Insurance

It is important to get an insurance policy that adequately covers you and possessions; when you are on your own for the first time it may be difficult to know what coverage you need.  When you are just starting out it is important to look at a few coverage’s. Renters If you are just starting out you most likely will be renting your first place, in that case you need renters insurance. People often think the landlords insurance policy covers everything, however their policy covers the building not your possessions. Renters insurance covers in these situations. Homeowners Homeowners insurance is there to help protect the structure and the belongings of your home, as well as offer liability protection. When purchasing homeowners insurance it is important to get enough to cover the cost to rebuild your home in the event it is totally destroyed. Condominium Owners Like renters insurance; this type of coverage protects primarily your personal property. Many condo associations require you to cover portions of your unit which this covers. Auto It is illegal to drive without auto insurance in most states. The cost of this coverage depends on factors like where you live, your age, car, and driving record.  Some may require purchasing comprehensive coverage in addition to basic liability when leasing or financing a vehicle. Health In most cases, the Affordable Care Act lets young people stay on their parent’s heath insurance until age 26. But if insurance isn’t available through your parents or your employer you should consider purchasing individual health coverage. Life While many young people don’t see the need of purchasing life insurance it can be a wise purchase. This coverage helps protect family members from financial burdens after your death. At a young age life expectancy is high, so you may benefit from lower rates. EMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884

Many people believe that every inquiry affects a credit score however, that is not the case.  Don’t be fooled certain types of inquiries do affect your credit score. To help keep a good score it is important to know what credit inquiries make an impact, and which ones do not. The most often inquiry that will not affect your credit report is a soft inquiry. These inquires have nothing to do with a consumer’s attempt to get credit, and are not harmful to the report at all. Things like credit checks made by potential employers are examples of soft inquiries. A hard inquiry is used if a person is attempting to get a loan, and it does have an effect on a person’s credit report. This information can be seen in the future by a bank, or any other lender. Whenever a person applies for a mortgage, car loan or credit card they are considered hard inquiries, or an attempt at a loan. Problems can arise if a person attempts a large amount of hard inquiries in a short amount of time. Lenders may think that the consumer is trying to obtain as much credit as possible. In order to avoid excessive hard inquiries on your credit report it is a good idea for you to run your own credit report to see where you stand before trying to obtain a credit card or loan. It is also a good idea to wait awhile if you are turned down for a credit card before you attempt again.

With people getting in the kitchen for the holidays it’s important to be careful. According to State Farm more fires resulting from cooking occur on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. Studies show that the main causes of home fires are cooking fires, with November having the highest number of fires related to cooking, followed by December. The states with the most claims for grease, and cooking related fires are California, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, South Carolina, Georgia, Minnesota, and Michigan according to State Farm. With the beginning of the holiday season it’s important to follow a few tips the stay safe cooking. Make sure when frying a turkey to do it outside away from anything flammable. The turkey should be completely thawed and dried before frying. Make sure you never leave the turkey unattended and keep a fire extinguisher close by. Be safe and have a Happy Thanksgiving. EMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884

When you are purchasing a homeowner’s insurance policy it is important to have a complete understanding of how your coverage works. Waiting until you have to make a claim is probably not the best time to try to understand your policy. People who choose to wait until the last minute often find out that their homeowner’s dwelling and other structures coverage are not sufficient.   So here’s a review of the difference between dwelling and other structures coverage.1. Firstly let’s discuss the Dwelling. A dwelling characteristically covers a person’s home, their attached structures, as well as equipment in the house like built in appliances, heating, plumbing, and electrical wiring. Keep in mind that foundation is the major term to remember regarding dwelling. Normally the dwelling portion of the homeowner’s insurance policy coverage extends to things that share the same foundation as the main home. Something else to consider regarding dwelling’s coverage is the replacement value of your home. Market value does not always mirror a home’s replacement cost. This is usually the case with older homes, and brick homes which are often more expensive to rebuild because of the cost of materials. 2. Now let’s take a look at Other Structures. Other structures can be defined as any other structure on the property not sharing the foundation of the dwelling. Things like detached garages, storage sheds, as well as fences, driveways, and sidewalks are all things that can be included in this category. Something that’s key to remember regarding other structures is that it usually only provides 10% of the dwelling coverage. This means if you have your home covered for $150,000 then your other structures coverage would be $15,000. In a case like this it may be a good idea to meet with your agent to get more coverage, as many detached garages are worth more than $15,000. Some things to remember is that any structure rented, used for business, or any additions not reported to your insurance company will not be covered. This makes it very important to keep in contact with your insurance agent.EMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884

Each holiday season more and more Americans are on the road. During the 2009 holiday season 42.2 million people took a trip at least 50 miles away from their home. With many of these travelers renting vehicles it is important to fully understand car rental insurance. Purchasing car rental insurance should not be a snap decision, but should be something that is carefully considered before hitting the road. When renting a car you can be faced with a myriad of choices for insurance. Before choosing any coverage it is wise to call your insurance agent to find out what coverage you already have through your auto policy. Your second call should be to the credit card company you will be using the pay for your rental vehicle. Many credit card companies offer different types of insurance benefits that vary by the company. When renting a car remember there are four important types of coverage. 1. Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) this is sometimes called collision damage waiver. As the name states this is not actually an insurance product, it relieves a renter of financial responsibility if the rental vehicle is stolen or damaged. LDW also may cover towing and administrative fees. Loss damage waivers usually cost $9 to $19 a day. 2. Liability Protection is protection from lawsuits in case you are sued following an accident involving your rental car. By law rental companies have to provide the state required amount of liability insurance, however these amounts are often low, and don’t provide much protection. If you have adequate amounts of liability insurance on your own car you can probably forgo additional liability protection.  Liability protection usually costs between $7 and $14 a day. 3. Personal Accident Insurance covers medical and ambulance bills in the event of an accident. You may not need this coverage if you have adequate health insurance, or have personal injury protection under your own car insurance. 4. Personal Effects Coverage is insurance protection for the theft of personal items in your vehicle. You are usually covered for this if you have renters, or homeowner’s policy that includes off-premises theft coverage. Personal Effects Coverage usually costs between $1 and $4 a day.EMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884

Your insurance score is a number that is calculated based on your credit score and claim history by insurance companies. It’s used to determine the probability that a policyholder will file a claim in the future.Insurance companies use Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE), and the Automated Property Loss Underwriting System (A-PLUS) to research a person’s claim history. Studies show that people with poor credit ratings are more likely to file insurance claims. Many insurance companies believe the higher your credit score is the lower the chance of you filling a claim, thus the higher insurance score. Insurance scores range from 200 to 997, a good score is usually 770 or higher. A poor score is typically anything under 500. The insurance score is important because it is how insurance companies assess the risk of loss with a policy holder. Because of this it is important to be vigilant in maintaining, or improving your credit rating. EMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884

Although this West African beans and rice recipe is very simple, it is packed with flavor. If you can find the West African cayenne, you can make it extra spicy.
West African Beans & Rice Recipe
Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons tomato past 

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil (palm oil 2-3T)

2 cans white beans, 8oz (navy, great northern, black eye peas)

2 cups water or vegetable broth

1 pinch salt 

Cayenne pepper  (to YOUR taste!  

2 -3 cups white rice, cooked

Directions:

In skillet, add Oil, Onion, Garlic. 

Cook on med heat, stirring often. 

When onion is lightly browned, add Tomato Paste.

Stirring constantly until the Paste has separated and is a deep burgundy/brown color.

Be careful not to let burn!

Takes about 10-15 minutes.

Stir in Bean juice

Then, add the beans, salt and 1cup of the water.

Let simmer about 10min.

Stir occasionally.

When mixture begins to thicken, stir in Cayenne Pepper, to taste and continue to simmer til you have a thick, velvety sauce’.

Use remaining water or broth to adjust consistency to your liking.

Serve over White Rice.

Cecil B. WilliamsEMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884Source: Food.com

At Emerge Insurance Agency we’re able to insure a wide variety of your collector vehicles, from original antiques to brand new exotic sports cars, as long as the vehicle is a true collectible. If you drive your vehicle primarily for hobby-participation such as to car shows, club events and occasional leisure rides, you have come to the right place.Here is a message from one of the four major classic/collector carriers we represent:

EMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884

Movie theater patrons were instructed to leave their cell phone ON when entering thee movies.EMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884

Wow!! Most of our renter’s insurance polices are less that $10 a month, and still most apartment dwellers don’t have any coverage.EMERGE INSURANCE AGENCY904-677-5884