Living in Michigan for my entire life has taught me one thing I can be sure of…

The weather is totally unpredictable and you need to be prepared for anything that comes your way. (ie. Car won’t start, flat tire, ending up in a ditch, yes all 3 have happened to me, leaving me stranded for hours and in the case in 1997, 8 hours on the 401 highway in Canada until I was picked up by a bread truck which is a story for another time and over your favorite cocktail!)

Now your wondering….ok, so what does Brian Hannigan keep in his Car during the winter season to protect himself and valuable passengers?  Here is the list of items in my emergency car kit:

- Boots

- Gloves

- Ski Scarf

- Knit Hat

- Blanket

- Cell Phone Charger

- Package of Granola Bars

- Case of Bottled Water

- Ice Scraper & Shovel

- Jumper Cables

- Flashlight

I have this RateElert insurance Emergency kit in my car at all times during the winter driving season and you should too, like I said , I already had to use some of the items this year.

Drive Safe and feel free to add to this list if I missed anything and forward this to all your friends and family…it could safe their life someday.

Just a quick post gang! As you can imagine things have been a little hectic here in RateElert land. For 7 months in, what a ride it has been! We’ve got a healthy and vibrant community that has emerged in very short order. We’ve received a tremendous amount of feedback from all of you. We’ve put a forum up to increase transparency and give you insight into what other users are asking about and getting answers for. And you’re even answering each other’s questions, which is great. We’ve fixed bugs and tightened up our product with a new release. And we’ve got another one that should be on its way in short order! (more details to follow soon).

First of all, THANK YOU. Without all of you being so enthusiastic and engaged in helping us build RateElert, we wouldn’t have had nearly as strong a start!

Second of all, we know that how far we have come is meaningless unless we pay much more attention to where we are going. We are thinking and working around the clock (literally) about how to get RateElert where we all want it to go as quickly as possible. Rather than hurry features out the door, we really want to think carefully through each addition and do it right.

But we want to think it through and do it right as fast as possible.

We will keep the lines of communication open. Please keep all of your great feedback and suggestions coming. And keep the technical issues coming too, if we don’t know about them, we are less likely to find and fix them, so make sure we know if something doesn’t work how it should!

Finally, we were nominated today as a ‘KillerStartup’ at KillerStartups.com. If you get chance, you should vote for us at the link below!

http://www.killerstartups.com/Search/rateelert-com-find-the-best-insurance-for-you

Together, we can build RateElert into everything we know it can be! Thanks for a fun ride so far.

Brian

If you belong to a credit union, you may be able to save big bucks off your car insurance.  Be sure to ask your credit union if they endorse any group auto and home insurance carriers. These companies will sometimes offer you saving because you are part of a group of similar risks.  For example, if you belong to the University of Michigan Credit Union you save 10% off your car insurance because history has shown U of M students are safe drivers. At lease thats what the actuaries at the insurance companies say.  Who knows if that is true but take the discount if they are offering it.  Car Insurance continue to rise and will do so over the next 5 years as the economy continues to affect rising litigation claims as more and more people are making auto insurance claims for every little thing vs. paying out of their pocket.    If your rates do go up, the first thing you should do is check with your credit union so you can see if your eligible for a Group Rate as being a member sometimes pays.

Florida’s Home Insurance Public Option Displaced Private Insurance

Every year millions of Americans  go to their  garage and pull out all their Halloween Crafts, decorations, etc.  We then go to the store and stock up on candy to pass out to all those little ones dressed up as Vampires, Cinderella, Hanah Montana, etc.  However, passing out candy could put you at risk of being sued.  Therefore, we need to have the proper home insurance.   The risks of being sued by a “trick or treater” have increased over the years as our society has become one of, well, I would “Sue em” attitude.  Some common risks of being sued can be you being passing out candy to a lttle one and they choke on it and need to go to the emergency room.  The doctors, will want to know who gave them the candy.  You need to have the proper home insurance for liability coverage in case you are proven to be at fault.  Also, if trick or treaters are walking up to your house you need to make sure they have a clear path to your door.  If they slip and fall on your property, you could be liable.  In cold weather states, you will want to shovel any snow that may have fallen.  Michigan home insurance customers need to make sure their company will cover them if the trick or treaters sue them for neligence.   If your home is like our house on Halloween, then you will be serving alcohal.   Make you any guests does not drink and drive because you will be sued for serving them if they get into a car accident and hurt another driver. Make sure you have at least $300,000 in laiblility protection on your home insurance.  The most common reason for someone falling on your property during Halloween is triping on their own costume.  In states like Texas where a popular costume is that of a cowboy, most lil’ ones do not know how to walk in those Garth Brooks Cowboy boots and can cause serious injury when they are running up to your door for their free M & M’s.  Make sure your Texas home insurance policy has coverage for this.  Yee Ha!

The issue of not allowing insurance companies to base their rates on a consumers credit score is pretty much died down.  Statistics prove that people with bad credit scores are in fact more likely to submit a claim on their car insurance.  The fact is as much as the politicians say how much they are helping Michigan residents drive down the cost of auto insurance, from what we seen it has been a complete failure and another example of wastful goverment spending.  Check this out, The Governor of Michigan best idea to help drive down the cost of michigan auto insurance has been to appoint an “insurance advocate” to monitor the insurance companies to determine if rates are to high for michigan auto insurance.  Yes, that is a real job title and it gets better. His starting salary is $120,000.  And no that is not pesos that is real US Currency my friend.   So far this insurance advocate has done nothing. In fact michigan auto insurance is expected to rise again by 2.5%.  Nice job Governor!

With home foreclosures rising throughout the country and in my opinion will continue to go up until the market hits rock bottom in 2014 are eroding home insurance companies profits at an all time pace.

Home Insurance Companies are getting very nervous as they are watching their premiums drop in half as people lose their homes and letting their home insurance drop.   The other major problem they are now faced with is the addditional exposure they have when the home is vacant.  A vacant home is a prime target for theives to break in and strip a home, not to mention the increase exposure for arson.  Michigan Home Insurance companies have experienced more “grounders” (total fire losses) over the last year than any other time this century.   The news is not good for homeowners as home insurance companies will now be faced with improving their bottom line to remain solvent and the fastest way to do this is to increase rates.   Let’s just hope the Obama Administration does not get involved or we could be looking at them passing out more of our tax dollars as they see fit.

If you had to choose your Car Insurance Agent in the next 7 minutes, would you know what to look for? 

Some people think it really doesn’t matter where they buy their texas auto insurance. However, this misconception could be costing them money, service, and protection. Buying insurance isn’t like buying bread or milk. Car Insurance is an important safety net for your family, your home, your car or your business. DO NOT treat the purchase lightly!

• Pick a licensed professional with strong customer and community ties vs. some unlicensed out of state call center rep
• Look for an independent agency that gives you excellent service and competitive prices because they can access insurance coverage from more than one company.

       Unlike other agents, they are not beholden to any one company; thus, you don’t need to change agencies as your insurance and service needs change.

• An agent that can assist you when you have a claim.
• An agent that can act as your consultant, working with you as we determine your needs.
• An agent that can offer you a choice of insurance plans and programs.
• An agent that are  value hunters who look after your pocketbook in finding the best combination of price, coverage, and service.
• An agent that can offer one-stop shopping for a full range of products–auto, home, renters, condo, boat, life, and health.
• An agent that can periodically review your coverage to keep up with your changing insurance needs.
• An agent that treats you like a person, not just another number

For an easy way to find a reliable california auto insurance agent or an agent in  your area, visit RateElert today.

Ah, yor teenager finally turned 16 and passed drivers traing and you are thankful you dont have to drop them off and pick them up anymore from school and the mall!

However, that glorious feeling is quickly disipated when you get your michigan auto insurance bill from your insurance company and WOW-We….are you kiddding me?   This can’t be right.   How can these companies charge so much for my little princess, heck she is a safe driver. She even learned from the best….yours truly.

Well, to help you off set your skyrocketed insurance premiums, RateElert, has coming up with the following tips to save on Michigan Car Insurance for that special teenage driver in your life:

Alcohol & drug use
Driving under the influence can be a major problem for young drivers. Even small amounts of alcohol or drugs will affect driving ability, which can be deadly for anyone, let alone a young, inexperienced driver. Most states have strict laws governing underage drinking. Let your teen know that he or she could injure or kill someone when driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Also, a DUI on your teen’s driving record could make his or her auto insurance unaffordable.

Emphasize that your young driver should feel free to call you anytime he/she feels unable to drive, or whenever he/she is with another driver who’s unable to drive.

Inexperience and risk-taking—a deadly combination
With less driving experience, young drivers are less able to detect and respond to hazards, control a vehicle, and manage speed accordingly. They’re also more likely to take risks (driving too fast, cutting lanes, etc.) than more experienced drivers, especially when there are friends in the car. Generally, auto insurance premiums are higher for this age group because of their lack of driving experience and risk-taking attitude.

Help your teen be a safer driver by setting a good example with your driving habits and making sure he or she gets plenty of supervised driving practice. Also, when your teen’s a newly licensed driver, limit the number of friends (if any at all) that can be in the car when they drive.

Lack of seat belt use
Young drivers only use seat belts about 75% of the time. Without restraints, the risk of injury to a young driver involved in a severe crash more than triples. Make sure your teen always buckles up to avoid injury. (An added bonus of buckling up every time is that your teen will avoid getting tickets that will increase his or her auto insurance premium.)

Night driving
Since young drivers tend to drive more at night than during the day, they’re more prone to fatigue. Driving and fatigue NEVER mix. Due to decreased visibility at night, it’s also tougher for any driver to stay safe when it’s dark. When teens first start driving, it’s a good idea to place limits on late-night driving. By doing this, you may save your teen from an accident and an auto insurance claim.

Go Shopping

The best way to save is to get multiple quotes from at least 3 auto insurance companies.  Call around and ask your friends who they go through or for a fast way to compare rates go online and let your mouse do the shopping for you to find the best deals on car insurance for teenagers.

Do you have your current Florida auto insurance and Florida home insurance with the same insurance company?

If not, it could be costing you hundreds of dollars in insurance savings a year!

As a homeowner you qualify for a 15% multi-policy discount for insuring  both your Cars and Home with the same insurance company.

Another benefit to having both your Car insurance and

Home insurance with one agent is the added convenience of having one call to your agency that handles all your insurance vs. having to keep track of multiple agent/companies for different policies.

Also, when you combine your auto and home insurance with the same insurance company you may be subject to only one deductible in the event your claim involves both your car and home insurance. (ie. Tree falling on your car parked in the driveway). If the policies are with 2 separate companies, you might have to pay out 2 different deductibles to two different insurance companies, ouch!