But the worst part is when thieves pilfer documents, checks or credit cards that allow them to steal your identity. Although you may not realize those items are missing at first, their loss can have financial consequences much more severe than a missing television or stereo system. Truth is, experienced thieves don’t need much information to break into your bank account or swipe your credit card.

So if you’ve been burgled, start by assuming that the burglar has stolen your personal information. Call your bank and credit card company ASAP. You can get a new card or new bank account numbers so you still have access to your funds.

Don’t touch anything, even the door knobs, until after police have arrived. They may be reluctant to take fingerprints, but you should insist on it. The prints will stay on file and get checked against current and future criminal data bases. Cops may not find the person immediately, but they may match the criminal at some point down the road, especially if it’s a neighborhood serial burglar, which is often the case.

Keep your most valuable stuff in hiding. Forget about the most obvious places like under a mattress, in a drawer, on a closet shelf or in a cereal box. One fairly inexpensive option are ‘book safes’ — hollowed-out books that look like all the others in your library. Keep bank or credit card statements where they can’t be easily found. Cut up and destroy all old credit cards, driver licenses and other expired forms of personal identification. You also may want to consider purchasing a safe. A safe isn’t cheap, but if it’s a good one that properly installed it can be a great way to keep your personal and financial information safe at home.

Your home may be the biggest investment your family makes. That’s why homeowner’s insurance is so important. But that doesn’t mean you should pay more than you have to. Here are some ways to save money on this important coverage:

Raise your deductible. The higher your deductible, the less you’ll pay in premiums. This applies to most types of insurance! You may be surprised to learn just how much you could save by raising your deductible from $250 to $500 or from $500 to $1,000. The key, of course, is to have enough money set aside so you can pay your deductible in the event you have to make a claim.

Buy other policies from the same company. Purchasing homeowner’s and auto insurance from the same company can save you money. Ask about any discounts for purchasing other types of insurance, too.

Review your policy annually.  Are you taking advantage of available discounts? Is all the information about your home, including square footage and amenities, correct? An annual review can help you make sure you’re not overpaying. For more tips to keeping homeowner’s insurance costs under control, go here.

While air conditioning units may vary, in general it is a good rule of thumb to replace your unit’s filter every 30 to 60 days. And it is easy to do. A quick inspection can generally alert you to whether or not the filter needs to be replaced. The filter acts as a barrier between unwanted dust, dirt pollen and debris.

Clogged, dirty filters block the normal air flow and reduce the unit’s efficiency. Having a clogged or dirty air filter means the air will bypass the filter and may carry dirt or allergens directly into the evaporator coils. This can result in a reduction of heat-absorbing capacity. The dust that is not collected by the filter gets distributed back into your home. Keeping your air filter clean can reduce your air conditioner’s energy consumption by five to 15 percent.

Changing your air conditioning filter is easy. In most homes, the filters are located near the main unit, which is typically in your hallway or on the ceiling in the return air duct. The return air duct is where the air is pulled in from inside the home. Typically, you just pop the latches and remove the metal screening. It’s lightweight and easy to remove and slide back in.

Make sure you have the correct air filter size. Check the number label on the filter’s side. Have more than one filter on hand. That way it will save you a trip to the hardware store. Also, don’t forget to clean off the dust on the metal grill. Once you insert the filter, close the metal grill and reattach it.

Your air conditioner is no different than your car, which runs best on clean oil. Your AC unit runs best when it has a clean filter. Changing your air conditioning filter is the easiest thing to do to keep your cooling system running clean and efficiently and it will reduce maintenance costs and extend the life of your system!

It’s true. Boxers, pit bulls and bulldogs are considered more aggressive than other dogs and, consequently, could cost you a little more to insure. Sometimes, communities even pass laws prohibiting residents from owning them.

But we understand that people love their pooches. So here are some tips, courtesy of the  American Kennel Club, for keeping your insurance premiums as low as possible.

Know the rules in your area – Some cities outlaw “bully” breeds within their borders. If that is the case, there isn’t much your agent can do for you. Make sure you live in an area that allows your family pet.

Prove “good citizenship” – Documenting your canine’s good behavior can go a long way to lowering your premium. If you can show proof of a behavioral class, such as the American Kennel Club’s Good Citizen program, there may be opportunities to lower your rate.

Consider adding a separate policy – You may be able to pay a normal homeowner’s premium, then add supplemental liability insurance for your pet. That insurance would cover things like dog bites. The situation isn’t ideal, but it may be less expensive that one policy that covers every aspect of your home.

Still have questions about how “bully” breeds can impact your premium? Feel free to give us a holler. We’ll help you understand your options!

Bodily Injury Liability. This coverage applies to injuries the policyholder (or someone driving the policyholder’s vehicle) causes to someone else. This coverage is extremely important if you find yourself involved in an accident that involves hospitalizations or significant injuries. An injury-related lawsuit would be financially crippling without it. 

Personal Injury Protection. This coverage will provide medical care for the driver, and any passengers, who are in the policyholder’s car at the time of an accident.

Property Damage Liability. This coverage pays for any damage that you, or someone driving your car with permission, causes to someone else’s vehicle or property. This deals with property, not injury.

Collision. This coverage pays for damage to your car. In the event of an accident, collision coverage will pay for the cost of repairing your vehicle, minus the amount of your deductible. Typically, deductibles fall in the $250 to $1,000 range.

Comprehensive. This part of your policy is designed to protect you if your vehicle is stolen or damaged by something other than a collision. This might include a fire, a flood, a windstorm, an earthquake or other natural disasters. It might also include vandalism or falling objects. As with collision, this coverage is subject to a deductible.

Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage. This coverage comes into play if you are hit by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver.

Want to learn more? Go here to find out more about the protections your auto insurance policy provides.

Goals are a great thing. Aspiring to better ourselves, our relationships, or our homes is the first step towards actually making those improvements.

But all-too-often, our goals are simply too lofty. Making a goal without a plan is a recipe for failure.

Often the best goals are specific and can be accomplished swiftly. So, instead of setting a goal to “have a clean house,” a goal to “put things away when done using them” is more achievable.

Instead of making a goal like “take care of my family and home” — a worthwhile goal, but one so vague that it offers no real guidance — you should probably make more specific and narrow goals.

Allow us to suggest one: “Get flood insurance.”

Homeowner insurance almost never covers flood damage. But an alarmingly-large number of people still do not purchase flood insurance coverage.

If you do not have flood insurance for your home or business, we cannot stress enough how important it is.

Make flood insurance your resolution for 2013. It will protect your assets and those you care about from the catastrophic loss that can be associated with a flood. And it can take as little as a few minutes to purchase flood insurance. In fact, if you’re reading this and you don’t have flood insurance, maybe you should just do it right now. Just click here to get started.

Looking to cut your insurance premiums down to size? Proceed with caution, as the effort to save a little money may turn into a very expensive proposition. Think twice before you decide to pinch pennies in these four coverage areas:

1. Liability coverage. Today’s society is litigious. Even if you drive a relic on wheels, and justified dropping your collision or comprehensive coverage to reduce your premium costs, think carefully before you scale back on liability coverage. Depending on your assets, you may want to increase your coverage, or purchase additional liability coverage in the form of an umbrella policy. Your agent can help you determine how much liability coverage would best protect both you and your family.
2. Flood coverage. Many homeowners are at higher risk for flooding after last summer’s fires scorched many parts of the U.S., burning millions of acres. Yet, even if you don’t live on a flood plain, flood insurance is something you should still consider, since one-quarter of all flood losses occur in low risk areas. Flood damage may not be covered under standard homeowner’s insurance policies, and there’s a dearth of government programs to help homeowners deal with costly flood damage. Without flood insurance, you’re often on your own.
3. Renter’s insurance. Many renters don’t carry renter’s insurance, which leaves them vulnerable in the event their belongings are damaged or stolen. These folks often don’t consider that renter’s insurance also provides liability coverage in the event someone suffers an injury while in your residence, or your pet causes an injury to another person. This coverage doesn’t cost a lot, but can save you a bundle, if Fido decides to lunge for your neighbor.
4. Long-term care insurance. Think carefully before canceling your long-term care coverage. It’s hard to get a handle on just how expensive a long-term disability can be. So, talk to your insurance agent about potential steps you can take to preserve coverage, if you’re feeling the need to pinch pennies. For example, one way to make premiums more affordable is to reduce the benefit period of your policy. Don’t cancel your policy without first checking into the cost of replacement coverage. You are likely to find that the premiums on a new policy will cost far more than they did on your old one.

Why? Some homes cost significantly more to insure than others, which can drive up your monthly house payment. In other cases, there may be needed repairs before you get can get coverage. That’s something you don’t want to find out a day or two before you’re scheduled to close. Here are some types of properties that can be costly to insure:

Distressed homes. Bank-owned properties can be great deals. But they also can have a number of issues, such as peeling paint, a roof that needs to be replaced or a crumbling patio. These would all have to be addressed before the property would qualify for homeowner’s insurance coverage.

Older homes. Older heating, cooling and wiring systems or anything that doesn’t meet construction code could be a concern.

Homes with safety issues. Some homes have safety concerns, such as stairs and steps without handrails or a lack of fencing around swimming pools.

A quick call to your insurance agent when you find a home you’re thinking of buying is a good first step. Happy house hunting!

So what do you do? Call the police? Then what?

With hundreds of crashes happening every hour in the United States, causing an estimated 1.5 million injuries and $230 billion in damage, it’s important to know what to do if you find yourself in a fender bender, or worse, on the nation’s roads.

Knowing whose insurance company to call, for example, could save you from having to pay a deductible. Or knowing that police want you to drive to the nearest exit after knocking bumpers on the freeway might avoid putting an officer at risk when responding to the crash.

So here are some pointers to help you cope with a collision.

Did you know?

• A car crash happened once every six seconds in 2009, amounting to 5.5 million collisions by year’s end. Most of those accidents caused only damage. But 1.5 million people were hurt and 30,797 died.
• Car accidents are costly. The annual price tag for collisions runs about $230.6 billion.
• The nation’s worst city for car crashes is Baltimore, Md., where the average driver is involved in a collision once every 5.3 years, according to a recent analysis. That’s nearly twice the national average of 10 years. Drivers are least likely to crash in Fort Collins, Colo., where motorists typically go 14 years between crashes.

What to do if you’re in a crash:

1. Take a deep breath and then check for injuries. If you suspect that you or anyone else involved in the crash are hurt, call an ambulance. Otherwise, turn on your hazard lights and notify police about the accident.
2. If your vehicle is in a dangerous position where it might cause a traffic hazard, move it to a safe location. This may include a parking lot or a highway off-ramp. On a freeway, officers encourage drivers involved in minor collisions to take the nearest exit to avoid putting themselves and officers at risk. However, if you can’t move your vehicle, get your hazard lights flashing. Road flares also are effective.
3. While you are waiting for police to arrive, get your driver’s license and proof of insurance ready.
4. Jot down some preliminary information about the other driver. Although police likely will provide much of this information for you, it would be wise to get the other driver’s name and phone number, for instance. Include the name of his or her insurance company with a policy number and information about how to contact the company. Note the driver’s license plate number, plus the vehicle’s make, model and year.
5. Avoid discussing details about the crash with the other driver. Steer clear of any conversation that may imply fault in the crash.
6. Take immediate notes about the crash. Draw a diagram, if necessary, to help you reconstruct the accident scene when police ask for your side of the story.
7. Once the police officer determines fault in the crash, he or she will write a police report. Make sure to get the accident claim number. This will be a must-have number in the weeks to come as you are trying to repair the damage.
8. Now comes the call to the insurance company. If you caused the crash, call your insurance company. If not, call the other driver’s company to avoid paying a deductible. Whichever insurance company you call, expect more questions about the crash. The company also will ask you questions about what you want done with the vehicle. Don’t be afraid to suggest a particular body shop or mechanic to do the work.
9. An insurance adjuster will come look at your vehicle shortly after the collision to assess the damage. Remember, it’s still your vehicle. You have the right to have the job completed to your liking. If the insurance company proposes a fix you don’t approve of, you have the right to say no and have it done to your standard.
10. At last, you can return to the road. It may feel a little awkward driving after a collision, but you’ll work back into it, slowly.

Source: Autotrader

Just for fun:

It’s not the one where the pots simmer on the stove. Or where knives are part of the countertop decor. Or where toasters stand lazily over sinks of soapy dishes.

Nope. Kitchens are not the most dangerous place for you and your family, bathrooms are. Bathrooms generate more injuries than anywhere else.

According to a write-up in the The New York Times, a whopping 235,000 people visit emergency rooms every year because of bumps, bruises, and breaks they suffered in the bathroom. Most of those injuries – about 81 percent – had something to do with a fall.

A huge number of those falls happened in the tub. About a quarter happened near the toilet. Here are some other interesting facts we found:

• Almost a third of the injuries – 31 percent – involved a victim’s head. Scary.
• Most of the victims were women. The Times found that 64 percent of the people who visited ERs because of bathroom injuries were female.
• More falls happen while people are getting out of the tub than while they are getting in.
• Bathroom injuries generally increase with age, but they peak once a person hits 85.