Get Your Finances In Gear For The New Year

This time of year, thoughts turn to year-end financial matters: paying holiday bills, preparing your tax return and more. It’s also a great time to review the general state of your finances to see if you need to make any changes in the coming year.

Many people don’t consider the importance of insurance in an overall financial plan. But the fact is, no matter how hard you work to build wealth, failure to purchase adequate insurance can be your undoing. On the other hand, paying for coverage you don’t need can also sting your budget. Finding the right balance can be challenging.

For The Road Ahead Be Safe, Be Smart On A Long-Distance Road Trip

Whether you’re traveling alone, with a buddy or with your spouse and a car full of kids, there are few things more “American” than the long-distance road trip. Countless vacation travelers will drive the highways looking for fun and making memories with every mile. If traveling down the “holiday road” is in your plans, take the time to prepare for your trip. You’ll have a more enjoyable vacation if you plan carefully. Here are a few driving tips, courtesy of Hudson Valley Agents:

5 More New Car Safety Features You'll Want To Get

Given that car safety is a predominant concern these days, let’s look at the rest of the of the top 10 auto safety features as highlighted by Edmunds.com. (By the way, if you don’t know Edmunds yet, check it out for smart objective tips for savvy consumers.)

Since you are more likely to be in a vehicle accident than almost any other kind of life-threatening situation, when you get a new vehicle, you might want to consider purchasing one that offers you additional safety features. The good news is that these new technologies not only might save your life, but some can also save you money. Just ask your Newburgh NY Insurance brokers.

RV Insurance Safety While Traveling

When traveling by RV, getting the most for your money is one of the most prevalent things RV'ers think about; because RV'ing is expensive. One of the best ways to save money on RV expenses is to make sure you are not paying too much for your RV insurance in NY. But saving money is not the only thing on the top of the minds of avid RV'ers.

Personal safety while traveling on the open road is also another top issue. I found an excellent piece on this issue at the following link Personal Safety While Traveling.

Your Family Home: What Your Insurance Does and Does Not Cover

Home insurance has become so standard that it can come as a shock to find out that insurance companies only invented it a mere 50 years ago when they figured that it made sense to offer a single, comprehensive policy to cover both liability and property. While your Newburgh NY insurance agents can offer you any of the various forms that have since evolved to meet the needs of owners of single family dwellings, over 80% of such policies in force today are of a form known in the industry as “HO3.” These policies cover just about everything except those specified as excluded, such as earthquakes and floods.  Even though there are exclusions, they are often called “all risk” coverage as any risk not listed as excluded is covered.

North East Hurricanes Are Real

It looks like this may be the year the insurance companies have been warning us about here in the northeast. So far three hurricanes have tracks that take them dangerously close to the North Atlantic shore line, one has already passed us without concern. However, it is better to be prepared, arm yourself with knowledge and take precaution. I found an excellent resource in the "Disaster Safety Organization", click their link for a complete hurricane related knowledge base. DisasterSafety.org

Remember to check your coverages with your New York homeowners insurance agent as soon as possible to avoid any potential loopholes or gaps in your insurance too.

Surveillance Camera in Home Caught Burglar on Video

Check out this excellent blog post on home security. This is why insurance companies give lower NY homeowners insurance rates for security systems: 

Surveillance Camera in Home Caught Burglar on Video

Survive A Car Accident

The longer you drive the better chance you will have an accident. This pertains to your everyday driving as well as your whole lifetime of driving. It's the law of large numbers and it's why your car insurance in New York costs more when you drive further to work. You will most likely not be able to go through your entire life without getting into a car accident. Now with that said, lets ensure you survive to tell the tale someday. Read these tips below to improve your odds:

Renting Your Home? 4 Reasons You Need Landlord Insurance

Are you thinking of renting out your home? If so, you may be assuming that your current homeowner insurance policy covers you—but it does not in many cases. What you need is a landlord policy.
While there are similarities, landlord insurance confers several important benefits. The coverage available varies greatly, so carefully evaluate your options before signing on the dotted line. Here are some of the kinds of things for which you may wish to buy protection from your Peekskill NY insurance provider:

10 Factors that Affect Your Auto Insurance Rates

Automobile insurance is one of those things that nearly everyone buys without understanding it well. How many factors can you list that influence the premiums that you pay for insuring your vehicles?

Here is a list of several factors that may be included in calculating your particular rates. Some of these may surprise you! Your local Middletown NY insurance agents can explain how these factors relate to your particular situation and needs.

In NY Insurance Is Related To Everything In Your Life

In NY insurance has a relation to everything in life. Lets take something simple like air conditioning for example.


If you owned a business with several employees or maybe more, and you did not provide the proper air conditioning on premises; do you think you would be able to obtain the proper insurances to stay in business? Well think about your NY workers compensation insurance for a minute. Depending on the type of business you own, you may not be able to obtain affordable workers compensation insurance from a standard insurance carrier. The reason being, the insurance companies do not want to insure a "claim waiting to happen" such as a NY workers compensation insurance for an employee suffering from heat stroke on the job.

Tips To Keep Your Kids Safe in the Car

Motor vehicle accidents continue to be the leading cause of death for children between ages 1 and 14, as Kingston and Newburgh NY insurance professionals recognize. But did you know that nearly 60% of deaths were due to failure to use appropriate car seats, boosters, or seat belts? Surprisingly, as studies find that over 80% of child safety seats are misused, and in some areas, the rate soars to 95%.

Here is some good news from the Car-Safety Organization: Simply using car seats and boosters correctly can save lives. According to statistics, fatal injuries to infants can be reduced by as much as 71%. Proper use of boosters can cut the toddler injury rate in half.

Some of the Best Insurance is Prevention

Many of us put more miles on the car during the summer. Remember that even in pleasant weather, you can run into emergencies on the road. Your Middletown NY insurance agents advise you to be prepared by having emergency tools and supplies in your car at all times.

What kind of emergencies might you face on the road? Let’s look at the two basic possibilities—a medical emergency and a mechanical ones, and how to be ready for both.

Shop Your New York Insurance Needs Online

Insurance can be very tricky when it comes to knowing the proper coverage you need for your home, vehicle or any commercial property you own. If you live in New York, chances are you have an insurance agent who has the perfect solution for your insurance needs. The problem is that you just do not have the time to visit each insurance agency personally due to work and your hectic life overall. This is where shopping for all your insurance needs online can save you both time and money.

New York Auto Insurance

People can become pretty grouchy when dealing with insurance providers. Having to read in between the lines on your insurance policy becomes a hassle. Meeting with the insurance adjuster is a painstaking process that you wish would go away. These are all feelings we get when it is time to purchase, change, or increase our insurance. It is a shame that such feelings come up when dealing with the people who are protecting you and your loved ones. Well say goodbye to the feelings of dread.

Seniors and Safe Driving

Cars provide us with an amazing amount of independence, which most of us want to keep as long as we can.

Each year there are more seniors on the road. It is estimated that in 2020, the US will have over 54 million Americans over 65 years old, and many of them will be driving. It could be you or your spouse or your parents or grandparents.

How can we insure safety for one and all, given these statistics? The Senior Drivers Organization, a part of the AAA Safety Foundation, has excellent advice.

Debunking Top Myths about Home Insurance

The way you think about homeowner insurance could be costing you a lot of money or security.

A lot of people do not take the time to understand the basics and end up either buying too much or too little. They focus solely on the premium or on the benefits, without really understanding the real reason for homeowner insurance in the first place. The details can seem confusing, and it is easy to get misled by looking at the wrong facts or putting them in the wrong context. In the Hudson Valley, insurance is as misunderstood as it is elsewhere.

The ABC’s of Business Insurance

With so many kinds of insurance policies available, a new business owner can get overwhelmed. Here is a primer on business insurance to help orient you. Keep in mind that securing policies through the same company could lead to insurance discounts that make a difference, and that premiums are tax deductible as a legitimate business expense. In a nutshell, business insurance policies exist to cover one or more of these things: property, liability, people or income. For true peace of mind, you will want to have all these bases covered, since serious issues with regard to just one of these factors could wipe out your business overnight.

Five Ways To Improve Your Car Safety Now

The recent problems experienced by Toyota have certainly put the focus on car safety. But the problem goes far beyond Toyota, of course. While 19 deaths have been linked to accidental acceleration in Toyotas in the past decade, there are approximately 37,000 deaths EVERY YEAR on American roads.

So what can we do as individuals? In a recent car blog, Consumer Reports discusses five things that every one of us as drivers can do to be safer on the road. How many of them are a habit for you? Safe drivers can get better insurance rates, so to save money on New York insurance, take a look at what they recommended!

Get Ready For Motorcycle Season In Five Simple Steps

There’s nothing like cruising down the open road on your motorcycle – the wind in your hair and a few bugs in your teeth. But, before you hit the highways and byways this season, make sure your NY motorcycle insurance policy is up to speed so that you and your bike are protected.

Here are a few tips:

Six Tips for Choosing a Contractor for Home Renovation & Remodeling

Are you considering renovating or adding on to your home? These projects can add notable value and comfort to your home, and some can even provide insurance discounts. While some home remodeling projects can be undertaken by the skilled do-it-yourself-er, many opt to hire a professional to plan and complete the work. Choosing the contractor then becomes the most important decision for the success of your project. If you are considering hiring a contractor to renovate your home, you can avoid common pitfalls by following these guidelines.

Be Prepared For Anything

The heart-wrenching pictures of the damage in the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile remind us that earthquakes can strike in unexpected places and unexpected moments. It’s never too early to protect your family and home from disaster.

Being prepared turned out to be a key factor in lessening the loss of life in Chile, despite one of the largest quakes in history at 8.8 on the Richter Scale. Their stricter building codes are complemented by public awareness and earthquake preparedness.