It’s Almost Boating Season Again!
This beautiful sunny weather always makes me dream about getting out on the water. Like any self respecting boater, I just can’t wait! But over the years I’ve learned that nothing is more important than proper maintenance of your boat to insure a care free season on the water. I found a nice pre-season maintenance check list that I thought you might find helpful – just click here
http://na.iiaa.org/TFT/Web%20Archives/03_09_10/PreparingYourBoatfortheSeason.pdf
And don’t forget, The Slocum Agency can help you navigate your way through the insurance fog to find the best boat insurance policy to meet your needs!
Call us today at 401-738-3366
For a
Free Quote For Your Boat
“Unfortunately you don’t have to be a millionaire to be sued like one”
That’s a sad reality but all too true. The good news is you can be properly protected for very little money annually. A personal Umbrella liability policy provides an additional layer of liability insurance over and above your home and auto policy. Therefore if a serious accident happens and one of those policies limits are exceeded you will have an ADDITIONAL layer of protection to save the heartache and potential loss of the assets you’ve worked so hard to gain.
How inexpensive you may ask, well I’ll tell you. If you own one home and have two cars an additional $1,000,000 of protection can cost as little as $175.00 per year. That’s less than .50 cents per day for a million dollars of piece of mind and protection.
Your exact premium may vary slightly based on many factors, however slightly is the keyword. We see cases all the time of people who have Umbrella protection and are thankful and unfortunately others that need it that didn’t buy it. Don’t live with that burden hanging over you.
Just contact us and answer a few questions and we will let you know exactly how inexpensive $1,000,000 of protection can be for you. Don’t let another day go by, call today so you can be certain we’ve done everything possible to protect you and your family.
Check Your Smoke Detector Battieries TODAY!!!
Smoke detectors save lives and they are easy to test just press the test button on the smoke detector. It’s also easy to forget but the consequences can be tragic! Unfortunately the lesson hit home in the hardest way right here in Warwick, RI yesterday – 5 Killed…, 1 injured in a house fire – click here for the full story
http://www2.turnto10.com/jar/news/local/article/fatal_fire_in_warwick1/31015/
Make Super Bowl Sunday your day to check all smoke and carbon dioxide detectors and replace those batteries or go buy a new one and install it right away!
They are very inexpensive and easy to install.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do this now for the ones you love.
60th Anniversary Edition
Celebrating 60 Years of Service
On April 15, 1949 an ambitious young man named George Slocum made a decision that would impact his family for generations to come. On that day, George decided that he was going to start his own insurance agency and, with the support of his young wife Hazel, he created what would become The Slocum Agency, Inc. a full service, professional Independent Insurance and Real Estate agency in their home town of Warwick, Rhode Island. With little other than a used desk stuck in a corner of their rented house, and a recipe box of index card to track both their prospects and policies sold, George began selling his family and friends on his ability to take care of all their insurance needs. “Count On Us” was his slogan, and that is exactly what a steadily growing customer base did.
When asked about those early years, George tells the story of his first policy which was sold to his wife’s uncle, Ray Kirby. Ray was an early supporter of George and Hazel’s effort to establish their business and build a better life. In fact, he not only bought the first policy but he also encouraged them to buy their first house (even though at the time they had no money to speak of). These two actions, coupled with a steadfast determination to succeed, became the essential basis for the economic well being of not only the Slocum’s, but many other families who have been employed by the agency over the years.
From that humble beginning in the small rented house in the Gaspee Point section of Warwick, George and Hazel worked together selling one small policy at time to build a business of great value that would become the economic basis for their family for 60 years to come. In the 1970’s sons Bob and Phil joined the business and later became the 2ndgeneration owners, determined to carry on following George’s retirement in 1991. Now with the addition of their sons Chris and Nick Slocum, The Slocum Agency, Inc. is entering its 3rdgeneration and serves the insurance and real estate needs of thousands of families and business.
So here we are, 60 years later, still going strong, living a much larger, modified version of the dream conceived by that young couple. The Slocum Agency, Inc. is well known and highly regarded both inside the industry and in the community as an organization of integrity that is committed not only to doing the right thing for their customers, but also to giving something back to the community through the many volunteer efforts of the family and employees. Basic core values that everyone can be proud of.
So today, on behalf of the entire group of family and friends who have benefited from George and Hazels vision, we take a moment to thank them and to wish everyone involved a Happy 60th Anniversary!
It won’t be like this for long
To quote a popular country music song, “It won’t be like this for long”. If there is one thing that is constant in life, it’s change. The old New England joke is, “if you don’t like the weather; just wait a minute”. All things change; some for better; some for worse but it’s for sure they will change and to a great extent, I believe that we can influence the outcome by our thoughts and actions. If we expect good things to happen and we keep our thoughts on those positive outcomes, we will be drawn in that direction for sure. Look at your life. If you are a parent you know that everything is “a stage”. The sleep deprivation that comes with a new baby is replaced by concerns about baby proofing the house. Once you get back to a regular sleep cycle, it’s time for the terrible 2’s. If you are dealing with the realities of elderly relatives, you know that every act of kindness is a repayment for the courtesies you received from them throughout the years. They say what comes around goes around, and I think that‘s true. Every day our actions determine our future outcomes. Like throwing a boomerang; you know it’s going to come back eventually, for better or worse. These days it seems lots of us are so focused on today. We are not thinking much about tomorrow. Not that it’s bad to live in the moment, but we need to moderate our actions with an eye toward tomorrow. While we can’t know what tomorrow holds for us it’s a cinch that the basic principals hold true. Things will come back around and we need to be ready. The “basics” of safety, security and love are more important than ever. Which brings me to the insurance point in this post. In our zeal to reduce expenses because we all want to be in the best cash position we can, don’t overlook the basics of a good insurance program. Falling into the trap of thinking that you should lower your homeowner’s insurance limit (or cut back on the guaranteed replacement cost provision) because the real estate market is off, is a critical mistake. The amount you will need to rebuild your house following a loss is not going down. In fact it is still on the rise. Now, I know … it’s never going to happen to you….. but over the course of my insurance career I’ve helped many people who felt the same way but discovered later that accidental losses can happen to anyone… even you! If you want to reduce your premium by assuming more of the risk through a higher deductible, go right ahead. If you’re willing to run the risk of loosing your jewelry or fine art collection, go ahead and cut those coverage’s if you want. At least you will know exactly what you are risking and you will be doing so with intentionality. Another area to watch out for is your Liability Insurance Limits. This is the greatest country in the world! The land of opportunity for most of us, but don’t forget there are plenty of others who see opportunity in your hard earned assets. In this day and age where many of our asset values are shrinking, isn’t it even more important to preserve what you have? One of the harsh realities of life is that “anyone can sue anyone, anytime, for anything, even if it’s groundless false or fraudulent”. If they sue you, you must respond and defend yourself! One of the primary benefits of liability insurance is that most policies pay for defense cost as well as paying for the actual damages you become responsible for. Don’t skimp on liability insurance limits and ask your agent about an Umbrella – it’s the best buy in the insurance industry. Finally, I know how hard it is for everyone right now and how important it is to take advantage of a good deal. Here’s one that’s extremely underutilized. In my humble opinion, your local Independent Insurance Agent is one of the best deals available today. Did you know that most agents provide their customers with an unlimited amount of free advice and service on a wide variety of subjects including but not limited to how you can best handle “risk” in your life. Your lawyer or your CPA will charge by the hour, however most Independent Agents do not. Most are intelligent, committed, business professionals who actively contribute their time and talent to their community and possess a great depth of knowledge that is yours for the asking. Remember the old saying “ask and you shall receive” …..
Where are you putting your cash?
One of the things that I have heard several times recently is that sales of home safes are booming during these hard economic times. While this may be simply a result of people wanting to secure those few valuable items that they own, knowing that others around them are becoming more desperate every day and therefore it’s reasonable to assume that thefts will be on the rise, I also keep hearing that trillions of investment dollars in cash have been withdrawn from the system and are sitting on the side lines. Now, if I had a bunch of cash to just “sit on the side lines”, where would I put it? As an insurance professional, I sincerely hope that the answer is not in a safe at your house or worse yet, hidden somewhere in your house. This concerns me for a couple of reasons. First, if someone should break into your house (or worse yet, it should burn down), how much coverage do you think a regular homeowners policy generally provides for cash money? Would you believe $200? Yup, that’s all. Now your policy may provide a higher limit so be sure to talk to your agent but, whatever you do, don’t just assume that it’s covered! The other concern I have is that people are taking too much comfort in the fact that, once they have a safe, they are “protected” and don’t need to worry. Over the years I have been in the insurance business I can tell you that we have seen many cases where the whole safe was stolen from someone’s house and then taken somewhere where the thief could work on opening it at their convenience. So, unless you have one of those huge safes that it takes an army of movers to budge, your feelings of security may be misplaced. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying safes are bad. All I’m saying is to be sure you understand that there is a certain amount of risk in every action and this is no exception. Keeping large amounts of cash, bonds, valuable jewelry, and the like around your house without understanding the risks involved could lead you to a very unhappy loss situation. One of the great values of having an Independent Insurance Agent is that they are there to consult with you and advise you at no additional charge if they write your insurance. Just like you would talk to your doctor or lawyer or CPA, don’t forget to talk to you insurance agent about the things that keep you up at night!
Mans Best Friend
In recent years I have seen insurance companies become increasingly selective in their underwriting rules concerning writing new business for clients who have dogs. While most have their “ineligible breed” list, I frequently hear from clients that they feel they are being unfairly treated since their dog is really very gentle and has “never bitten anyone”.
While I’m sure they are telling me the truth, the simple matter of fact is that the number of dog bite claims is increasing at a rate of 8.7% and the average claim costs $24,461 in 2008 (the most recent figures available)! In total there are over 4.5 million people per year who are bitten by dogs and over 900,000 are children! Click here for the whole story
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2009/09/17/103790.htm
This is pretty scary stuff for writers of homeowners insurance who have to respond to these claims and, like it or not, they are justified in creating the selection criteria they find meets their risk appetite for new business policies.
If you are a dog owner I have one additional piece of advice – buy high limits of liability insurance and of course, be sure you have an Umbrella Liability policy in case your “best friend” ends up being your biggest liability!
