Over the weekend I took a little break from the exciting life of being an insurance agent. I went up to Mammoth Mountain with a friend and we did a little skiing. 
The conditions were great and even though my legs were feeling pretty sore after two days of skiing it was a total blast.
While I was on the slopes I witnessed an interesting skiing accident. Two men one on a snowboard and one on skies ran into each other at the bottom of a lift. Neither were going very fast, but they were both trying to make their way to the lift and neither saw each other. 
The two collided pretty hard. The skier was able to get his hands up and put both fists into the chest of the snowboarder. The snowboarder went flying backwards and the skier minus skis landed nearby. The snowboarder was on the ground gasping for air because he just took two fists to the chest. It looks like he had the wind knocked out of him. The skier popped up and went back to putting his skies on.
They both ended up being fine and went on their merry ways. But, it made me think about what would happen if someone got more seriously injured. Would either of them have any protection? 
As usual with insurance someone would have to be at fault. If this were to have happened on the mountain and the snowboarder ran into a stopped skier he would be at fault. The person downhill on a mountain has the right of way. Now if the skier was to have been injured that person could sue the snowboarder for injuries, pain and suffering and any medical bills. 
If you have Homeowner's insurance you might be surprised to know that most policies would provide liability protection for you. That means if the snowboarder was to get sued they would defend their insured. They would also pay out for any claims against their policy holder.
Even if you don't own a home you can still get these benefits from Renters Insurance.  

After Christmas I got a really nice belated gift. It was the gift of a stranger running into my car, and removing a third of the front bumper. Seasons greetings and enjoy your newly wrecked car. The decision I had to make was should I go through the person's insurance that hit me or use my own. More on that in a minute. Here's what happened in the accident.
Picture this, you are driving down a road and you see a car coming out of an entrance to a store to your right. You see them, but clearly they don't see you. So, you honk and you keep honking and they keep coming. You are able to get your car to a stop, but the other vehicle never brakes and keeps coming toward you. In slow motion (because accidents always seem to move in slow motion) the car crosses in front of your car. That's when you hear the crunch of metal and plastic. Yes, that's when the reality that you just were in an accident sinks in. Up to that moment you were hoping it would all work out. It didn't. After the car hit it kept rolling away. In a panic you pulled out your phone to get the plate off the other car. Fortunately, the other car pulled over close by and didn't leave the scene.
This was my Christmas greeting. I wanted to be mad but what's the point. The young lady was shaking and clearly upset. I exchanged a hello, and we both asked how we were. Having an accident stinks, there is nothing pleasant about it. 
After the accident I got the girls information. I got her name, her address, her phone number and her auto insurance information. I took photos of my car, the street where the accident happened and I took photos of her car. I also got the name of a witness. After that I ripped the hanging part of my bumper off the car so that I could get home. When I got back to the office I called her company and reported the claim. I waited for a few days to hear back but I didn't. After that I called back again. They still hadn't gotten in touch with their driver to verify the accident.
So, After about a week I decided to call my auto insurance company. The reason I called my company was because I was ready to get the car fixed. I knew that they would repair it regardless of who was at fault. Sorry, I was just tired of driving around in a beat up car! I opened a claim. I told them where I wanted to take the car to get repaired. They gave me a claim number and I then booked an appointment to get it fixed. The accident happened after Christmas it has almost been a month. Since that time the other driver's insurance company has taken responsibility. My deductible has been waived and I won't have to pay anything out of pocket. Actually, there is one thing I might need to get reimbursed for. The rental car. I have on my insurance a limit of 35 dollars a day. I think this rental car is about 39 dollars a day. So, after I get the receipt I'll need to send it into claims and have them cut me a check.
You always have the option to use your insurance if you carry comp and collision on your car. Without those coverage's you would have to go through the other person's insurance. Having the rental car on my insurance also has been a big help because I didn't have to wait for fault to be determined. Check your limits and know what your deductible is. Also, if you haven't put rental car coverage on your policy do so. It makes the process so much easier. If you'd like to review your limits give us a call at 951-395-0754

Today kids, we are going to talk about death. Yes, this is a topic that I have steered clear of in the past. It doesn't seem to fit the fun insurance blog that I was trying to write. Oddly, it still doesn't fit the fun blog.  But, today I will cover the topic of Death Insurance!
This isn't a post about Life Insurance. That will be for another day. This is a post about what happens to you if you die in other manners. I was motivated by the Sunday's edition of the San Diego Union Tribune. When I turned to their Crime, Fire and Public Safety section almost all the headlines involved the death of someone in an accident. 
Here are the headlines from January 5, 2020. Happy New Year! "Teen Dead, 6 Others Hurt When Truck Overturns", "One Person Found Dead After Fire at Home in Encintas", "Male Driver, 36, Dies after Car Hits Light Pole in Solo Crash", "Man, 33, Killed When Car Slams into Parked Semi-Truck", "3 Struck, Injured by Car That Flees;, Driver Later Arrested".
The first headline is followed by a short story explained that a teenage driver took a turn too fast and rolled the truck over with five kids in the back. One of the five kids in the bed of the truck was thrown out and died. The other teens riding in the back were injured too. This is a classic scene from the 1980's and the reason laws were passed about carrying people in the bed of a truck. I think there are also limits on how many people teen drivers should carry in a car. 
Let's talk about the auto insurance implications for an accident like this. The Bodily Injury limits on his Auto Policy will be the primary focus in this claim. We are going to assume the driver who took the turn too fast was at fault. Let's say he had middle of the road coverage and had 100/300 for bodily injury. Here's how those limits would play out. The deceased teen would get $100,000. Pretty much any time there is a mortality the insurance company will max out the coverage. When you have 100/300 that means the accident will pay max per person of 100 thousand and max per accident 300 thousand. That means we now have $200,000 left to divide between the surviving teens. Per the report the remaining four kids suffered minor to moderate injuries. I wouldn't be surprised if the balance was divided equally with each kid getting about 50,000. The claims adjuster could also base the payout amounts from most injured to least injured. None of the injured teens would get more than the 100,000 and if the injuries were minor they could receive nothing. It really is the discretion of the adjuster.
The headline about a house fire and one person dies has less information. It states that one person in the home was found dead. But, it doesn't say who that person was. If for example the person was a guest staying at the home they could file a claim under the person's home liability insurance. If it was the owner or a family member of the owner there would be no claim against the home insurance. Part of the Home Insurance declaration pages state that you can't sue yourself. Your immediate family also can't sue you. 
The man who hit a light pole is probably out of luck in collecting any insurance coverage. Your Bodily Injury coverage is for other people, not for yourself. Hopefully, he has life insurance. 
The other man who died when his car hit the back of a truck is also probably out of luck. The truck he hit was parked so we can't blame the truck driver. Hopefully, this driver also had a life insurance policy in place.
The final headline where a car hit three people and took off had a happier ending. No one died in the accident. All three middle aged people were transported to a local hospital and were treated for moderate to more severe injuries. The best part was that the driver was later arrested for possible drunk driving and hit and run. Now, this driver's Bodily Injury limits would also pay out for the peoples injuries. Once again depending on what the insured's limits were would depend on how much the injured people could collect.
That's my wrap up of the headlines of death. I hope that you enjoyed this edition. Let me know if the gloomy side of insurance appeals to you. Call me for any insurance quotes at 951-395-0754.

What is the California FAIR Plan and why do they always capitalize the FAIR? After doing some research I have the answers to your most requested questions. Actually, no one has been asking any questions about the FAIR plan so I made up my own. And then I answered them. Enjoy!
First off, What is the California FAIR plan? The FAIR plan was established in 1968 after several large brush fires and riots that hit the state. There was a need to help people who couldn't get insurance after these events. The state enacted a law to establish the plan. Surprisingly it is not funded at all by tax payers.  The FAIR plan is described best as an "insurance placement facility".  That means it doesn't hold onto the business itself. It works with all the companies that write insurance in California. It places the policies with these existing companies and pays out profits to the companies that carry the most policies. All the losses covered on the policies are then supported by existing home insurance companies.
Why is it called the FAIR Plan? FAIR is actually an acronym for Fair Access to Insurance Requirements.  Basically, someone probably thought it was good to call it fair and they worked backwards to put words to each letter. You know what I'm saying? 
The FAIR plan has worked nicely for the last 50 years. It filled a large void in the insurance industry. If there were homes with numerous claims or homes that were in areas that insurance companies would not cover they provided a product option. So, why are they talking about making changes to the policy? After the fires in 2018 the landscape dramatically changed. Just as in 1968 when the plan was brought into existence California saw a huge change from the private insurance industry.  Homes that in a prior years would have dozens of companies competing now had none. Insurance companies that were willing to take on medium to high risk were now only looking for low risk properties.
What are the proposed changes for 2020? Starting next month the FAIR plan will start taking credit cards. This is a huge change because the down payments can be very large for the FAIR plan. And in order to bind the coverage they require a payment. You aren't able to bill a mortgage company to start the policy. Higher dwelling coverage. The FAIR plan is proposing increasing the dwelling limit from 1.5 million to 3 million. That may not seem like a big deal but the policy doesn't offer any extended limits for insurance. So, bigger custom homes would not always be able to have enough coverage to replace their homes if something were to happen. The last big proposed change that may happen this summer is adding additional coverage options to the policy. Currently, the policy doesn't offer any liability coverage and they don't cover any water or theft coverage. With those two additions the policy would work more like a standard HO3 policy you can buy from other carriers.
So, that's the quick 411 on the California FAIR plan. If you need to get a quote give us a call at 951-395-0754

Over the weekend a Ferrari ran into the front of Lisa Vanderpump's Restaurant Pump. It seems like something written up for a "reality series", is it possible one is filmed at the exact location where the incident happened? Why yes there is a said realty TV show called Vanderpump Rules. 
Can't you imagine Jax standing behind the bar when the Ferrari careens into the the restaurant? The martini he was shaking for some overly hot human goes flying splashing on his designer shirt. In a panic he has to call his wife Brittany crying barely able to get the words out. On the other end of the line Brittany is overly concerned. "Jax, honey please tell me that you are okay". He then spends the rest of the day getting drunk and re-evaluating life. Jax decides in that moment that he and Brittany should in fact try to have a kid because he now realizes that life could end at any moment. The episode ends with Jax walking around topless in a towel and Brittany relaxing on the couch with her legs in the air and a knowing smile.
So, maybe the skeptic in me doesn't actually think all things on "realty" TV are actually real. I didn't see any film crew from the show Vanderpump Rules filming the scene. I guess it is possible for someone to just randomly drive down Santa Monica Boulevard in a Ferrari and just happen to crash into the front of the famous restaurant. It could happen. A single car accident that caused only enough damage for the restaurant to close for a few hours.
Let's say this is a real accident. How would the drivers auto insurance handle the situation? From the report I viewed on TMZ (my source for breaking news) the driver lost control of the car trying to avoid another car. Good job avoiding the other car, but in doing so he will now probably be found at fault in the accident. When you drive your car off the road for whatever reason insurance companies will almost always find you at fault. See, there is no one else to blame. If he had stayed in his lane and taken the hit he would probably not have been found at fault. He would have another driver and vehicle to blame for the accident.
Now his auto insurance will cover damage to his car under Collision coverage. He will pay his deductible and the insurance company will either pay to fix the car or total it out. From what I've see it could go either way. The coolant squirting out the front of his car doesn't look great. But, his hood isn't bent up and the damage seems mostly bumper oriented. But, since it is an exotic sports car there could be just enough damage that would lead the car to be totaled out. The reason for that is the cost to repair a Ferrari, and the parts are expensive. 
As for Pump the restaurant. It looks like they got someone out there to clean up the mess of shattered glass. They will also need to replace the glass wall that was shattered. There doesn't appear to be any structural damage and the building must have been deemed safe to reopen because they served dinner there that night.
The Ferrari driver will be on the hook to repair the damage to the restaurant. Who knows how much that will run. The damage he caused would be paid out under his Property Damage coverage. The insurance company would cover up to his policy limits.
Let's hope that Mr. Ferrari has good coverage for his sweet ride. If you are driving an expensive car you would assume he does have great coverage. That is no guarantee however. If you are like Mr. Ferrari make sure you have high liability limits. Driving into a Restaurant can get expensive and you don't want to be paying out of pocket. Call today to make sure your Ferrari is covered properly. 951-395-0754 And, let's wish Brittany and Jax the best for their future.

The start of a new year always is a great opportunity to set goals for the new year. Pulling out your existing home and auto insurance should be on the list of things to do. Every year changes and so do your insurance needs. 
What should you review on your home insurance? The most important part of your home insurance is the rebuild estimate. Every renewal will come with a rebuild calculator. Take a few minutes to review how your home insurance company is rating your home. Make sure all the bathrooms are accounted for. Make sure if you did any major improvements on the home in the last year they are added. If you put in a pool make sure you let your company know. If you replaced the kitchen with custom cabinets, "builder grade" coverage may no longer be appropriate. It only takes a few minutes to review these limits. You should also review your liability coverage. Make sure your limits aren't sitting at the minimum. For about 40 dollars a year you can increase your liability coverage significantly. 
The same thing applies to your Auto Insurance. Pull out the declaration page (that's the one with the coverage's).  Review what your deductibles are and what your liability limits are. If you have a home you probably have significantly more equity in the house since last year. Make sure your limits are high enough to protect those assets. For a few hundred dollars you can significantly increase those limits.
Umbrella insurance and Life insurance are also important pieces to your financial planning. Umbrella policies are an amazing way to protect your assets at very affordable rates. Life Insurance not only can protect your family it is a great way to protect your home. Having enough life insurance in place to pay off your home if something happened to either spouse is very important. It is a way to remove a huge burden if something were to happen.
It's 2020 and it is time to take a few minutes and make sure your finances are in order. An important part of that equation are your insurance policies. If you would like to review your existing limits give us a call and talk with an expert. 951-395-0754.

It's the end of the year and it's a great time to buy a new car. I doubt Santa wants to deliver a new car to your driveway so do him a favor an pick one out for yourself and drive it home. You'll get a high five and a thank you from the old man for helping him out on that delivery.
Most dealers are in a hurry to get the old cars off their lots at the end of the year and that means a lot of incentives are available. Often you will see discounts from manufactures and low interest rates. Many times the dealers will include both!
If it's time to replace your old car now is a great time to buy. But, keep in mind if you are swapping out an old car with a new one that change will impact your Auto Insurance too. The impact may be small depending how old your car is. Or if you are replacing an old car that you've been carrying minimum auto insurance on with a new car that now needs added coverage you could see a major increase in your rates.
When you are going car shopping it's an important time to get a quote from your auto insurance carrier too. Customers will often call me with a few makes and models they are thinking about buying.  With that information we are able to give them a good estimate for their new auto insurance rate.
If  you are on a budget you will want to consider the insurance as part of your new car costs. Let's say you replace an old car that you carried minimal coverage on. That means you didn't carry comprehensive or collision. With all cars that are being financed you will need to include those two limits. The comprehensive which covers if the car is stolen is usually inexpensive. Unless we are talking about an exotic sports car. In that case if you have enough money to buy one of those cars you probably aren't going to sweat the expensive auto insurance. Now, if you haven't had collision on a car in awhile you are probably looking at doubling the cost of your insurance. If your driving record isn't spotless it could cost you even more. The collision coverage will pay to replace or repair your car if it's in an accident. That coverage is also required by lien holders. You don't have the option of leaving that coverage off unless you are paying cash for the car. Even if you are paying cash just keep in mind if you decline the collision you are on your own to fix the car if you have an accident.
Some people also ask if their insurance will cover them if they drive off the lot after buying the car. Many companies do cover you. If you have a company that covers you in your car or any other vehicle you drive than you are good to go. You just need to call the company over the next week and add the car on. There are auto insurance companies that only cover you on the car that is listed on your policy. In that case you will need to add the car on before you leave the dealer. Additionally, if you are replacing an old car that has minimum coverage you will want to add the new car on with comprehensive and collision before you leave the lot. If you are worried about not getting someone over the weekend you can call before you go down and buy the car. All your insurance company will need is the VIN and the odometer to add the coverage. If for some reason the purchase falls through you can always change the insurance back.
Just as you would shop the cost to buy a car at multiple dealers you will also want to get a quote on auto insurance. That's why it's good to call an agency like mine because I can shop over ten auto insurance carriers at one time and find you the best auto insurance rate. Enjoy the holidays by rolling around in a new car and don't forget to get some insurance quotes from me before you make the purchase. 951-395-0754

The joy of the holiday season has finally arrived. Well, at most places other than Popeye's where waiting for a chicken sandwich is still a extremely non festive experience. That's a story for another day however. I had a customer recently call because her purse had been stolen and she wanted to know if there was any coverage under her Home Insurance policy.
This is the time of the year where we spend a lot of time running around stores checking items off long lists. We are often distracted dealing with crowds and looking at shelves. This is an opportune time for thieves to take advantage of those distractions. If you leave your cart unattended with your purse you could easily become a victim.
Now, what happens if you have your purse stolen with your credit cards, ID, Social Security Number, and house keys? First of all if you are still walking around with your Social Security card take that thing out and put it away. This isn't 1960 people! Take a minute to learn your number and then put it away somewhere safe. 
Most credit card companies are great about cancelling a card and refunding your card if there is fraud. But, make sure you call them as soon as you can. Your ID will need to be replaced and that will require a trip to the dreaded DMV in California. They don't let you replace the ID over the phone or by mail. It requires a trip in.
Now, what will homeowners insurance cover. The first thing are keys. Many home policies will cover the cost of getting your house re-keyed. That's a nice little benefit most people don't think about. Just give the claims department a call and tell them your keys were stolen and they will send someone out to your house. 
Identity theft! Many home insurance policies have limits for ID theft. Basically, they will help reimburse you for any expenses related to getting your credit repaired.
Now you know how Home Insurance can help you get things back in order. The best thing to do however is avoid the hassle and keep an eye on your purse and or wallet so that you don't have to put all your valuable stuff back together. Call today to get a quote on Home Insurance 951-395-0754

Look at all those holiday shoppers milling around the stores. Shoving each other to get the best deals on TV's and gaming consoles. The joy of the holiday season is upon us people!
As we spend our weekends decorating the house with lights and seasonal decor it's good to keep in mind that it is also house fire season. This is the time of the year where home insurance fire claims have a seasonal flair. From tree lights igniting a dry Christmas tree, to decorative holiday candles falling over, ovens getting used for the first time in months, wood fires sending flying embers onto the carpet. There are a lot of seasonal hazards to be aware of.
The important thing to remember is that you can help limit the risks by just being careful. Once your tree is dry and crispy you can keep it up. But, just unplug the lights until you have time to remove the tree from the house. Make sure your smoke detectors are in working order and have new batteries. Have a fire extinguisher on hand and know where it is and how to use it.  If you haven't looked at the directions in awhile here's a website to check out. Not to mention I love the website name;
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-use-a-fire-extinguisher/
Ah, having a pine scented candle burning near your non piney tree can add a nice touch to your home. Just be aware what is near the flame. I'm not saying anyone would do this but... don't go putting your pine scented candle next to your tree. We can still get the effect by not lighting the tree on fire. Put the candles away from the stuffed Santa's. Don't sit it next to the Elf on a Shelf. Give the candles space to burn without lighting any neighboring decor on fire.
Having a nice wood fire in the fireplace this time of the year looks and feels great. Getting your toes warmed by the flame is always comforting. Just make sure you operate your fireplace safely. Use a fireplace grate to hold the wood in place. You don't want a stacked piece of wood rolling out of the fireplace. Use your metal mesh screen. That will help keep embers from flying out and if a log were to roll it would help stop it inside the fireplace not on the family room floor. If you haven't had the chimney cleaned in awhile you might want to get it checked out too to avoid chimney fires. Leave your embers in the fireplace until they are fully out. There have been many tragic fires from people putting still warm embers in the trash can that lead to a house fire.
Make sure your oven is clean and operating properly. Old grease dried out pieces of food can light on fire in the oven. 
Lets get through the holidays without needing to file a home insurance claim people. They are no fun and you don't want to move out during the holidays. If you need some home insurance give me a call at 951-395-0754