Shield Insurance Agency Blog

Welcome to the Shield Insurance Agency Blog.

Here you will find a ton of articles on each of these topics: Auto Insurance, Boat/Watercraft Insurance, Business Insurance, Flood Insurance, Health Insurance, Home Insurance, Insurance, Life Insurance, Michigan Auto Insurance Reform, Recreational Insurance, Renters Insurance, RV Insurance, Things To Do At Home, Umbrella Insurance, and even a list of the Shield Agency Weekly Gift Card Winners,

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10 Safety Tips To Follow During Halloween – Shield Insurance Agency Blog

Halloween Safety

Posted on June 22, 2019August 29, 2021 by Shield Insurance Agency

If a survey asked what the most celebrated holiday in the fall season is, the answer would most likely be Halloween. Every year on this day, kids dress up in the most unimaginable characters walking around town with their parents getting candy from decorated houses, attending Halloween parties, or meeting up and going through haunted houses or haunted corn mazes.

If your house is one of the “popular” houses to go to, you’ll want to make sure your house and yard are safe and hospitable for Halloween. Before trick or treaters come to your doorstep take the necessary precautions to decrease your chances of having an unfortunate accident happen.

The following list are some pointers in making sure your house is a harmless place for kids and parents!

Clean up for Halloween Safety.

As much as we would like kids to just walk on the sidewalk and not all over our yard, that is not going to happen on Halloween! Make sure to clean up your entire yard free of debris such as tools and toys. Even take precautions against natural elements such as tree roots, plants, and gaps in your sidewalk, put yard light on, and block off hazardous areas.

Watch out for pets.

Most owners know if their pets are friendly or if they do NOT invite strangers close to their homes. If you are going to offer goodies to trick or treaters, make sure you have your pet in a secure place in your home. You would not want your dog or cat to get loose and bite a little kid or parent-even if they are just thinking they’re protecting you.

Be respectful.

Parents and kids should treat the houses they go to, as they would want their home to be treated. It’s easy to get caught up in the “Halloween” mood and want to celebrate this holiday with tricks and pranks. Just remember, vandalism is a crime. Plus, you wouldn’t want other people to be harmed by your mischief.

At Shield Insurance Agency, we hope you have a safe but enjoyable Halloween, with no tricks and lots of treats!

Let Halloween Safety be your number one priority!

Visit our Shield Agency Blog for some more great Halloween Articles!

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Halloween Driving Tips For Safety

Posted on June 22, 2019August 29, 2021 by Shield Insurance Agency

Halloween Driving Tips

At a glance: Help protect trick-or-treaters by following these Halloween driving tips, or on the night your community hosts Halloween activities.

Be especially careful between 4 and 8 p.m., when most severe vehicle/young pedestrian collisions happen.

Drive slowly, and don’t pass stopped vehicles. The driver might be dropping off children.
Park your mobile phone. Avoid distractions by waiting until you’ve stopped to call, text, or surf.
Watch for children darting into the street. Kids can cross the street anywhere, and most young pedestrian deaths happen at spots other than intersections.
Yield to young pedestrians. Children might not stop, either because they don’t see your vehicle approaching or don’t know how to safely cross the street.
Communicate with other drivers. Always use your turn signals. And if you have to pull over to drop off or pick up your kids, turn on your hazard lights.

And, to keep your own trick-or-treaters safe on Halloween:

Teach them how to safely cross streets. They should look both ways and cross only at corners and crosswalks.

Consider indoor community Halloween programs for younger kids. Some communities also offer to help you inspect your kids’ treats to make sure they’re safe to eat.

Brighten them up. Give them flashlights and glow sticks, and/or use reflective tape on their costumes, so drivers can see them.

BROUGHT to you by PROGRESSIVE

“Fall” Into The Season and Fix Up The House

Posted on June 22, 2019August 14, 2023 by Shield Insurance Agency

Shield Insurance Blog | Fix Up The House | Home Insurance

Here are a few things that we should be thinking about, with the snow right around the corner, to help you fix up the house.

Gutters: If they are filled with leaves and debris, the backed-up water will begin seeping into your home if it has nowhere to go. It’s recommended that we always clean them out every fall and spring.

Tree Limbs: Make sure that all tree limbs are trimmed higher and away from the home or power lines, when they get covered with snow they will become very heavy and will break and could cause damages.

Windows: Clean, store, and replace the screens with storm windows, this will make a huge difference when it comes to your heating bill for the season.

Ceiling Fans: Hot air rises, so if your ceiling fans are able to have their rotation reversed, be sure to do so to help bring that warmer air back down toward you. It could help you save money on heating costs by not wasting the hot air at the ceiling.

Smoke & CO2 detectors: Be sure to change out your batteries, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Heater Filter: Change out your heater filter, this should be done every 90 days without pets and every 60 days with pets.

Outdoor furniture: Clean it and store it away so it doesn’t get wrecked from the winter elements.

Faucets & Hoses: Drain all garden hoses and disconnect the outside spigots. Shut off all exterior faucets. Store everything in a dry place.

Also, remember any liquids that you may have that are in your shed or garage may freeze, be sure to find a home for them in a cool dry place that isn’t in the frigid temperatures.

I know that these are only a few of the tasks that we have to do before winter, to fix up the house, but I hope this helps get you started on the right foot.

I hope you have

Have a wonderful Autumn season.

Dawn

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If In An Auto Accident: Who ya gonna call? Where ya gonna tow?

Posted on June 22, 2019February 14, 2025 by Shield Insurance Agency

Auto Accident | Shield Insurance Agency Blog | Start A Quote Today!

What would you do?

Have you ever thought about who you want to fix your car and who you want to tow it if you were in an auto accident?

77% of auto accidents occur within 15 miles of your house. So, it would be a good idea to figure out who you want working on your vehicle before the accident happens instead of trying to figure it out while on the side of the road. If you have full coverage, many insurance companies will have a preferred vendor list. However, you’re going to have the freedom to choose any reputable repair shop.

This is especially important if you don’t have full coverage and/or no towing coverage. You wouldn’t want to pay for your broken car towed home then end up with another bill to tow it to a repair shop.

— Joe

Pet Insurance: Do you have it?

Posted on June 22, 2019February 16, 2023 by Shield Insurance Agency

Pet Insurance | Shield Self-Quoting Portal | Shield Insurance Agency

Having a pet is just as common as having a child in today’s society yet we only get health coverage for one of them. I’m sure we all know which one it is, but why is it that way?

Studies show on average the number of pet-owning households in America is 84.6 million yet only 10 % of dog owners and 5% of cat owners have health insurance for their pets. This is shocking to me considering the cost of a vet bill nowadays! Is this lack of coverage due to a lack of knowledge that there even is such a policy available for your pets? OR is it due to a lack of desire to spend money on another insurance policy? Whichever reason it is hoped this blog will change your mind and save your pockets.

I’m going to explain what pet insurance is and how it can benefit you to have it. This article is close to me – because I have two dogs – and two cats – and Vet visits can get pricey!

What is pet insurance?

Pet insurance is a lot like health insurance in the sense that there is still a deductible and a co-pay along with premiums and a maximum payout, there is also no coverage for pre-existing conditions and no waiting periods. Much like health insurance, you will get to choose to pay an annual deductible for the policy year or a per-incident deductible that is paid at each appointment, there is also a co-pay, the percentage you pay after the deductible is met. The remaining percentage of covered expenses will be taken care of by the pet insurance company. You will choose from 5 types of maximum payout options

Maximum payout by the incident – Max amount the insurance will reimburse you for each new illness or injury, Once you reach the limit you will no longer receive money to cover it.
Maximum annual pay out- This is the max amount of money the insurance company will reimburse you every year, once you receive the max amount you will not receive any more money for the policy year.
Maximum lifetime pay. The max amount the insurance company will reimburse you in your pet’s lifetime. Once you receive the max amount your pet will no longer be insured.
Maximum payout per body system- Max amount the insurance company will reimburse for a body system. Such as the digestive, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems. Once you reach this limit for a body system you will not be reimbursed for any more injuries or illnesses that relate to that system.
The maximum payout due to predetermined benefit structure- The insurance company will reimburse based on a predetermined listed fee structure that can be determined with your pet insurance carrier.

Some pet insurance companies use only ONE type of maximum payout structure whereas others use a combination of the payout structure.

Your monthly or annual premium (the amount you pay) will be determined by many factors such as medical coverage you select, your pet’s breed/species, age, the co-pay, and the deductible, and also where you live. After all, this is finalized just like health insurance there will be a waiting period before the coverage is activated and usable.

Although Pet insurance is very similar in requirements and coverage to insurance for a human, there are two very big differences between the two. The number one difference is that pet insurance is a reimbursement program which means you pay the veterinary bill and then file a claim with the pet insurance company for reimbursement. Second there is not a network of vets that you can only use, you are free to use any licensed veterinarian in the U.S! (Sometimes out of the US as well)

Still skeptical on why you should get pet insurance? Well here is an example of how having it could save you money! My fiance and I have a one-year-old cat named Nina who got a hematoma in her ear, which means her ear basically formed a bubble of a bunch of blood.

We had to make an emergency vet visit to drain the hematoma where we were charged $300, after originally being told $900, for the lowest price option possible for them to simply take a needle and drain her ear of blood. If we would have had pet insurance we would have gotten a large portion of that reimbursed instead of an unexpected expense!

Can you imagine more than one emergency visit a year at that price on top of a regular vet visit bills?! In the end, having your pets covered by your insurance could save you thousands of dollars in vet fees and keep you and your pets safe in the case of an emergency situation, like a hematoma in your cat’s ear.

-TJ

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Unveiling the Secrets to Getting the Best Coverage for Your RV

Posted on June 22, 2019August 14, 2023 by Shield Insurance Agency

Shield Insurance Blog | Recreation Vehicle | Start A Quote Today!

ATVs, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, etc… All of these recreational vehicles can be risky to operate for the riders, passengers, and those around them. They are also very fun and one of the perks of living in a state where it snows!!! Thankfully, you can insure these recreation vehicles as you would an automobile.

Just like an auto insurance policy, on a recreational vehicle policy, you would receive:

Bodily Injury Liability
Uninsured/Underinsured motorist
Either Medical pay or Medical benefits coverage
Physical damage (comprehensive & collision) — optional
Roadside – optional
Carried contents and Accessories – optional

A lot of these coverages are only available on an ATV or RV policy. For instance, if you decide to not insure your snowmobile in the summer with at least storage coverage, and the garage that it is in burns down, your homeowner’s policy will not cover it! OR, what if you or your passenger are hurt after having an accident on your ATV, you may have NO coverage for those medical bills!

Recreational vehicles aren’t always covered

Did you know that not every insurance company will allow you to insure recreational vehicles such as ATVs, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, etc… on your homeowner’s policy? Did you also know that coverage on a homeowner’s policy is very much lacking in comparison to a separate ATV/RV policy?

Lately, I have been hearing that quite a few banks have been suggesting clients insure their newly purchased recreational vehicles on their homeowner’s policy so they don’t have to purchase another separate policy. Not only may that person be out of luck depending on the company, but most companies only offer liability coverage and/or physical damage coverage. No roadside, no uninsured/underinsured motorist, no medical coverage if injured in an accident, and there tend to be more exclusions than your typical ATV/RV policy.

Generally speaking, depending on driving history and what type of recreational vehicle is owned, insurance policies for them tend to run cheaper and they are always worth the money.

It can get confusing, but give our office a call. We are here to help and will make it all seem pretty simple. 616.896.4600

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Thinking of Buying a Pool or a Trampoline?

Posted on June 22, 2019August 29, 2021 by Shield Insurance Agency

Fun in the sun with a pool or trampoline may cost you more than you thought!

Sun. Ahhh yes, the thought of having some warm sunshine on a glistening pool after a long winter would be lovely but unfortunately, here we are in Michigan, a few weeks past Easter and there are snowflakes falling outside my window.

What is a Michigander’s favorite saying?… If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes and then it will change. True. That is what provoked my thoughts for this entry.

You see…I was at Walmart the other day and I noticed that there were some people buying trampolines and above-ground swimming pools. Was there a sale? Was it the desire to have warm weather and have entertainment for the kids and family? Could be, but did you ever stop and think about the risks involved? (Insurance agent mentality at its best).

“The kids want a trampoline and this one is on sale for 60% off, let’s buy it!” “It gets so hot in the summer that the kids would love a quick set up above ground pool.”

Well, my friend, have you thought about whether or not your current home insurance company would surcharge you for having that trampoline or pool in your backyard, or maybe they won’t even want to insure your home any longer if you end up getting one! I bet you didn’t. You just want to find a way for the kids to remain physically active, off the computer/cell phones, and out of the house for some decent “me time” or “clean time”.

Actually, you might be one of the people whose insurance company will NOT want to insure if you have one of these items. Some insurance companies will not allow a trampoline or a trampoline without a net guard all around it. Worse yet, a swimming pool with a diving board or a slide can be taboo for some insurance companies. Think of the risk involved? Someone can fall off the trampoline and break a bone or drown in a pool. Heaven forbid a toddler finds their way to the pool and falls in somehow.

If an insurance company allows the items, it can be with certain stipulations, and watch out for the surcharge or “penalty” for having one. Don’t you dare have a pool without a fence around it or enclosing your backyard! Worse scenario, a trampoline next to the above-ground pool. Sounds like it could be fun. You could treat it as part of the course in a Ninja Warrior extreme sporting course, right? WRONG! That’s a big fat negative.

Listen, I am just trying to save you some time, money, and feelings of disappointment from the kids by saying, “Call your insurance company and ask them if you are allowed to have a trampoline or an above ground pool in your backyard BEFORE YOU GO OUT AN SPEND THE MONEY ON IT.” Your insurance may say no. or yes, you can have it but the cost would be……fill in the blank.

If you already bought a pool, set it up, the kids are playing in it, and then you learn that you have to tear it down or pay more to have it…..this will just disappoint everyone. All insurance companies do not have the same rules and conditions. Call and find out what’s allowable before you spend the money for the purchase and the energy setting it up. Once you get the “OK” or you agree to pay if there are extra charges….let me know, invite me over so I can take a dip, soak up the sun, or jump ’till my heart’s content because my insurance won’t allow me to have one.

How ya like them apples? COME ON SPRING…….HURRY UP AND GET HERE!