Home insurance is an insurance policy that provides financial protection for your home against a peril or lawsuit. In the insurance lingo, the peril is defined as an explicit threat or grounds of loss of covered property that may be caused by windstorm, smoke, hail, fire damage, or theft. 

Your home might be the biggest investment in your lifetime; hence you couldn’t just afford not to secure it. With the current natural disasters randomly happening in different countries plus the high risk of getting household damage, losing your home could be as easy as 1-2-3. However, when your home is covered, you are protected from any financial or property loss should something happens to your home. 

The Significance of Home Insurance in Today’s Economy

The economic recession did not only result in massive streamlining in various industries but also losing homes. Since many people are no longer able to pay their mortgage, even regular maintenance, many ended losing their homes. With the continuing downturn in the global economy, getting your valuables and big investments, like home and vehicles, insured is the wisest decision to make. That being said, a home insurance policy can be expensive, too.

Types of Home Insurance Coverage

The insurance policy is not standard for every home. You pay for certain coverage and that determines the amount of your insurance policy. The best way to get the most appropriate coverage for your home is to compare quotes. Do not settle yet with the first insurance company you find. 
Insurance companies vary in their approaches and business tactics. But, what would be the normal home insurance coverage that you would get? There are multiple home insurance coverages that can be included in the policy. For example:
coverage for house damage, which pays the amount of the policy; 
coverage for structural damages, which includes fencing, work shed, garage, etc; 
coverage for personal property including household stuff (i.e. clothes, jewelry, appliances, etc.); 
coverage for additional living expenses that pay for the homeowner’s expenses in the unlikely event of extreme household damage – until the normal living standard is restored; 
coverage for comprehensive personal liability that protects the insurer from any claim arising from accidents on owned properties or rented ones; and 
coverage for medical expenses, should there be an accident that will result to the injury of other people within your premises or outside, that you, your family and pet may cause.

Other Important Additional Coverage
Some of the most common home insurance coverage includes:
replacement costs for an additional premium; 
flood insurance; 
earthquake insurance; and 
fire insurance.
Since it can be expensive having a home insurance policy in, disaster-proofing your home will help you save money as you don’t have to pay for every coverage you think are necessary. You can add shatterproof glass or storm windows to your home. You may also renovate your old plumbing, heating, and electric system at home. Finally, if you raise your deductible to at least $500, your payment for premium is lowered.

This Blog was brought to you by Falcon Insurance Services in San Antonio and South Texas

RV INSURANCE: A QUICK PRIMER

A few quick words about insurance … when you buy the insurance you buy it from ‘agents’ and ‘brokers’, these monikers refer to two different business models for the sale of insurance products.

Both agents and brokers are commonly referred to as ‘producers’ and what do they produce? Policies, insurance policies.

The well-known national brands as detailed below operate by selling their brand of insurance products and they use ‘agents’ to sell those products and lines of insurance. Their agents only sell their brand and their product.

The next category of availability for insurance products is what is called an ‘intermediary’. The intermediary is an ‘independent agent’, and the terminology for them is also an ‘insurance broker’. They are not limited to a specific brand, line, or insurance product provider.

The ‘independent insurance agent or broker’ offers the same comparable insurance products, however, they are sourced from different insurance carriers, underwriters, and/or warehouse lines or providers of insurance products.

RV INSURANCE: NATIONAL BRANDS
National Brands are those very well-known names we see advertised constantly on the television, like the ones you see below. Competition is fierce and the commercials are humorous! The list below is a sampling of some of the well-known national brands.

Allstate / http://www.allstate.com/motor-home-insurance.aspx
Farmers / http://www.farmersrvinsurance.com/
Geico / https://www.geico.com/getaquote/rv/
State Farm / https://www.statefarm.com/
The Hartford / http://www.thehartford.com/aarp/recreational-vehicles/
Nationwide / http://www.nationwide.com/rv-insurance.jsp
Progressive / http://www.progressive.com/rv/
RV INSURANCE: RV INDUSTRY BRANDS
Good Sam / http://www.goodsamrvinsurance.com/
RV America / http://rvainsurance.com/
RV INSURANCE: INDEPENDENT AGENCIES/BROKERS

There are thousands and thousands of independent agencies and brokers to choose from. The bottom line is the coverage provided and the ‘rating’ of the insurance carrier, this is what matters with regard to any insurance product you buy.

The independent agent or broker can offer insurance products from A-rated insurance carriers. Ask them about it, they would be happy to explain this concept in more detail.

The more you know and understand about the quality and ratings of the insurance products your independent agent is offering, the better you feel about the protection and security your insurance policy is affording you because after all, we are buying peace of mind and security, even if the insurance policy is generally mandatory, insurance has always been about peace of mind, and the big bad ‘what if’.

In a way, ‘set it and forget’ applies to insurance just as much as your rotisserie oven … if you set the right coverages in place, then you can cross ‘worry’ off the list. You’ll be glad opted for those coverages if the big bad ‘what if’ does happen.

Your local agency may be able to provide you with RV Insurance, call them to inquire. What is truly important about whatever insurance policy you buy, notwithstanding who you buy it from, is, … the coverage and the rating of the carrier.

If you love your local agent, then work with them, just use the checklist below. It’s the notorious tagline from Sym’s a discount clothing retailer in the USA … “An educated consumer is our best customer” that tells the tale.

An educated RV insurance consumer understands that the coverage and benefits along with the rating of the carrier are what matters when purchasing an RV insurance policy, the next items in contention are customer service, professionalism, speedy claims service, and processing.

All of these things are a matter of trust and reputation, and third party reviews and testimonials certainly help a brand, agency, or broker earn and keep his or her clientele.

RV INSURANCE: WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN YOUR RV INSURANCE POLICY
Below you’ll find a quick list of coverages, features, and benefits to consider when purchasing RV insurance.

You will want to be aware of each of these categories/features/benefits/options when purchasing an RV Insurance policy, no matter who the agent, broker, intermediary, or underwriter is, … coverage is coverage.

If it’s not specified in the policy, it’s not covered.

It’s your decision about whether you want each and every one of these specific coverages and benefits or not, each one has a cost associated with it, and you need to decide if the cost is worth the coverage and/or the benefits you will receive if you ever have to make a claim.

If you want, and like the idea of ‘full coverage’ and the peace of mind it provides, then be sure your policy provides for each one of these categories of coverage and benefits.

If your agent or broker cannot offer an insurance product with these coverages, keep looking, a policy with these options does exist.

List of Coverages & Benefits to check for and compare in your proposed RV insurance policy:

Theft, Fire, Flood, Coverage?
Collision Coverage?
Liability Coverage?
Total Loss Replacement?
Personal Items Replacement?
Accessories Coverage?
Coverage for Full-time RV Users?
Emergency Expense Allowance?
Roadside Assistance?

It’s a good idea to know you have collision coverage before a major accident occurs, the same goes for theft, fire, flood, and liability, which means when you are at fault for any number of reasons, the insurance policy has you covered.

This Blog was posted by Coastal Breeze RV Resort in Rockport Texas

Alternative Revenue Sources to Workers’ Compensation, And Your Options Against Non Subscribers

Once you get past workers’ comp, there two primary avenues to recover injury damages, one of them is an exception to the worker’s comp civil suit restriction, which we’ve already mentioned. It involves employer gross negligence which leads to a fatal worker accident, either immediately or over time. So if you have a loved one who died as a result of an oil drilling accident, even if you don’t suspect gross negligence by anyone, you need to talk to an experienced lawyer. For if it turns out the accident was caused by employer gross negligence, then you, as an immediate family survivor, stand a very good chance of winning a civil wrongful death lawsuit, even if it’s against a workers’ comp subscriber.

But the more practical approach to non-subscriber liability for injuries you suffered on the rig – be it on land or offshore – is through a third-party claim or lawsuit. This is the thing your terrified, best-buddy boss was trying to avoid when he visited you in the hospital a few paragraphs back.

If his rig or drilling equipment was not maintained properly, or he didn’t provide safe working conditions, or if one of his helicopters ditched 50 miles offshore and you floated in the water, injured for hours, then he could be held accountable. If a faulty piece of machinery caused the injury, then the manufacturer may be held accountable through a defective product lawsuit. If a drilling contractor working for the rig owner, or another employee negligently caused your injury, they could be held accountable, as well as your employer, maybe. The same thing can be said for the corporation that hired anyone to oversee the drilling rig or offshore platform.

In all such events, you can sue the non-subscribing responsible party or parties, even if you can’t sue your direct employer who subscribes to workers’ comp. But here’s some good news. Third-party lawsuits do not prohibit you from filing a workers’ comp claim against your employer in addition. Often, a “no-fault” workers’ comp claim coupled with a third-party lawsuit against another clearly liable party often combines to deliver the necessary fair compensation.

But in order to reach this “endgame,” you need the deft hand of an experienced San Antonio drilling accident attorney to thoroughly investigate the accident scene and determine roles everyone played in your drilling rig or pipeline accident, and then construct the best strategy to get you the appropriate compensation for your injuries, pain, and suffering for your drilling rig-related injury case.

It’s not hard to understand why many pipeline and drilling companies along with their independent “wildcatter” brethren don’t subscribe to workers’ comp, even if it’s better than the alternative of not having it when it’s needed. They’re mostly too cheap to buy it because they try to cut corners whenever possible. Workers’ comp insurance, though it costs less than traditional oil and gas production insurance, is still not economical for some. But that’s because of the fundamental dangers of the petroleum drilling industry itself. And since a lot of the independents live from hand-to-mouth, insurance is a luxury they can rarely afford. Oh sure, they have money. But you can bet that, with a lot of them, none of it is tied up in insurance policies.

Once injured, the victim, or plaintiff, must file a claim against the non-subscribing employer, or third-party defendant, notifying him or her of the injury and the fair restitution the victim expects. If you work for a defendant who has insurance, they usually hand the matter over to them. Most of the time, the insurer will quickly dispute your plaintiff allegations. But if you have a good attorney, and your case has immediate and apparent strength, it’s possible that negotiations will deliver a fair settlement to pay your bills paid and all of your reasonable damages. But, just as often as not, drilling rig injury cases are contested. Then you and San Antonio drilling accident attorney must file a lawsuit to win fair compensation. And as the injured party you, the plaintiff, holds the burden of proving that the defendant’s negligence caused your injuries and upended your, and your family’s lives.

This blog was posted by Ford and Laurel Attorneys Laredo, Texas