $5000 so that is the most I would be out if it were damaged or stolen." That kind of risk you can anticipate.
Insurance is all about risk. It's about choosing the risks you want to take and the recognizing the ones you can't afford to take. You are the only one who can assess what risks you want to take. We are here to advise you and show you the options you have. But ultimately, YOU are in the driver's seat. (Pun intended!)
Drive safely out there. And always...if you have questions or concerns, come talk to a licensed professional.
We are offering general information and opinions. Talk to your insurance professional for questions and concerns about your insurance policy.
We hear that question every week. The answer is, "No for some parts, and maybe for others." Sounds like a vague answer, doesn't it? For a complete answer, let's talk about the parts of your coverage.
First is liability insurance. This is the part of your policy that pays for damages and injuries for which you are legally responsible. This is the part that is required by law. How much liability insurance do you need? Ask yourself, how much do you have to protect?
The value of your own vehicle doesn't have anything to do with how much liability insurance you need, really. If you hurt someone or damage their car in an accident, it doesn't matter how old your car is. You want to make sure you have enough liability insurance to pay the damages you caused. If you don't have enough, their insurance company and their lawyers are not likely to just say, "Oh, that's ok. Never mind." They are going to want to collect the money from you somehow.
The same is true for uninsured and underinsured motorist. (read more about that coverage here) That is protection for you and your passengers.You aren't protecting the value of your car, you are protecting yourself and your loved ones.
Physical damage is the place you need to look to decide if you should lower your coverage. If your car is totalled in an accident, for example, could you afford to replace it? You need to seriously consider how much you could afford to spend to get your car repaired or replaced. If it is an extra vehicle in your household that you wouldn't replace at all, then maybe you don't want comprehensive or collsion coverage. But what if your car, whatever its age, is your only transportation? If you couldn't readily come up with the money for another car, it's a good idea to keep that physical damage coverage in place.
Let's talk about deductible. You know, of course, that the higher deductible you choose, the lower your premium. There are two ways you can look at deductibles. Find out how much you save with a higher deductible and then figure out how many years you would have to go without an accident to have saved any money. Many people would rather pay a little more each month, and have to come up with less money out of pocket if they did have an accident. Or you can think of a deductible as a bet: "I bet I won't have a loss of any kind, so I will save the money now and take my chances on paying more out of my pocket for a claim."
Liability claims are an unknown possibility. How bad might an accident be? What if you hurt more than one person? Worse, what if someone dies in an accident you caused? What if you cause an accident that damages a very expensive car, a fancy motorhome or even causes a pile-up? You have to insure for a worst-case scenario there. Physical damage of your own car is a known risk. "My car is worth $5000 so that is the most I would be out if it were damaged or stolen." That kind of risk you can anticipate.
Insurance is all about risk. It's about choosing the risks you want to take and the recognizing the ones you can't afford to take. You are the only one who can assess what risks you want to take. We are here to advise you and show you the options you have. But ultimately, YOU are in the driver's seat. (Pun intended!)
Drive safely out there. And always...if you have questions or concerns, come talk to a licensed professional.
We are offering general information and opinions. Talk to your insurance professional for questions and concerns about your insurance policy.
Classic Lightning Protection Inc.
We are proud to present the first post in our series, “Payson Profiles”.
Let us introduce you to Classic Lightning Protection, Inc of Payson. They offer quality lightning, grounding and surge protection systems.
Kevin and Linda Morris are the hardworking people behind Classic Lightning Protection; they have been Crabdree clients since 1999. The Rim Country’s clean and beautiful outdoors is one of the many reasons why they love living and working here.
The owner of any residential, commercial or industrial structure needs to consider lightning protection to safeguard the building and surge protection to safeguard its contents. The NFPA reports an average of nearly 32,000 lightning-caused fires every year, and 16% of those are homes. Lightning protection is not only for the tallest building on the highest hill (but it’s definitely for those buildings!)
When you stop to consider the value of all the electronics in your business or home, you will immediately understand why surge protection is so important. You should also know that many insurance policies have a cap on or even exclude losses caused by artificially-generated current. In other words, the initial lightning strike would usually be covered, but if that lightning damaged the power company’s transformer and subsequent damage occurred...you may have a problem.
Classic Lightning Protection Inc. is UL Listed and an LPI Certified Master Installer/Designer with 14 years in business. You can find them at www.classiclightningprotection.com, or call today: 928-474-1727
This post was approved by Classic Lightning Protection, and their photo appears here with their kind permission. Thank you, Kevin and Linda!
Get A Checkup!
You already know that you need to get your checkups. You visit the doctor, the dentist and the ophthalmologist. When was the last time you saw your INSURANCE AGENT for a checkup?
Make an appointment today, because things change!
We are offering general information and opinions. Talk to your insurance professional for questions and concerns about your insurance policy.
Make an appointment today, because things change!
- Is your home covered adequately? If you've had your homeowners policy for more than 5 years, you may be underinsured. If you've made any improvements to your home, you may be underinsured. You need to review your coverage with a licensed agent.
- Has the size of your family changed? What about your employment status, or how many miles to work you drive each week? A good example is a real estate agent who has changed careers. Are you still paying a "business use" rate? What if you are now using your vehicle in business, but you are rated for pleasure. Are you covered correctly?
- Has your business changed? If you have downsized, grown, expanded your services or increased your inventory, you should discuss that with your agent and make sure your coverage is suitable.
- Did you know that your policy probably specifies how your coverage is DECREASED if a building is vacant? Talk to your agent if you have a vacant property.
- New discounts become available, new programs become available and carriers are added to our repertoire every year. Schedule a visit so that we can review your insurance portfolio.
- Do you have vehicles insured with different companies? That can be a huge risk to you. Get them on one policy right away. If your insurance company won't cover a travel trailer or motorhome, maybe you should shop around. One exception: motorcycles and ATVs: those are almost never insured on the same policy as an automobile.
- And what about your ATV? If you told your agent to just get you the minimum coverage to make it legal, since you use your ATV so seldom, you may be leaving money on the table. You may be able to get more coverage for the same dollars. Schedule a review!
- This is a concern that I see very often: does the named insured on the policy match the true owner of the property? If you purchased property in the name of a trust, an LLC, or in partnership with another party, are you properly protected by your policy? Visit with a licensed professional to discuss it. (more on this topic in a future post!)
- Did you pay off your mortgage? It complicates a claim if a mortgage company is listed on the policy but they don't have a lien on the property. That's also true if you paid off your vehicle loan. See your agent!
We are offering general information and opinions. Talk to your insurance professional for questions and concerns about your insurance policy.
Photos
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| Autumn color at The Pocket, by Scott Crabdree |
Photos submitted by our customers are presented with the owner's permission and our thanks. Owner retains copyright, and consents to have photo shown here.
Thank You, Veterans!
We have a lot of veterans in the Crabdree Insurance extended family. Cris' husband is a vet, Karen's daughter is on active duty now, and my son recently came home after five years in the Army.
Some of our parents, brothers and sisters were vets, many of our cherished clients were vets and many, many of our neighbors served our country, too.
I'd like to take a moment this day to thank each one of them. We owe more than words could ever express. Our safety and security as a people, our position on the world's stage, our liberty, our civil rights and our human rights....every single thing that we hold dear, and everything that we have the choice or opportunity to do is there because they was safeguarded for us by our military.
Whatever your politics, I do hope that you will join us today in holding our veterans dear to your heart. Take a moment out of your day off, and give a thought to the men and women who sacrificed so much, often everything, so that you could stay in your pajamas all day. :D
Thank you, Veterans!
Trish
and the entire Crabdree Team.
We are offering general information and opinions. Talk to your insurance professional for questions and concerns about your insurance policy.
Win a World Series T-Shirt!
Yay, Nancy! You WON!!!
Bring in a donation to the Payson Food Drive,
Bring in a donation to the Payson Food Drive,
and you'll get a chance to win an
OFFICIAL 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ST LOUIS CARDINALS T-SHIRT!
Size XXL.
We are offering general information and opinions. Talk to your insurance professional for questions and concerns about your insurance policy.
Winter weather is coming
Winter 2005. All was busy around the house that cold winter morning. My husband and I were getting ready for work. The kids were ready for school, and out the door we go. A few hours later that afternoon, Mike went home to pick up some papers he had left behind sitting on the desk in the den. As he approached the house, he noticed water streaming down from the roof and gutters, so he thought, until he got closer. The water wasn't coming down from the roof, but sheeting like a waterfall on the interior side of the master bedroom window.
To his surprise, Mike ran inside and in disbelief, watched the ceiling drywall crash to the floor with a waterfall of insulation hanging from the exposed trusses above. It was a mess!
The cost to repair this small crack in our water pipe... $50;
The cost to repair/replace the damages of the home interior... $6,800.
Okay, lesson learned the hard way. But here is my (and your insurance company's) wisdom to cold weather prevention tips to reduce winter claims for homeowners:
If you have any good suggestions that you would like to share please respond so that we can post your good ideas too!
We are offering general information and opinions. Talk to your insurance professional for questions and concerns about your insurance policy.
To his surprise, Mike ran inside and in disbelief, watched the ceiling drywall crash to the floor with a waterfall of insulation hanging from the exposed trusses above. It was a mess!
The cost to repair this small crack in our water pipe... $50;
The cost to repair/replace the damages of the home interior... $6,800.
Okay, lesson learned the hard way. But here is my (and your insurance company's) wisdom to cold weather prevention tips to reduce winter claims for homeowners:
- Prevent ice dams by cleaning gutters and installing gutter guards. Ice can cause damage to walls and ceilings which can lead to mold and other problems.
- Keep your inside temperature at 65 degrees or warmer and wrap water pipes with heat tape or insulation to prevent freezing.
- Repair any cracked or leaking pipes. These areas freeze first.
- On extremely cold days/nights, open doors and cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms to allow warm air to circulate around pipes.
- Trim trees and remove dead branches at least five feet from your home. Once heavy with snow, trees can fall into driveways, entryways, covered patios, garages, etc. Remove trees that are leaning and seek professionals to clear your lot if you need help.
If you have any good suggestions that you would like to share please respond so that we can post your good ideas too!
We are offering general information and opinions. Talk to your insurance professional for questions and concerns about your insurance policy.
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