Spring Cleaning Your Insurance

When we think about Spring we think about cleaning our home, cleaning out our flower beds, cleaning up our yard, cleaning up our paperwork and hopefully cleaning up our homeowner insurance in Tulsa, OK.
Why would you clean up your insurance? What has changed since last Spring or is about to change? Has a child started driving, moved out, gone away to college, has a new child been born, have you moved from full time to part time work?
I could go on and on…the issue is that if your agent does review your insurance with you at least once a year then you may be misinsured.
You may be misinsured not only on your homeowners insurance but your auto insurance, personal liability (personal umbrella), boat insurance and any other insurance you carry.
Most of us want to buy insurance and then hope it just takes care of itself; it won’t but your insurance agent should.

Blizzard of 2011

Tulsa, Oklahama is breaking weather records set back in 1917!

We have set a snow fall record of 14″ in 24 hours, new low temperature two days in a row (-1 on February 2 and -6 for February 3) and lots of other records!

With the streets still almost impossible to navigate and the temperatures so low and windchill temperatures even lower we all need to be very, very careful and even though cabin fever may be driving you crazy stay in and stay safe…here are a few tips if you must get out.

Here are some tips to protect you, your car, and your home from this winter weather:

1. Drive according to road conditions

2. Protect your vehicle from extreme cold.

3. Keep vehicle fluid levels topped off. Check your vehicle’s oil, radiator fluid, transmission fluid, and windshield washer solvent.

4. Add a bottle of gas line anti-freeze to your gas tank to prevent gas from freezing.

5. Make sure tires are properly inflated.

6. Keep your cell phone with you and keep it charged.

7. Winterize your home.

8. Check chimney or furnace vents, water heater, dryer and washer vents to keep them free from snow and ice.

9. Use caution when removing snow and ice from your roof.

10. Keep heating vents clean and unobstructed.

Pay attention to winter weather advisories, stay warm!

BRRRR It’s cold and icy out!

Tulsa OK got a little ice and about 2″ of snow last night. 

All the schools are closed and the kids are home going out sledding or playing in the winter wonderland.

Be safe by following these rules:

1.) Dress in layers making sure to cover all exposed skin (with a windchill of 0 degrees exposed skin can be damaged very quickly).

2.) Limit time outside to 15 – 20 minutes at a time. (Coming in for Hot Apple Cider or Hot Chocolate is always fun!)

3.) Make sure you have blankets, water and a working flash light in your vehicle before you leave home.

4.) Make sure you have at least a half a tank of gas before setting out to go anywhere (a full tank is best).

5.) Check to see that your auto insurance verification is in your glove box and current (just in case there is an accident).

6.) Take a cellphone with you and let someone know where you are heading and when you plan to return (someone has to know if you are missing).

Stay warm and enjoy this winter wonderland because it won’t be here long!

Texting…are you at risk?

Have you seen this funny video about texting? It’s a great laugh until you start thinking that she drove to the mall and will drive elsewhere…does she text and drive?

Texting while driving is in the news all the time especially the risk of youthful drivers.  The issue is that we as a natin are texting more and more and we need to stop, think about where we are and make sure we are safe and not a danger to other drivers.

Think about it and please be safe!  If you have any questions about this or any insurance matters get in touch with us at Sawyer-Phillips & Associates. Inc.

What are you remembering?

With Thanksgiving only two days away I start thinking about what the holiday is now and what it was when I was a kid. 

We would always go to my grandparent’s house in southern Oklahoma for Thanksgiving.

We usually went down on Wednesday evening arriving in time for a late supper with the family. 

The house would already smell of wonderful pies and cakes already baked ready for the big day.  My grandmother was born and raised in Mississippi so a good old southern feast was in store for us.  Pumpkin pie, Pecan pie, Yellow cake with chocolate icing, Fruit cobbler, Lemon Meringue Pie and more would assault my nose when I walked in and I would be told, “Stay out of the pies until tomorrow” only great fear and respect; not will power kept me out of them.

Thanksgiving morning the house was live with activity turning the dining room AND living room into one large room with a table a mile long!  There were so many relatives at Thanksgiving dinner that we set “The Adult Table” in the main room and the “Kids Table” in the kitchen; I remember one year the crowd was so large that the “Kids Table” was changed into card tables and TV trays in my grandparent’s bedroom to make room for more adults in the kitchen!

Turkey, cornbread stuffing and cream gravy, ham, cream corn casserole, fresh green beans cooked in bacon, sweet potato casserole, cranberry relish, preacher’s salad, relish trays with homemade pickles, okra, olives, homemade rolls, and all those deserts would almost disappear within an hour of setting down to the table.

The part I remember best of all was the entire clan gathering around the main table, joining hands, bowing our heads and saying a prayer of thanks that always included those there, those who could not make it and those no longer with us; as well as thanks for guidance, protection, and love.

So as you approach this great day of food and football; remember to stop and say that prayer of thanks for all we have and for all, all the wonderful memories and all that is to come; I know I will.

Ask the Insurance Expert on KFAQ 1179 at 8:00 am Saturday

Are you covered by your homeowner insurance policy if (fill in the blank) happens?  Do you have any insurance questions that you don’t know who or where to ask about your Oklahoma auto insurance? 

Wes Phillips of Sawyer-Phillips & Associates, the best source for great Tulsa Insurance will be on the Radio to answer your questions.  Wes has been in insurance for 30 plus years and he has a lot of insurance knowledge.  He not only knows about homeowner insurance and auto insurance but he is a wealth of information on commercial insurance in Tulsa, OK.Tune in to KFAQ 1170 Talk Radio on Saturday, November 6^th at 8:00 am to hear what he has to say and call in to ask your own question.

He will be on the show “Around the House” on November 6^th, November 20^th, December 4^th and December 18^th so please mark your calendars for 8:00 am and tune to Talk Radio KFAQ 1170.

Hey, let’s see who can stump him with the hardest question!

No help for Oklahoma!

The White House has turned Oklahoma down for disaster relief assistance after the June 13^th, 2010 floods.

This means that there will be no Federal grants or assistance to help the people of Oklahoma who suffered losses to their homes due to flood waters. 

Only 2% of the property damaged had Flood Insurance; so a lot of Oklahoma homeowners will have to repair their homes with no assistance.  

Oklahoma homeowner insurance does not cover flood.  Most people think that if Flood Insurance is not required by their mortgage company, they don’t need it.  A lot of the homes that flooded in June were not in flood plains and the mortgage companies did not require coverage.

Flood insurance is very a valuable insurance policy for any homeowner to add and the cost is very reasonable.

Two insurance policies every homeowner needs to add to their Oklahoma homeowners insurance and auto Oklahoma insurance  policies portfolio are Flood Insurance and a Personal Liability Umbrella policy; both provide invaluable coverage for minimal investment.

You are covered but…

There was a recent blog about “10 insurance policies that are not worth the money” ; I have a different perspective on one type of  insurance policy they talk about.  

Buying insurance when you rent a car – true your own personal auto insurance  will cover most of what the rental car insurance will cover but there is one item the rental car coverage has that your auto insurance policy does not.

If you have an accident in the rental car either at home in Tulsa, OK or across the nation your auto insurance will not pay for the “loss of use” to the rental car agency for the time the vehicle is out of service being repaired.

This expense is all yours and can run up to $100 per day.  So when you check that box YES or NO you know what coverage you are not getting.

 I am not advocating anyone check YES; I just want everyone to know what the price tag could be.  Be sure to contact your agent for full information on your personal auto policy.

Making a Delivery Can Leave You Empty Handed

Before you or your child take that job to deliver pizza in Tulsa, OK, newspapers in Broken Arrow, OK or any other goods using your own car, STOP!

 Using your personal auto to deliver goods is not covered on most Oklahoma auto insurance policies; in fact it is clearly stated as not a covered peril in the personal auto policy.

 There is nothing more heart breaking or discouraging as an insurance agent than to have a client call in a claim and for me to have to tell them there is no coverage.  There is a way to purchase insurance to cover deliveries but it is in the form of a commercial auto insurance policy.

Don’t get left holding the bag, if you are delivering items in your personal vehicle take a moment and call your insurance agent to see about coverage to protect yourself and your assets.

Why is Oklahoma auto insurance so expensive

Legislative action increases auto insurance cost in Oklahoma effective July 1, 2010.  Read the Sawyer-Phillips website blog to find out more.