Does this mean that I have to immediately call my insurance agent every time I buy a new piece of furniture or my cousin Gwen moves in for six months? Not necessarily. Although more significant changes should be reported immediately (such as getting married or getting a new car), items such as improving your home entertainment system or upgrading your car’s tape deck to an MP3 player, can be reported at your annual insurance review. Agents reach out to their clients because they want to make sure to check up on these changes and make help avoid any gaps in their clients insurance, however it’s equally important to for a policyholder to reach out to their agent to make sure they are covered. Schedule your own annual review, and call your agent as you get your annual renewal. If one agent handles all of your coverage, this task is relatively easy. Jot down any changes that have occurred over the last year, even if you’re not sure whether they are significant enough to mention. Doing so will ensure that all of your insurance policies are best suited to your current life situation.

Some examples of changes that should be mentioned to your agent immediately are listed below. Ask yourself these questions every year:

• Have I gotten married or divorced?
• Have I had a new baby, or adopted a child?
• Is anyone in my house a new driver?
• Is anyone living with me who wasn’t before? Will they ever be driving any of my vehicles?
• Do I have a personal umbrella policy? Do I need one?
• Have I purchased any new properties?
• Have I started a home business?
• Have I purchased new furniture, electronics, or fine jewelry?

These are just a few examples of life changes that are often picked up during an annual review. However, they are far from the only changes that can affect your coverage, so be thorough when documenting and reporting items to your agent.

Some of the above examples might seem pretty obvious. Most people know that if their teenager gets his license, they need to notify their auto insurance carrier. However, not everything is as obvious.
For example, take a couple who just had their first child. They decide that it’s time to purchase Life insurance to provide for the child if something ever happens to them. This couple is doing the responsible thing. They understand the importance of buying Life insurance when starting a family. That significant step in planning for the future is taught to the general public quite effectively, in the form of commercials, television shows, radio spots, and the like. But what about five years later when little Ellie is born? Having child number two doesn’t necessarily flip on the proverbial switch like the first time, shining that bright light on the right decision. Television shows don’t show “made for T.V.” couples updating their Life insurance policies for child number two. Advertisements don’t highlight the importance of adding new children as beneficiaries. All anyone ever hears about through popular culture is the importance of getting Life insurance if you don’t have it, especially if you are starting a family. If the Henderson family gets a Life insurance policy when their first little one is born, and four children later, mom and dad are hit by a logging truck on a trip to Alaska, only the first child gets the money.

Protect yourself, your family, and your personal belongings by making sure that each of your insurance policies gets an annual check-up. Call your Tracy-Dricsoll Insurance & Financial Services agent today at (860) 589-3434, You’ll rest much better once you do!

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Find the best home, auto, life, health and business insurance rates in Connecticut. Tracy-Driscoll Insurance & Financial services located at 126 Main Street, Bristol CT 06010. Call today for an quote (860) 589-3434

There are many key reasons why you need to have plenty of Life insurance coverage. The primary reason behind buying this life insurance coverage is to make sure that partners, children or any other living relatives have the cash they’ll need to survive, as well as pay for any of your final expenses.  Loss of earnings, whether it’s the primary or supporting earnings, may cause serious financial hardship for a surviving spouse. Dependent children may also be affected. Leaving enough money to replace your earnings will help reduce the strain of worrying about finances that survivors would certainly experience. It is also useful for people to make sure that there’s enough money to cover final disposition.

When determining just how much Life insurance coverage to purchase, you’ll want to select how the cash is going to be distributed. Many people select a lump sum payment while others choose monthly disbursements. Everyone’s situation is exclusive, so you need to select a plan that matches individual needs. Life insurance coverage may also be used to provide assurance that your children have an excellent start in life. Parents can pick to leave enough money for his or her children to go to college. The expense of education continues to rise, and although coverage does not need to pay for  100% of education cost, anything that is contributed is less cash that youngsters or perhaps a surviving spouse needs to pay toward the entire bill.

An alternative choice would be to leave a lump sum payment of cash to children entering their adult years. The sum may be paid toward education loans, a down payment for a new home or the expense of starting a new company.

Another option individuals have for Life insurance coverage would be to leave enough to impact their community positively. We all have values and views which are important to us. Using Life insurance coverage funds as charitable gifts is a great way to bid farewell to a legacy that supports individual values. It’s frequently hard to put aside such money while living. However, for a small investment, a large amount of money could be distributed after your passing. The general idea would be that the need for Life insurance coverage is simply too essential to neglect buying it. Life insurance coverage benefits over-shadow the expense substantially.

Our agents at Tracy-Driscoll Insurance & Financial Services will cover your available options to make sure your family members are taken care of.

In a health care environment that is constantly shifting, are you unsure what kind of health insurance might be right for you? If you are unable to work due to sickness or injury, health insurance is designed to cover treatment costs, as well as provide an ongoing income during the period you are ill. And if your injury or illness is more long-term, disability insurance helps supplement your lost income.

Our experienced agents at Tracy-Driscoll Insurance & Financial Services specialize in designing insurance plans that fit your specific needs for Life or Health Insurance coverage in the state of Connecticut. Call us today at (860) 589-3434

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So now that you realize the significance of taking home inventory, how do you get started? At first glance, it seems pretty simple. Go through your home, room by room, taking pictures of your personal belongings and documenting their approximate value. No problem, right? The problem lies in storing your photographs and data. Unfortunately, for many people, this involves placing their beautifully detailed data in a storage box under their bed, or in filing cabinets in their home office. The files are safe and sound, until the house burns down, is burglarized, or gets filled with murky flood waters — rendering the information completely useless. This common occurrence is as ironic as it is sad. But in today’s technological world, it should never happen.

Now that you understand how technology can make taking home inventory as secure as it is easy, your next step is to find the best web site or software for your unique needs. Secure servers allow you to document all of your belongings and access them with ease, and they eliminate the need for a physical location in which to store them.

Important factors to consider when deciding on the most suitable home inventory site:

Although many options boil down to personal choice, the options below are helpful regardless of your unique situation.

• Make sure your site or software allows you to quickly and easily select information about the products in your home.

• It is very helpful if the system is pre-populated with items, based on room and category. For example, Bedroom: Bed, Dresser, Night Stand, Lamp, etc.

• You might want to look at the total amount of inventory you have by room, or you might want to see items by category, or it’s possible you prefer a complete list of everything within your home. Look for functionality that allows all of these searches.

• And absolutely be certain that there is secure data storage within the web site or software. This cannot be stressed enough.

Here are some home inventory web sites to assist you in the process:

http://www.knowyourstuff.org/iii/login.html – This site provides free, secure online storage in an easy to use format. The system is very user friendly. There is a guided tour to help you navigate the system, and a video tutorial if you are someone who learns by watching. You will need to sign up to get most of the information. There is an FAQ page, but it isn’t as easy to find as on some of the other sites.

http://www.whatyouown.org – This site appears a bit “fancier” at first glance, but when you begin reading, it becomes apparent that it’s just as user friendly. The FAQ page allows you to get a lot of information without having to sign up. However, there is no video tutorial. This site is also free.

http://www.stuffsafe.com/index.php – This site is very user friendly and provides a lot of information prior to signing up. It is also free. As with the other sites, Stuff Safe allows you to print and download reports quickly and easily. The FAQ page on this site is also easy to find and navigate. However, as with the What You Own site, Stuff Safe does not have a video tutorial.

In addition to helping in the event of a theft or disaster, a home inventory also helps you to determine the appropriate amount of insurance protection. Even better, it can help you settle insurance claims faster. The actual task of performing a home inventory is quite simple. Basically, you should start with the most significant items (fine jewelry, electronics, furniture and family heirlooms, among others), and add the less expensive items, such as clothing, at the end. For every item you list, take a photograph, give a description of the item, list the date of purchase, approximate replacement value, and any other relevant information (such as serial number, make, or model). Upload this information to the home inventory software of your choice, and viola! You can rest assured that in the event of theft or disaster, you’ll be many steps ahead of the game when it comes to recovering your losses and getting your life back on track.

Even though elements like the above have been proven to make it nearly impossible for a driver to devote their full attention to the road at all times, many drivers still think they’re perfectly safe drivers. Here’s a simple yes-or-no quiz:

1. So long as I’m not watching, it’s okay for passengers to watch a movie on the vehicle’s in-dash video screen. No. Not only do most front seat, in-dash video screens generally have a feature that prevents it from showing entertainment or business video when the car is moving, but it would also be completely unsafe to do so since it would inevitably catch the driver’s peripheral vision and distract them. Furthermore, many state laws regulate the placement and use of on-board video screens.
2. Have there been any criminal cases alleging electronic devices were the causative factor in vehicle accidents? Yes. One example would be a 2004 case that took place in Alaska. The driver was allegedly watching something on his DVD player when he struck another vehicle and killed two people. Although the driver claimed he was only adjusting his CD player, he was charged with second-degree murder on the premise that he engaged in conduct showing an indifference to human life.
3. In-dash monitors for rear-view camera and navigation purposes can be installed in the front seat. Yes and no. If the device has the feature that prevents it from showing entertainment and business video, then it can be installed and used in the vehicle’s front seat.
4. Is it okay to drive as you eat or drink? No. Although driving as you drink coffee or eat a granola bar usually isn’t as distracting as watching a movie or text messaging is, it’s still an unsafe driving practice. The bottom line is that doing and thinking about anything aside from driving can distract you from the road and lead you to look away, remove your hands from the steering wheel, or become mentally preoccupied.
5. Does driver distraction cause very many accidents? Yes. More than 6 million crashes, 3 million crash-related injuries, and 42,000 crash-related deaths occur each year in the U.S., of which driver distraction accounts for 1.2 million to 1.8 million, or roughly 20%-30%.
6. Do federal laws govern the use of mobile devices like a GPS unit in moving vehicles? No. In some states, there are state laws that prohibit the use of hand-held cell phones in moving vehicles, but there aren’t any federal laws regulating the use of mobile devices in moving vehicles.
7. Can the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulate cell phone usage in moving vehicles? No. Cell phone laws are enacted at the state or local levels. However, the NHTSA is able to regulate the use of motor vehicle equipment and devices.
8. Are lawmakers concerned with vehicle crashes related to driver distraction? Yes. During the past decade, several states have already passed or presented legislation related to driver distraction and vehicle crashes, and the number of states looking into such laws grows every day.
9. Do any states totally ban hand-held cell phone use while driving? Yes. Nine states, including California, Connecticut, Washington, New York, New Jersey, and Utah, prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving. Additionally, 30 states and the District of Columbia ban novice drivers from using both hands-free and hand-held cell phones.
10. Can your employer be held liable if you’re using a cell phone and crash into someone or something? Yes. Your employer can be held liable in a court of law. Under respondeat superior, an employer can be held liable in civil court for employee acts committed within the course of employment.

How many did you answer correctly? Maybe you’ve learned a few new facts, or maybe you gained a new respect for what you already knew. Either way, it’s time to put down the food, turn off that cell phone, and start keeping your mind and body focused on the road ahead of you.

Have you reviewed your Connecticut auto insurance coverage recently? Take some time to call one of our car insurance specialists at Tracy-Driscoll Insurance & Financial Services to review your auto insurance policy today at (860) 589-3434.

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Home-based business owners might feel that they do not need coverage because nobody steps foot on their premises. The problem is that liability claims often happen away from the business premises. This can include a number of scenarios, including someone taking action for information on your website or someone getting injured from the product or service you provide. Most business policies include coverage for personal injury lawsuits, which means someone takes legal action against you for things like libel or slander. Competitors and customers both can sue a business owner for personal injury. A business policy also covers off-premises injury, such as if someone trips on, slips on, or is injured by any kind of property you take out in the field. It will also cover you during trade shows and usually meets the insurance requirements that some trade shows may require.

From a property standpoint, any business property you might have in your home is usually excluded or has very limited coverage under a Connecticut Homeowners insurance policy. Getting coverage to protect your computers, equipment, furniture, inventory and any other physical assets helps keep your business in operation with minimal disruption and financial loss. A business policy also usually covers loss of income, which is payment for income you did not earn as a result of a loss covered under your policy. Policies may also include coverage for things like valuable papers, damage to property of others, property coverage off-premises and a number of other additional coverages.

A Business Owner’s Policy includes the coverage described above, and is specifically designed to protect the unique interests and property of a business owner. This package policy includes nearly all, if not most, of the coverage you need. However, if you are providing some kind of professional advice, consulting, or other non-tangible professional services, you might also need a Professional Liability policy. This is also known as Errors & Omissions insurance. In addition, if you have any employees, you are probably required by law to get Workers Compensation insurance. Depending on the type and size of business you own, you might have further insurance needs.

Hoping that your Homeowners policy is going to cover you in the event of a claim will leave you frustrated if your business experiences a loss. Businesses have a much higher risk than a homeowners policy allows for, and homeowners claims adjusters will quickly deny coverage for business-related claims in the event of a loss.

Talk to one of our Tracy-Driscoll Insurance agents today to explore your business insurance needs and review your options.