Don’t Forget About These 5 Insurance Policies During Your Spring Cleaning!

After a long and bitter winter spring has finally begun to appear in central Pennsylvania; and with the change in season comes that annual tradition of spring-cleaning, a time when we clean our homes and try to catch up on the things we lapsed on during the winter months. This year, though, instead of just cleaning your home, we recommend taking some time to clean up your insurance policies, too.

We know that the last thing you want to think about is insurance, but consider this: ignoring your insurance needs now could quickly become a major issue later thanks to the problems that arise during the changing seasons. So as the spring season begins knocking on our doors we recommend reviewing five extremely important insurance policies this month:

1. Auto InsuranceWe’ve talked before about the importance of having car insurance that goes above and beyond basic legal requirements; with spring in air, going beyond those minimum requirements is more important than ever. With spring comes potholes, and with potholes come potentially expensive repairs. Fortunately pothole damage is typically covered by collision coverage – but if your policy doesn’t include this, springtime may have a very unpleasant welcoming gift waiting on the roads for you.

2. Flood Insurance: The state of Pennsylvania deals with its fair share of rain and snowfall – many areas experience over 50 inches of precipitation each year. Combine this precipitation with Pittsburgh’s geography – hills, mountains, and rivers and creeks abound – and you have the potential for flooding. Even residents in low risk areas are encouraged to prepare for potential flooding; however, a standard home insurance policy does not cover spring flooding damages. Fortunately there are plenty of affordable flood insurance policies out there – so if you haven’t invested in this insurance yet, now is the ideal time to do so.

3. Homeowners Insurance: That winter weather doesn’t just take its toll on the local roads – it can also cause major damage to your driveway. Unfortunately, winter weather cracks usually aren’t covered under a basic homeowners policy. So if your driveway is getting older or is prone to cracking, now is an ideal time to talk to an insurance agent about how to cover the costs of a potential repair in the near future. This is also a good time to make sure that your homeowners policy will cover any likely possible damages, such as those caused by weather – remember, spring storms are often unkind to your home’s roof and sidings!

4. Health Insurance: Health insurance can be tricky to navigate any year; with market changes due to the Affordable Care Act officially in place, it’s more important than ever that individuals take the time to look into their health insurance coverage and options. While open enrollment under the ACA is currently closed, individuals can still get 2014 coverage under the ACA in select situations; you can also see if any plans could offer you great coverage for a smaller cost down the line.

5. Life Insurance: While thinking about life insurance can be unpleasant, a lot can change in a year, which makes checking in on your policy on a regular basis incredibly important. Are your beneficiaries up to date? Is the amount in and cost of your policy appropriate for your needs? Only you can answer those questions – and only by reviewing your policy can you be sure that it currently matches and covers your final wishes.

These five insurance policies deserve your full attention during your spring cleaning sessions. But important as reviewing these insurance policies is, we know that thinking about insurance can become frustrating and confusing. That’s why we’re offering to help you evaluate your current insurance policies this spring.

You can make sure that you’re ready for 2014 by contacting us today and setting up your appointment. Everyone on our staff at the Fisher Widmann Flick Insurance Agency is a specially trained insurance expert who can make your  insurance policies cover exactly what they need to cover, all at a reasonable cost. So go ahead and get in touch, central Pennsylvanians – this is one part of your spring cleaning errands that we can definitely handle!

Drive Into Spring With Comprehensive Motorcycle Insurance Today

After such a long and brutal winter, central Pennsylvania can finally begin to enjoy its favorite spring and summer activities. And for Pennsylvanians living near Johnstown, PA., few events are as anticipated as Thunder in the Valley.

Come the fourth weekend in June, Johnstown’s annual Thunder in the Valley motorcycle rally fills the downtown area as the community welcomes over 200,000 visiting bikers from far and wide to the largest rally in Pennsylvania. It’s not just for motorcycle enthusiasts, either: each year this event features a wide variety of events and activities, ensuring that everyone involved enjoys the event.

Our own staff can’t wait for Thunder in the Valley; the event offers us a great opportunity to explore a range of local and specialized products and gifts, features lots of live music, and just creates a lovely welcoming atmosphere that makes us proud to be a part of Johnstown.

But before getting into the celebratory spirit, we wanted to remind everyone that there’s something all motorcycle owners should check in advance of attending: their insurance.

Too many motorcyclists hit the road with either no or too little insurance; both of these scenarios have negative consequences for biker riders:

-Not only is not having insurance dangerous: it’s illegal. Just like with automobile insurance, not having motorcycle insurance leads to at least a fine, or even jail time.

-Bikers who do have insurance run the risk of having too little insurance. Just like with automobiles, the cheapest insurance plans are not the ideal insurance plans, as they aim to offer enough coverage to protect anyone hurt by the insurance holder, without leaving every much coverage for the insurance holder themselves.

Since there’s plenty of plans out there that offer comprehensive coverage without breaking the bank, driving a motorcycle without proper coverage is an unnecessary risk. With Thunder in the Valley coming up, now is the perfect time to finally purchase motorcycle insurance – or to update your existing policy to ensure that it covers:

1. Liability (to cover any costs of injuries to others either riding on or struck by your bike, as well property damage costs)

2. Comprehensive (to cover any damages caused by weather, by animal strikes, and by theft)

3. Personal Items (to cover any accessories or safety apparel that may be damaged or stolen)

4. Medical (to cover any potential medical, ambulance, or physical therapy costs in the event of an accident)

Not sure where to get started or how to evaluate your current insurance policy? Our staff at the Fisher Widmann Flick Insurance Agency can help! Our team features specially trained insurance experts, all of them ready to help Pennsylvania bike owners evaluate their policy options to ensure that their motorcycle insurance is just what they need.

Having a motorcycle can be one of the most exhilarating things in life. Practicing safe driving, and having a comprehensive insurance plan, will help ensure that you’re able to continue enjoying riding on your bike for many years to come.

Now Is The Time To Talk About Life Insurance

At the Fisher Widmann Flick Insurance Agency, we understand that talking about insurance is not typically a pleasant experience. This is especially true when it comes to purchasing one of the most important types of insurance of all: life insurance.

Life insurance is designed to offer a source of financial stability to friends or family listed in your policy as beneficiaries upon your passing. Needless to say, talking about what to do in the event of our passing is not an easy task. Discussing life insurance policies can be one of the most difficult things any of us has to do – so difficult, in fact, that many of us would rather talk about any other topic instead of life insurance!

Unpleasant as the idea of passing on may be, discussing and purchasing life insurance is especially critical if you have a family that would be affected by your passing. And since we’re encouraged to insure anything else of value to us, why put off insuring ourselves? This is especially true if you’re healthy and entering a point in your life where life insurance would greatly benefit a family that relies on you; by looking into life insurance while you’re healthy and young, you have ample opportunity to save money on your policy, as well as to do any necessary research that will help you find the perfect policy.

When you do decide to purchase life insurance, your next step is to ensure that you purchase a policy that meets your needs. According to money.usnews.com, “Financial experts often recommend that people take out insurance policies worth at least seven times their annual household income, but specific needs vary.

This, however, is not a requirement, as the worth of your life insurance is ultimately dependent on your needs as an individual. Foxbusiness.com said it best: “How much life insurance do you need? The answer depends on several factors, including your age, the ages of your spouse and children, your income, your mortgage and other debts, college expenses for your children and/or spouse, and the size of the last bill you’ll ever incur: your funeral expenses.”

Of course, like any other type of insurance, life insurance coverage varies from policy to policy, and may need to be changed or replaced depending on your changing needs from year to year. Our staff at the Fisher Widmann Flick Insurance Agency understands this need. That’s why we are all specially trained and ready to help evaluate your policy options to ensure that you obtain an affordable policy that will ensure your loved ones will be supported in the event of your sudden passing. So go ahead and schedule your appointment with us today; our representatives are ready to help you begin the long-term planning process that will result in the best life insurance plan for you.

Why The Polar Vortex Should Have You Thinking About Your Homeowners Insurance

The holiday season may have come and gone, but the weather has remained quite frightful across the country as state after state deals with the residual effects of last week’s Polar Vortex storm. As a direct result of last week’s nationally awful weather, many insurance companies have already seen or expect to see an increase in the number of insurance claims made because of the damages caused by this year’s winter storms.

Last week highlighted that while there are things you can do to prevent major damage to a home in the cold, when extreme weather strikes, even the most prepared of us are at risk for winter weather-related problems in our home; once those accidents or disasters strike, we’ll often find ourselves looking to our insurance plans for help and assistance.

In the case of winter weather, we must rely heavily on policies such as our homeowners insurance, which protects our private property and offers financial assistance when something disastrous happens to said property. A typical homeowners insurance policy will cover damage to a home (and other structures) if the damage was caused by falling trees, wind, or frozen pipes. If heavy snow causes a roof, porch or other structure on the property to collapse, then that damage is often covered as well.

However, as with any insurance policy, depending on what exactly is listed as covered, some damages may not actually be covered by your policy. As highlighted on MSN.com, a few situations that are usually not covered include pipes that have burst as a result of the property owner taking no precautions, seeping water or snow, and damage as a result of backed up storm drains.

So what can a homeowner do to keep these situations from becoming a problem this season? In addition to weatherproofing their home to prevent prevent major damage, as well as taking other winter weather precautions where necessary, homeowners should know exactly what their homeowners policy covers. That’s why the staff at our very own Johnstown-based the Fisher Widmann Flick Insurance Agency (F.W.F Insurance Agency), as well as at our partner Safeco Insurance, are urging you to schedule an appointment now to have your homeowners insurance policy reviewed before another winter storm terrorizes your area.

Work with staff at one of our two companies, and we promise that you’ll leave knowing exactly what is covered in your home and what is not. Plus, if you’re unhappy with your homeowners insurance after speaking with us, we’re happy to work with you to help you find an affordable but still comprehensive insurance plan that won’t leave you out in the cold during this very chilly season.

So whether you’re located in Blaire County, Cambria County, Somerset, Latrobe, or in any other nearby counties, we’re ready to work with you! Contact us now to set up a meeting with one of our local representatives in central Pennsylvania! Our representatives will use their connections to 15 other major insurance companies, like Safeco, to ensure that your homeowners policy is just what you need to protect you from damage caused by severe weather this winter.

Why Even Low-Risk Area Residents Should Consider Flood Insurance

As the state of Pennsylvania prepares for weather forecasts ranging from snow to cloudy to pouring rain, we want to take the time to urge all homeowners to evaluate how protected they would be in the case of a flood.

Each year, flooding is caused by heavy rains, melting snow, inadequate drainage systems, failed protective devices such as levees and dams, and tropical storms and hurricanes. While people living in the areas most likely to experience a flood are legally obligated to purchase flood insurance, lower-risk areas are often left believing that they don’t need flood insurance at all.

The reality, though, is that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends that even houses in low flood risk areas have flood coverage. This is because – as highlighted by stats on FloodSmart – nearly 25% of all flood losses occur in low-to moderate-risk zones.

This means that while some areas are at a higher risk than others, the truth is that in the United States, everyone lives in a potential flood zone – floods and flash floods can happen in all 50 states, in any area, at any time. And they do occur more often than we might realize; statistics from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) reveal that within an average 30-year mortgage timeline, a homeowner has a 9 percent chance of making a claim for fire damage, compared with a 26 percent chance of making a flood damage claim.

But despite the risk of flooding across the nation, and although it only takes one-inch of water to potentially cause thousands of dollars in damages, the majority of homeowner insurance policies don’t cover flood damage at all. This means that for many people living outside of high-risk zones, a single faulty drainage system or heavy downpour could potentially result in massive out-of-pocket expenses.

So this year, as the snow begins to melt and the rain begins to roll in, be prepared: make sure that you’re not left to pay for these potential damages out of pocket should disaster strike. And if flood insurance is a new area for you, then we strongly encourage you to schedule a personal assistance meeting with one of our Fisher Widmann Flick Insurance Agency staff or representatives.

We are all specially trained and ready to help evaluate your policy options to ensure that what you select will keep you on your feet in the event of flooding. Whether you’re in Johnstown or any other area in central Pennsylvania – and whether you need an entirely new policy or to update the one you already have – we’re here to help you. Our representatives in Blaire County, Cambria County, Somerset, Latrobe, or in any other nearby counties are all ready to work with you so that you can go about your day knowing that in the event of the unusual, your insurance will keep you high and dry.