Fire Safety- fire prevention from fire caused by cigarettes.

In lieu of upcoming winter I thought wood stove safety would be an appropriate blog subject, but this post is not about that.  Blog is still about fire safety, just not about wood stove; it's about preventing fires caused by cigarettes.

Surprising fact:  Smoking is #1 cause of fire related deaths in United States.

This in itself is surprising, but what makes it even more surprising is the fact that number of people smoking has been on a steady decline.  

So if you are knowingly and slowly killing yourself this blog is for you!  These tips will help you not accidentally kill yourself, but rather help you with your plan to a slow, and costly death.
·      Smoke outside- most home fires caused by smoking start inside the home.  It's better to smoke outside.  Ashtrays should be set on something sturdy and hard to ignite.  Putting cigarettes in a can filled with sand is a good idea.
·      Whenever you smoke, use deep, sturdy ashtray
·      Make sure cigarettes and ashes are out- Soak cigarette butts and ashes in water before throwing them away.  Do not toss hot cigarette butts or ashes in trash.
·      Lastly but still just as sexy and appealing as previous points, be alert- if you are sleepy or have been drinking or have been taken medicine that makes you drowsy, put your cigarette out first. 

Combining these tips with basic logic will make sure you don't die accidentally, but rather on your terms.

Use tips above not to have this happen to you.

GAP Insurance-what is it, do you need it?

Lately, I had many conversations about gap insurance.  I hope this blog is seen by car buyers, before they buy a car.

Cars depreciate in value.

Depreciation most often happens faster than you can pay off your loan/lease.

For the almost entire lifespan of your loan there is a GAP between vehicles actual value and the amount you owe on the vehicle.

This gap situation might look like this:  your car is worth $12,000, but you still owe $15,000.  If your car is totaled, insurance company will only pay actual value $12,000, minus applicable deductible.  So, you would only get a check for $11,500 (in this example I am using a $500 deductible).  You still have to pay off your loan.  You have $11,500, but you owe $15,000, you are short $3,500.

Without GAP insurance you would have to come up with $3,500.  If you have GAP insurance insurance company would have to send you a check for $15,000 minus applicable deductible.  

If you buy GAP insurance from a car dealer, it will cost you around $700-$900.  If you buy GAP insurance as an endorsement on your auto policy, it will cost you about $20-$30 a year.  You only need GAP coverage for the lifetime of the loan.

So, if you have a loan, having GAP insurance is a must, and having it on your auto insurance policy makes financial sense.

Attention condo owners! Do you know about loss assessment coverage?

Loss assessment is an important coverage that only applies to homeowners that belong to an association (condo association for example).

Loss assessment provides coverage for owners share of a loss to property that is own by all association members.

Loss assessment provides liability coverage as well.  

Loss assessment only provides coverage for causes that would be covered if you own the property yourself.

Loss assessment coverage is not an automatic coverage.  Your standard, not endorsed, policy might only provide $1,000 coverage or nothing.  That is a scary thought. To know how much coverage you should buy check your bylaws.  

Loss assessment coverage is extremely important and extremely inexpensive.  So if you own a condo or a dwelling that belongs to an association, make sure you got enough loss assessment coverage.

Irfan Sehic

Insurance Agent

Green Insurance Agency

PO Box 640

Burlington, VT 05402

www.green-insurance-agency.com

Irfan@green-insurance-agency.com

Tel: (802) 505-1054

I know you are GREEN, but how about your homeowners insurance?

Vermont now is different than Vermont 20 years ago.  Not only that is more diverse, but proximity to everything, close to nothing, free-range environment keeps attracting just about the right mix of weird, free-thinking, and hard working, and VPR listening intellectuals who might not always agree on everything, but one thing we all agree on is: we got to keep Vermont green.

So we do what we can.   We do all the big obvious things, and than some.  

But there is something you can do, and you are probably missing out on it.  

Some insurance companies are offering “green endorsement” on their homeowners policies.  Say what?

See, when you have a claim, insurance will only get you to the point where you were before the loss, because insurance is not designed to make you be better off after a claim.

But, for a very very small fee, some insurance companies offer green endorsement, and this endorsement will fix up your place better than it was before a loss.

Such endorsement provides extra $ to cover added expenses of being green.

Concord Group Insurance offers such endorsement.  To find out cool things about this endorsement, click on a link below:

http://www.concordgroupinsurance.com/images/stories/pdfs/GreenHomeAdvantage.pdf