To turn in a claim or NOT

I had an interesting conversation with a client yesterday. It concerned the issue of claim history and how claims, even if nothing is paid in the end, can affect what you pay for auto and home insurance. EXAMPLE: Client calls and says they have hail damage. These type of claims can be extensive and costly. We report the claim to the insurance company. After securing an estimate and an adjuster visits the homeowner, it is determined the damage is under the deductible or the client decides to pay the damages out of their pocket. Therefore, nothing paid by the company. PROBLEM: Since it is a "reported" claim, that claim is on a permanent data bank that ALL companies access. They charge for "report but not paid claims." With today's sophisticated technology, claim history is available to all insurance companies with a few key strokes.

RECOMMENDATION: Buy higher deductibles (the higherst you feel you can absorb) and only turn in claims when you are sure you want to make a claim to the insurance company.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance

Treyton's Field of Dreams

Treyton Kilar was killed by a drunk driver on 9-2-2010. The Kilar family with 100's of friends are trying to raise money to build a "Field of Dreams" Little League field here in Whitewater in his honor. You can support their efforts by voting for them in the PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT. Visit www.refresheverthing.com/trey and click on "vote for this idea". You can also text 108723 to 73774 or log onto Facebook. You can vote all 3 ways in the month of September every day. EVERY VOTE COUNTS.

Don't Drink and Drive.

Ron Binning
ron@binningdickens.com

Number of Uninsured drivers in WI

Effective 6-1-2009 Wisconsin passed a mandatory insurance law for all drivers. Across the US 1 in 7 (14.3%) drivers are uninsured, according to a new study from the Insurance Research Council (IRC - 2011) Mississippi has the highest uninsured motorist percentage at 28%. In WISCONSIN the estimated uninsured motorist percentage is 15%.

Unisured Motorist (UM) and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) are mandatory coverage on every auto policy in WI and these coverages are optional on all Personal Umbrella policies. Contact us or your current agent if you have questions about these important coverages.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance Services
ron@binningdickens.com

Multi-tasking vs texting

Multi-tasking is a term that was never meant to include driving and texting. Have you noticed how many people are looking "down" at interesections or when you pass them on the Interstate?
Do you think they are looking at their fingernails? These two activities are like mixing gasoline and a lighted match. There are too many unexplained accidents occuring in Wisconsin. Some people say they can text without looking........ya right!

Make smart decisions - Don't drive and text.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance Services
Whitewater WI

Health Insurance and the SUN

Here are new rules from www.health.com to follow when in the sun this summer:
1. Old Rule: Throw on a t-shirt or coverup when you're in direct sunlight.
New Rule: If you're not into sun-protective clothing, wear dark colors and tightly woven fabrics during peak hours.
2. Old Rule: Use a teaspoon of sunscreen for your face, a shot glass worth for your body.
New Rule: Layer your protection to MAKE sure you're covered.
3. Old Rule: A little sun is healthy - 20 minutes 3 times per week is good for Vitamin D.
New Rule: It's not smart to go outdoors UNPROTECTED.
4. Old Rule: Never, ever use a tanning bed.
New Rule: STILL, never, ever use a tanning bed. 75% increased chance of melanoma.

All of these rules apply to your kids and grandkids as well. Be smart this summer - use sunscreen.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance
ron@binningdickens.com

Proposed New Auto Insurance Law

As I mentioned last week, The WI State Assembly passed "Choice in Auto Insurance" this past Tuesday. It must now go to the WI State Senate for approval before it becomes law. The bill did NOT repeal Gov Doyle's Auto Insurance Law of June 2009 but I think it made some significant changes. Here are the major changes: 1. They lowered the limits back to 25,000 per person, $50,000 per occurrence, $10,000 for property damage. 2. Lowered Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist coverage to 50,000 per person and $100,000 per occurrence. 3. They eliminated the "stacking" provision where drivers could use coverage from up to 3 of their vehicles from an accident involving just one of their vehicles.

Watch this site for further developments because the Senate must pass a similar bill before Gov Walker can sign this legislation into law.

The more you know, the better decisions you can make about your insurance coverage.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance
ron@binningdickens.com

Change in Auto Insurance Law in WI

The Wisconsin Legislature has been debating many topics in preparation to passing the budget and one of the topics is a CHANGE in the Auto Insurance Law. Remember a major change occurred in June 2009, January 2010, and finally June 2010. Many of those changes will probably be overturned. Check back to this BLOG for the details as they become known.

That being said, we DO NOT recommend any client or any potential client lower their liability limits back to the lower limits in force prior to the June 2009 changes. The goal of liability insurance is to protect your assets from plaintiff suits. Your auto coverage is the greatest exposure you personally have for impacting your assets.

Drive safe. Drive defensive.

Ron Binning - ron@binningdickens.com
Binning & Dickens Insurance