We all love our kids, most of them right?  And as parents we want to do the best for them. But, when it comes to car insurance it seems like parents put their kids best interests ahead of what is best for them.
The reason this came up is because a former Bachelor contestant Chris Soules just pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident where a person got injured. Then the next day it was revealed by US Weekly that his parents ended up paying 2.5 million dollars to the victims family!
Why on earth would a grown man’s parents be liable for what their grown son did? There are two ways they could be responsible.  The first is the truck Chris was driving was registered to his parents. In this case the attorneys could make a case that the vehicle is the parents and by allowing Chris to borrow the car you were also liable for his actions.
The second and more likely scenario was that Chris was still on his parent’s insurance policy. Often times it is cheaper to bundle cars and drivers and keep everyone in the house together on the same policy. Is this a smart thing to do? No, it definitely is not.
At some point your kids need to have their own car insurance and they need to have the car the drive in their own name. As parents you don’t want to find yourself in the situation such as the Soules did. I understand parents always want to do the best and help their children. But, in doing so they put everything they own at risk. Do you want to lose your life’s assets to save a few dollars for your son or daughter?
It sounds like the Soules were smart and had high limits along with an umbrella policy. Normally round judgments like this are just the maxed out coverage issued by insurance companies. Normally, in an accident involving a death insurance companies pay out the max liability coverage and move on. Especially, in this case where you had the head of the household who got killed. The family can make the case that without him they stand to lose everything they have.  All the lost farming knowledge, the lost earning potential, the family of the deceased has a great claim against the Soules family.
When is the right time to get the kids on their own policy? As soon as they are out of school and working you should move them onto their own policy. Make sure the car is in their name alone. Don’t be a co-signer, don’t put your name on the title because you want to hold the car against them. If they have their own insurance policy and they have their own car they are then responsible for whatever they do.
You don’t want to find yourself in that situation. For a few hundred dollars a year get yourself an umbrella policy. Especially, if you have kids on your insurance. 951-395-0754

​A few years back the thought of renting out someone’s guest room or their house seemed like crazy talk. Why would anyone want to go and live with a bunch of strangers for any time? On the other side why would anyone want to rent out a home to a stranger? Fast forward to today and the popularity of VRBO and Airbnb has taken off and the questions about how to insure the homes properly have followed.
There was a time not long ago that vacation homes would sit vacant most of the time. Maybe a lucky friend could borrow the keys every once in awhile but other than that the homes would sit empty. Now, things have dramatically changed. People are listing their vacation homes on paid websites. In many cases they make enough money to pay the mortgage and maintenance of the property. There are also people out there that specifically invest in properties for the purpose of renting them out on these websites for a profit.
A few months back I went on a work trip and I rented a guest house for a week off Airbnb. One thing that was important to me was having my own space. I’m not cool with walking down and hanging out with Stew and Beth, those two creep me out! My guest house was a small studio with a kitchenette, a full bathroom, my own entrance and my own parking space. I also got a bbq grill to use.  It was the first time I had used Airbnb and I have to say I kinda liked it. I wasn’t stuck in a hotel for the entire week. Since it was a work related trip it was nice to have a fridge where I could put stuff for breakfast and lunch. And for dinner I threw a steak on the grill one night, I make some chicken fajitas another night. It was a nice quiet place with some conveniences of home.
I also discovered during my trip that the house I stayed in had a second unit on the other side. That one was also rented out. The main house on the property was also for rent on Airbnb. So, the property owner was definitely using this property for time income.
So, what are the insurance implications for these homes? The business of vacation rentals took off and the need for insurance products soon followed. At first people were trying to cover the vacation rentals with standard Homeowners Insurance and Rental Dwelling policies. But, those policies were not designed for the use these homes were getting. Now you can buy a policy specifically designed for the rental. Vacation Rental Insurance is a commercial policy that will cover the home, give you liability options and ways to protect the personal property you have in the home.
Generally, commercial policies are going to cost you more than a standard home policy. But, if the purpose of your rental is to create income then you need to factor the insurance as a cost of doing business. These policies are specifically designed to cover the vacation rental. They cover times when the home is vacant and when people are staying there. 
If you are just renting out the home or a room a few days a year to get some extra income you can do a few things. The first is buy the insurance through Airbnb or VRBO. Both companies offer insurance for when the home or room is being rented by guests. Their coverage includes liability protection and coverage for the home if it is damaged while being rented out. When the home is not rented out it would be covered under your standard home policy. One thing that the Airbnb and VRBO policy doesn’t cover is the personal property in the home. So, if someone walks off with your toaster or microwave or they put an aluminum can in the microwave and it burns up you have no coverage. Some homeowner insurance companies have been able to fill this void with an endorsement for vacation rentals. This endorsement will cover the gaps that the Airbnb coverage doesn’t have. Not all companies offer this so make sure when you are shopping for insurance you mention that you rent out the home. 
If you have a full time vacation rental make sure that you are insuring it properly. Don’t put yourself in a position where you have a standard home insurance policy and have a claim denied. Take some time and discuss your options with an insurance agent and make sure you are making choices that are protecting your assets. Call me with any questions at 951-395-0754

I was taking my little walk around Old Town and I saw the now familiar Lyft sticker in the window of a parked car. Lyft and Uber have been in the news a lot lately. They both recently went public and let’s just say the stocks have not exactly taken off the way the ride sharing service has. Side note, does anyone remember when you could tell a cab driver where you were going and they would just drive there? No navigation no maps? 
Are you a Uber or Lyft driver? Do you know how your insurance works if you are a driver for either service?
Here’s the breakdown of how insurance works with Uber and Lyft. There are three periods of coverage for your insurance. The first phase is your regular car insurance. And that covers you when you aren’t working. So, if you are driving to your friends house to hang out or you are going to the store to get something your regular auto insurance is going to cover you.
The second period is when you are now working for Uber or Lyft. You have just received a client via your app. You alert Uber or Lyft that you are on your way to pick up the customer. The insurance provided by Uber and Lyft is now covering you and your car.
But, what happens if you are logged in to your app and you don’t have a customer? Well, this is the point where you have no coverage. Most auto insurance companies will deny a claim if they find out you were on the job, even though you weren’t with a customer. The insurance companies consider this a commercial use of the vehicle. And in turn personal auto insurance companies will not cover business use. So, in fact you are now driving with no insurance.
What do you do to cover the area where you are logged into your Uber or Lyft app and not in route to pick up a passenger? Well, there are companies that offer endorsement for this period. Not all companies offer this endorsement so you need to call around. The other option is to buy a commercial insurance policy that covers you all the time. Those can get very expensive but they are another option.
It is important to make sure your insurance agent knows what kind of work you do so they can find the best and proper coverage for you. If you deliver pizza, or you work for Uber or Lyft, or if you are a pool guy with signs on your truck for your company let the agent know. Yes, it may cost extra to cover certain situations. But, at the end of the day you want to make sure you are truly being covered. Not just saving a few dollars by telling your agent that you aren’t working right now.
Call for a quote today. Add the endorsement if you drive for money. 951-395-0754.

​I was reading this morning about Chris Soules a former contestant on the Bachelor. He went from having 30 beautiful women fawning all over him to pleading guilty to leaving the scene of an accident.  According to an article at the website https://www.usmagazine.com Chris was driving home from the store and he rear ended a farm tractor being driven by his neighbor. Both the truck Chris was driving and the tractor ended up in a ditch on the side of the road. The driver of the tractor got thrown off his vehicle and sadly passed away. After making a call to 911 Mr. Soules left the scene of the accident before talking with the authorities.
This story made me think about another fatal accident that involved another celebrity Bruce Jenner. Jenner prior to his transition to becoming Caitlyn also rear ended a vehicle that also resulted in a death.  The difference was that Jenner stayed at the scene of the accident and answered all of the investigators questions. No criminal case was brought against him, the case was closed and it was ruled an accident.
I’m sure Jenner’s auto insurance company ended up paying out a large amount of money to cover the liability claims from the accident but he didn’t face any criminal investigation and he did not go to jail.
Unfortunately, this was not the same situation for Mr. Soules. His lawyers were able to get his charges reduced and he plead guilty to “leaving the scene of a personal injury accident”. Chris Soules did about 90% of what he was supposed to do. He pulled over, he called 911 and he took responsibility for causing the accident. But, after hanging up with 911 he drove off in his red Duramax pickup before the officers could talk to him. He was later arrested at his home and tested for drugs and alcohol which came back negative.
It was later revealed on US Weekly that Chris's parents ended up paying out 2.5 million dollars to cover the liability claim to the victim's family. Why would his parents be on the hook for paying out this claim? My bet is the vehicle Chris was driving was registered to his parents, or Chris was still on his parents auto insurance policy. Either way that was the connection that led to his parents paying out for this accident.
The round number paid out makes me think the parents had an Umbrella policy for 2 million dollars and the underlying auto insurance limit of 500 thousand. That would mean that the insurance company wrote the check for the 2.5 million. At least I would hope they had an umbrella policy. Otherwise you could soon see a farm in Iowa along with all their belongings going on the market. 
This is a good reminder that it is your responsibility to stay at the scene of an accident if someone gets injured until the police show up. If it is just a property damage accident you need to exchange auto insurance information and then you can leave. The same thing applies to hitting a car in a parking lot. You are responsible for leaving a note and if you don’t you are committing a crime.  It is also another reminder that having an Umbrella policy is really important to protect your assets.
I know that being nice and doing the right thing seems to be getting lost on the world these days. Especially, when your president loves to insult people and doesn’t take responsibility for his own actions. But, doing the right thing will keep you out of prison people. In Chris Soules case not only did Chris destroy the lives of a family with this unfortunate accident he also ruined according to his website http://www.chrissoules.com his aspirations for being a spokesperson for the American Farmer.  And the American Farmers really could use a voice these days.
Accidents happen, that’s why we carry car insurance.  As always make sure you are protecting your assets with proper liability coverage. And if you have an accident do the right thing. 951-395-0754

​As the housing market continues to be strong and the economy is holding steady, people are starting to put pools in again. Trying to find a pool contractor that is available and one that won’t rip you off can be a challenge these days. Side note, I talked with two people who recently put in pools and both got ripped off by pool contractors. What’s up with crappy pool contractors?
Now that you have a sparkling blue gem in your backyard what’s next besides getting a new swimsuit and nice towels? Before you plan your first pool party you need to take care of some business. One thing you need to do is notify your insurance company that you now have a pool. They will add additional coverage to your homeowners insurance to cover the new pool. Most home insurance policies have a standard coverage built into the policy to cover walls and fences on your property. But, now that you made this big investment they will most likely want to bump your coverage up to make sure the pool and surrounding structures are covered properly. Additionally, you may see in increase in the cost of your insurance. Pools are a higher liability risk and insurance companies charge accordingly. The insurance companies will want to know that the pool area is fenced. They may also want to know if you have a diving board or slide.
There are lots of slip and fall injuries around backyard pools. Have you ever wondered why there is no running or diving at public or community pools? They know that pool injuries are frequent and the best way to limit those injuries are to enforce the simple rules of no running or diving. Statistics show that injuries are twice as likely to happen in backyard pools. In the backyard you don’t have those signs or necessarily the supervision to limit people from doing dangerous things. Throw in slides and diving boards and your exposure to serious injuries increases even more. 
The best thing you can do as a homeowner is to make sure the kids are playing at the pool safely. Make sure they are being supervised. Make sure there is no running or diving. Make sure you keep the area around the pool free of obstacles. Make sure you have the proper safety equipment around the pool.  And an important thing to do is make sure you have the proper liability coverage on your home insurance in case someone does get injured.
When I say proper home insurance coverage that means you should be maxing out your liability limits and buying an umbrella policy. If you can afford to put a 50 thousand dollar pool in your backyard you certainly can afford to add an umbrella policy for a few hundred dollars and increase your liability on your home insurance.
In the amount of time it takes to cover the kids with sunscreen you can get a quote for an umbrella policy. Don’t go the summer without these important protections. Call me today to set up your policy. 951-395-0754

The weather is warming up, the kids are almost out of school and memorial day is only a few weeks away. What does all this mean? It’s almost summer people and that means it’s time to get the boat cleaned up and get out on the water.
Growing up in a small coastal town I spent a lot of time around boats. My grandparents would take me out on their little 20 foot olive green boat to go Flounder fishing, at camp I spent every day waking up to the smell of exhaust coming from a Mastercraft ski boat, my parents also had a nice 24 foot SeaRay. I learned early on how to operate a boat and I would love taking the boat out for a ride.  Sometimes I'd grab the guys to go tubing or to fish. Other times I'd take my lady friends for lunch and and adventure on the water. Ah, good times.
People spend a lot of time planning their boating trips. They will spend hours getting the boat cleaned up, towing the boat to the water, packing food and drinks. But, one thing that people don’t usually take into consideration is boat insurance. It often isn’t required when you take the boat out, but that doesn’t mean you should skip this very important coverage.
There are two parts to insuring the boat. The first part is your liability coverage. This should be mandatory if you plan on taking your boat out on any body of water. What it covers is damage you may cause operating your watercraft. If you run into a boat your liability would cover repairs to the other party. If you were to hit someone in the water it would cover injuries to them.
The second part of the insurance is coverage for your boat and trailer. If you cover your boat it is usually done based on the value of the boat. You would just pay your deductible and insurance would pay after that to repair or replace your boat. The same applies for the trailer.  The coverage for the boat also applies away from the water.  One of my friends had his boat parked for the winter outside. A large tree ended up falling on the boat and damaging it. He was able to get both the boat and trailer repaired because he was carrying insurance.
There are lots of option when it comes to boat policies. You can cover personal property in the boat, you can carry uninsured boater to cover you and your boat if you are hit by someone who doesn’t have insurance, you can add towing, you can cover motors up to certain limits.  When you are purchasing your boat insurance policy ask about any endorsement that sound good. Your agent will be happy to review the available limits and tell you the price. And at a minimum make sure you buy some liability coverage.
It only takes a few minutes to get the quote and it only takes a little longer to buy your boat insurance. The coverage is very inexpensive and it will protect you from any accidents that may happen on your trip. Don't forget your towels and don't forget your insurance! Call today for a boat insurance quote. 951-395-0754

I got my first dog about a year and a half ago.  I had always wanted a dog and I had begged my parents growing up for a dog but since they were mean they told me “no dog for you”. ☹  As I got older I ended up having a few kids and I figured I had enough mouths to feed and poop to clean up. The kids grew up and they would occasionally ask me if we could get a dog and I always answered, “maybe one day”.  I think the kids gave up on the idea after awhile.
One day I saw my oldest cleaning the guinea pig cage without being asked, the boy was feeding the coldblooded turtle and the youngest had managed to keep a beta fish alive for a year without a word from me. I realized, maybe this would be a good time to finally get a dog.
Shortly after that a friend of mine told me about a bunch of puppies that had been born to a family nearby.  I snuck out of work a little early to go and check them out. When I got there I discovered I had found puppy heaven. As I entered the backyard 15 little dogs came stumbling around the corner to greet me. Oh, what had I done? The owner asked me how many I wanted because they were off to the pound the next day. Since I had never had a dog I though one was a good number. How does someone pick a puppy? I was playing with them all and then a little red haired buddy came over and stuck his head on my knee to say “hi”. I figured that was a good enough sign that he was meant to be my dog. After bringing him home he quickly became the most loved creature in the house and he continues to be to this day.
What does this puppy love story have to do with insurance? Well, it has a lot. As soon as you bring a dog into your household you become responsible for whatever that dog does. If your dog goes and busts through the neighbors fence you are responsible for the repair. If he digs a hole in the neighbor’s garden you are on the hook for the damaged veggies. And if he goes off and bites someone you are the one who will be held liable.
Insurance companies handle dogs very differently. Some are very liberal while others are very restrictive in their coverage. One of my companies won’t cover liability claims involving any of the following breeds; Pit Bull, Doberman Pincer, Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Chow, Akita, Husky, Malamute, Bull Mastiff, Stafford Shire Terrier (including mixed breed with include any of the above). While another carrier I have will cover all breeds except for dogs with a bite history.
So, it is very important to talk with your insurance agent and talk about your dog. There are several insurance companies that will still insure your home, but they will exclude coverage for your dog. You need to be aware of what risks you are taking.  on If want to compare the cost between companies that cover your dog or won’t cover your dog ask rates for both insurance rates. It might be a few hundred dollars more per year to have a policy that covers your dog breed, but if something were to happen you will be thankful for the coverage. Call 951-395-0754 for your home insurance quote today. www.socalinsured.com

​When I was about 18 I had a lost key weekend. Oh, it was super fun! The weekend started out with a trip to the University of Vermont. I was looking at colleges and the University of Vermont is an excellent public school in the northeast. I drove up to spend the weekend with a friend that had graduated a year ahead of me. I figured it was a great chance to hang out with a buddy and visit a college I had never been to before.
As I rolled onto the campus the snow started coming down hard. Within a few hours there was about a foot of fresh snow on the ground. When you’re a college kid what do you do with the snow? You go out and play. That night the dorms emptied out and all the kids poured out into the quad for an epic snowball fight. People were building walls to hide behind, sending teams out to attack the other side, it was a good time. Well, it was great until I realized my keys fell out of my pocket somewhere in the snow. Uhm, ever heard of finding a needle in a haystack? I didn’t spend too much time looking for my lost keys because there really was no chance of finding them until spring.
After a call to my parents we came up with an idea where I would leave my car. My sister would come over from Dartmouth with her car and I’d drive her car home and my buddy would drive my car home on his next break with keys they mailed to him. Yay, problem solved.
All was great right? Well, not exactly. Those were the days when some cars had a separate ignition key and a separate door key. Nice design feature car makers.  My sister just handed me the keys with no ring, I threw them in the center consul which is a good place right? When I stopped to get gas and a snack I got out of the car with the ignition key and locked the door key in the car. Lord, life lessons are so much fun.
After a call to AAA I managed to get back into the car and cursed GM for their crappy red Oldsmobile Firenza. That car was really awful people, so underpowered and so poorly built.  Here I thought my sister was the favorite, uhm based off the car they gave her I was feeling pretty good about myself.
So, what’s the point of this post? First thing is make sure you have some sort of road assistance for your car. A lot of insurance companies offer it as part of the auto insurance policy now. Add it on, it is only a few dollars a year and if you ever lock your keys in the car or need a tire changed on a freeway you’ll be very grateful. Additionally, if you ever lose your keys in a snowbank most home insurance policies offer a free rekey service as part of your home insurance. If you are worried about your keys being out in the world just call your home insurance company and let them know. They will send over a locksmith and pay to have the house rekeyed.
Call me to get some comparison rates on auto and home insurance today. 951-395-0754

Congratulations, you just got engaged!  Was there a nice ring involved in this transaction? Or was there just a high five and a promise to get you a ring some day? Well, if the situation actually did involve a ring you probably want to look into getting some insurance coverage for your new purchase or your new gift from your now fiancé.
You go to your insurance company and they start asking you questions about the ring. They want to know if you live together, they want to know if you are on the same home insurance or renters insurance policy.  They want an appraisal, they want a detailed receipt! Why is it so hard to insure a ring?
Let’s look at what insurance companies are considering. The first question is who is going to have the ring. The insurance companies consider an engagement ring a gift. So, if you bought this ring and are giving it to your future spouse that future spouse is the one that needs to get the policy. If you are living together and have a renters insurance policy together you may be able to add an endorsement onto the policy to cover the ring. The only way this will work is if you are both on the same policy.
An endorsement is extra coverage for a specific item. That item is described in detail and covered from dollar one. The endorsement is a very comprehensive coverage. Most policies will cover theft, mysterious disappearance or if a stone falls out. Because of this comprehensive coverage insurance companies are going to make sure the risk they are taking on meets all of their guidelines.
Things change when you get married. When there is a marriage there is now a legal interest in all the shared belongings. The insurance companies are going to cover both spouses equally and if you have an engagement ring you can easily endorse it on your home insurance policy.
When I say easily endorse I mean you will have one less hoop to jump through. You are still either going to need an appraisal or a detailed receipt. Every company handles the requirements differently. You’ll want to check with your insurance company to find out what they need.
The appraisal can be a bit tricky. Most companies want a certified gemologist to do the appraisal. There are a lot of jewelers who will write up an appraisal and not be a certified gemologist. You could end up going to get a new appraisal if it doesn’t meet your insurance companies guidelines. The appraisal needs to be very detailed. If you have one main diamond the dimensions, cut, clarity and weight will need to be listed. If you have side stones those will also need to be described. The number of stones, the cut clarity and total weight will need to be listed. The mounting metal will need to be listed and the appraised value will need to be on there.
Photos will need to be taken of the ring. So, make sure you bring the ring along with you when you go to get insurance.
I gave you a lot of information here. The cliff notes version are; get a certified gemologist appraisal, whoever has the ring needs to get the policy and make sure you bring the ring for photos.
I have a great company that can do a stand alone insurance policy for your ring. The rates are about twenty dollars per thousand. It varies a little but to give you an idea, a 5000 ring will run you about 100 a year to cover. Give me a call to get some coverage 951-395-0754. 

I’m not sure who drops more wild headlines Donald Trump or Elon Musk. Trump seems to drop things on twitter without much thought. Elon Musk seems to drop ideas that seem crazy and then he actually delivers some version of this crazy.  Do you remember the Hyperloop under LA? Come on, I thought that was a joke, until I saw a Tesla driving along a bumpy tunnel under LA and I said to myself "wow, he really did it". 
His most recent drop was that Tesla is going to offer auto insurance for their vehicles. This may not be the wildest headline but it got my attention. What will this actually entail?  We don’t know yet. But, how could this work?  Let's take a look.
Tesla could go the route of Volvo. Volvo as part of some of their leases offer insurance included. Now, this isn’t Volvo insurance. It is a policy underwritten by Liberty Mutual. It includes liability coverage at 250/500 with a 500 deductible for the car. How much would the insurance cost you if you were to separate it out? Well, I’d imagine there are winners and losers when buying it through Volvo. Some people are saving money, but there are also some people paying more for the insurance. Any time you average out the rates across a large group unless you fall into the median you are either saving or paying more.
That would be one option for Tesla. Just hire a large auto insurance company to offer a policy across a broad spectrum of people and include it as part of a lease agreement. That would take all the work out of Tesla’s hands. They could slap their name on the policy but it would be underwritten by a company that knows the market and loss ratios in each state.
Another option would be to actually start your own insurance company. That would require a lot of work on Tesla's part. They could try and keep it simple by outsourcing claims adjusters, customer service and underwriting. I'm sure there are companies that would be happy to develop a product for the company. It could be a lengthy process to get licensed to do business in each state. Every state has their own insurance commission that Tesla would have to file with.  
Now how would it work? Would they offer a one price fits all package? Would you be able to select your coverage? What about the other cars in the household? Would you be able to include your Ford on the Tesla policy or would you need to carry two policies? Can you include all the drivers in the house? 
This is a complicated puzzle to put together. We will see what Elon Musk has in mind. Hey, if he can figure out a way to get his Tesla roadster to fly into space I’m sure this isn’t the most complicated thing on his plate. Is it worth it and is the return great enough for the companies bottom line? We will wait to see.
Until then, if you want to get a quote on earthly insurance give me a call at 951-395-0754. www.socalinsured.com