Three Tips To Help Your Vacation Get Off To A Worry-Free Start

With vacation season in full swing, you may be in the process of planning an annual getaway. While most people spend lots of time looking for ways to maximize their budget, one costly decision is often left to the last minute—whether to buy the optional insurance offered by a rental car company.

“Deciding whether to buy ‘damage waivers’ or insurance at the rental car counter can be a confusing experience—especially if you don’t know if you’re already covered by your personal auto insurance policy,” said Rick Crawley of the Progressive Group of Insurance Companies. “Optional rental car insurance can cost between $7 and $25 per day, depending on the rental car company, vehicle make and model and type of waiver. Those daily charges can significantly add to the cost of your rental.”

Follow these three tips, courtesy of Hawkins Insurance, to help you decide whether or not you should buy the coverage:

1. Consult with an independent insurance agency – like Hawkins Insurance. As licensed insurance professionals, independent insurance agents and brokers can review and evaluate your policies to find out if the coverage you have on your personal vehicle provides protection for you in a rental car.

2. Check with your credit card company. Some credit card companies provide coverage at no charge if you use their card to charge the cost of the rental. However, some restrictions may apply so be sure to ask for a description of the exact coverages provided.

3. Take your personal auto insurance policy and details of your coverages with you to the rental car counter. You may be asked a question that these papers can help answer—or, if you’re in doubt, you’ll have your agent’s name and phone number readily available. “We want people to have the information they need to make more informed decisions about car insurance,” said Crawley.

“Knowing whether you need to buy additional coverage can save you money and give you peace of mind so you can enjoy your vacation. Don’t start off your trip questioning your decisions—take control by talking with your independent agent or broker and knowing the answers to those inevitable questions.”

To learn more about all your independent agency can offer you, contact Hawkins Insurance or visit ryaninsuresme.com.

Four Questions To Get The Right Auto Insurance

Using the right tool for a job is key to success in any profession. Experts say the same principle applies when selecting an auto insurance policy. Having the right type of policy can help ensure that you, your employees and your business are all protected in the unfortunate event that one of your vehicles is involved in an accident.

If you’re a business owner and you or your employees use a vehicle for business-related deliveries or to carry certain materials to and from a job site, you may need a commercial auto insurance policy that’s tailored to more closely suit the needs—and risks—of a business vehicle operator.

Here are some questions that can help you determine if you might need a commercial auto policy instead of a personal auto policy, courtesy of Hawkins Insurance

• Do you need more liability coverage than your personal auto policy provides? Generally, a commercial auto policy provides higher limits of liability, but less or no coverage in areas that are typically not associated with commercial auto risks.

• Do you need special coverage for situations associated with con-ducting business? Commercial auto policies also usually offer certain coverages—such as hired and non-owned auto coverage and coverage for towing a trailer for business use—that are not available with personal auto policies.

• Do you need to list any employees as drivers? You can do this with a commercial auto insurance policy.

• Do you use your vehicle for business purposes? If you use your vehicle for things like pizza or newspaper delivery, catering, door-to-door consulting service, landscaping or snowplowing service, logging business, day care/church retreat van service and/or farm-to-market delivery, you might need a commercial auto policy.

Hawkins Insurance is an independent insurance agency – trained, licensed insurance professionals who offer personal service and advice. We can help match you with the type of policy that best suits your needs and those of your company.

Brittney LaCombe – A Mother’s Death Brings on Struggle

Brittney LaCombe – A Mother’s Death Brings on Struggle

M

other’s Day for Roseann LaCombe meant camping with her three daughters on the beach near their St. Petersburg, Fla., home. During last year’s trip, Roseann complained of mild leg pain. Later, she couldn’t bear weight on the leg and went to the hospital, where doctors kept her for observation. The next morning her eldest daughter, Brittney, then 20, received a call informing her that her mother had died of a pulmonary embolism. 

Without life insurance, the girls’ financial struggle started immediately. Roseann had worked in accounts receivable for an apparel company, but was unemployed at the time of her death and left only $300 in her bank account. Brittney’s part-time job as a customer-service representative at a local newspaper was no match for the bills. 

A week after Roseann died, shut-off notices arrived for the electric and water services, and the bank called every day looking for payment on the mortgage for their three-bedroom house with a pool. By the end of the month the girls, with help from Catholic Charities, moved to a small apartment. To make the rent and take care of her sisters, Brittney works full time. 

The new life is taking a toll on Brittney. She was forced to cut her course load toward a social-work degree to work more hours. She suffers from anxiety, worrying that even such a meager lifestyle could unravel at any moment. “If my mom had had life insurance, we would have been able to stay in our house and pay the bills,” Brittney says. “We wouldn’t have to struggle all the time.” 

Call today to protect your loved ones should the foreseeable happen....

832.554.7388

ryan@ryaninusresme.com

www.ryaninsuresme.com

Karim Abouelnaga – The American Dream Put on Hold

A

del Abouelnaga and his wife, Mahassen, came to the United States from Egypt in search of a better life. An entrepreneur to his core, Adel worked long hours selling souvenirs at street fairs. Eventually, he opened his own shop at a prime location in midtown Manhattan. The couple was living their American dream: a successful business, five boys ranging in age from 16 to 1, and a comfortable apartment they owned in Queens, N.Y. 
Their life, however, was about to change. Adel was diagnosed with lymphoma. He died nine months later. The store was the family’s sole source of income, but Mahassen couldn’t run it and raise five boys on her own. She was forced to close the business, and sold off the inventory to pay for the funeral.

With no life insurance to help the family make a transition, life became a struggle. The family sold their home and moved into a small two bedroom apartment. The three oldest brothers share a small room dominated by their three beds; Mahassen and the two youngest children sleep in one bed in the other.

The older brothers are the family’s primary breadwinners. When not in school, they work to support their mother and younger siblings. When she’s not home cooking, cleaning and managing the household finances, Mahassen works part-time in a public school. 

It’s been three years since Adel died, and the family is doing better. Moez, 19, attends a city university and plans to start his own business. Karim, 18, maintained a 4.0 GPA in high school and attends Cornell University on scholarships he earned. Monzer, 17, a high-school senior, has his sights set on an opera career. 

“We were forced to grow up sooner than most kids,” Karim says. “But we’re going to make it.” 

Life Happens - Karim Abouelnaga

Is your Homeowners Insurance company non-renewing your policy

Is your Homeowners Insurance company non-renewing your policy and not being a "Good Neighbor"? Call Hawkins Insurance & Financial Services Group in League City at 832-554-7388 or visit us atwww.ryaninsuresme.com. I have "A" rated Insurance Companies that WANT your business and offer VERY competitive rates.