Fixing a Front Bumper
Want to know why auto insurance rates are on the rise? There are many factors, but consider the following:
In 2014 the cost to fix the front bumper (including safety and parking sensors) of a $35,000 private passenger auto was $1,846. That same repair in 2018 was $3,551. Nearly double the cost in only 4 years!
The cost to replace an Audi A6 headlamp in 2015? $743. The cost for the same replacement in 2018? $3,126!
Couple this with low gas prices, increased medical expenses, distracted driving, and ever increasing litigious nature of society and it is not hard to see what is driving your auto insurance premiums.
What about homeowners insurance?
The cost of a top-of-line Sub-Zero refrigerator in 2000 was $5,000, or in 2018 dollars, $7,375. That same appliance today is $16,950.
The cost of a top-of-line Miele dishwasher in 2000 was $2,000, or in 2018 dollars, $2,950. That same appliance today is $5,699.
Couple this with the fact that the number of natural disasters in the last 17 has doubled and it is easy to see the connection.
The answer? Get a quote from The Blystone Company!
Insurance Fraud Strikes Lebanon Pennsylvania
Tony Matula was councilman for the city of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He joined the city council in 2010 but resigned after being charged with falsifying an insurance report. Now, he wants his job back.
In August 2016, Matula drove his 2014 Volkswagen into a utility pole across the street from his home. He moved the car, the lied to his insurance company that a hit-and-run driver struck his car while it was parked. When investigators questioned Mutula, he changed his story - twice.
A friend told him her husband drove his car after falling asleep at the wheel, he said. But Matula would not identify the driver. Mutula then contacted police a third time, offering another explanation: a friend moved his car without his knowledge and hit the pole.
The stories did not hold up and Matula eventually admitted to what actually happened. He received two years of probation plus two months of house arrest.
Last month Matula announced that he will be running for re-election to city council in 2020. His conviction bars him from public office, but he's applied for clemency and is still preparing to run while the state considers his request.
Matula believes he has paid his debt to society. "I'm here to make up for it," he said. "I owned my mistake and I'm moving on."
Home Based Businesses
The Small Business Administration's most recent numbers estimate nearly 16 million home businesses exist in the United States today, a number that has tripled over the past 25 years. Interestingly, 70% of these businesses survive past 3 years compared to the average of all new businesses which have only a 30% average survival rate.
The insurance industry has done a decent job in keeping up with demand by offering new and affordable ways to protect these businesses, but an unendorsed homeowners policy just won't cut it! If you have a home-based business, talk to us today about how this affects your homeowners insurance and what solutions are available.
Did you know: the standard homeowners policy EXCLUDES coverage for detached structures used for business? So if your she-shed is also your home office, studio, shop, lab, whatever, you have no coverage!
Are you adequately covered?
Feel like you are paying too much?
Not getting the attention you deserve?
You’ve come to the right place.
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