It’s that time of year again where the television is filled with commercials on what you can spend your tax refund on. Granted, with many folks still in rebuild after the weather events of 2020/2021, new furniture or a vacation sounds lovely. But is that really the wisest use of your hard-earned dollars? Let’s look at a few ideas….  We've entered into the Holiday Season and we, here at Curtis Insurance, would like to take a moment to say how much we APPRECIATE our loyal and valued clients. You are more than a "customer" you are a friend and we honor your trust in us to fulfill your insurance needs.
Our office is closed Thursday (11/25) and Friday (11/26) in honor of Thanksgiving and we certainly wish you and your family the most Blessed of days. We will re-open normal business hours (9-5) on 11/29. Before you leave our site, please take a moment to review some of our blog posts that are extremely relevant to this time of year. Beginning with Medicare AEP and Holiday Safety Tips, we've a host of information to benefit you in so many ways. Be sure and check out our Stress Buster post. Hopefully it'll help you stay calm and serene during the hustle and bustle of the upcoming weeks. Soon we'll be entering into a brand-new year! Our article, Take Control of Your Life will give you ideas on how to start 2022 in a healthy place. Once again, Happy Thanksgiving and Thank YOU...We appreciate your patronage! Tommy Curtis and Staff Disclaimers: Medicare has neither endorsed nor reviewed this information. Not connected or affiliated with any United States Government or State agency Life and Medicare Products marketed through Curtis & Associates Financial Services, Inc. {A Life and Health Agency}  It’s “Life Insurance Awareness Month” and we’ve shared several articles with you over the years to encourage you to consider how important insuring your love (life) is. We’ve talked about juvenile life insurance, explored frequently asked questions and explained the differences in whole and universal life. There is no shortage of information on our blog and website to educate you on the importance of life insurance. So, instead of boring you with statistics and other useless data, I have a question for you….
How much IS your life worth?  The National Hurricane Center is considering changing Hurricane Season from June 1 to May 15th. You’ve got to be kidding me – Right!?! Let’s face it, many of us haven’t fully recovered from 2020 hurricanes and now, as if we don’t have enough to fret about, the powers that be in the Weather Center want to add 2 more weeks of hurricane worry upon us. RELAX.
Regardless of when the National Hurricane Center states hurricane season starts or ends, there is no need to panic or fear. Being prepared and having a plan, however, is imperative. We may not be able to control Mother Nature, but here are some things you can do… Have an Evacuation Plan. No matter if the storm hits east or west of us, having an evacuation plan in place helps alleviates the stress of leaving. Review Your Home or Renters and Flood Insurance Policy ahead of time. Understanding your policy coverage, deductibles and limitations makes you a responsible homeowner/renter. Take pictures or a video of your home, contents, sheds or outbuildings, and yard helps you be more organized if you have to file a claim. Include pictures of closets and drawers, dishes, pots, silverware – everything! Many folks lose out on valuable reimbursement without proper documentation of what you own – especially those who have total or near-total losses. Have items in storage? Have pictures and an inventory list of those too as a percentage of your contents coverage extends to these things. It is especially important to record any existing damage on your home! If you happen to get caught with a new claim, this will help you and your insurance company from butting heads over details between claims. Keep a travel kit ready. A single suitcase or tote or briefcase with policies (including life, health and auto), Vet Records, Kid’s immunization records, Medications and/or a list of medications (include dosage!), Allergies, legal documents that may be important if you or a family member becomes ill or dies during evacuation, etc. saves you from having to think about these things when preparing to evacuate. Find more ideas on what to bring with you or have on hand if you decide not to evacuate in this post. Other important things we learned during 2020 hurricanes can be found HERE and more tips for travelling smart are listed in THIS blog post. Hopefully we’ve provided you enough information in this and other posts to help ease the stress of travelling or evacuating. Until next time, take care and remember…. Preparation is the key to success. Tommy Curtis and Staff  Well, August is half over and it’s hot, hot, hot! To say it’s been quite a year, is an understatement, yet, here we are…
Summer is drawing to an end and kids are returning to school so, please be careful of those young drivers out there! There’s still plenty of fun in the sun to be had though, so check out our safety tips. Hurricane season is nearly half over but we’re not out of the woods yet. If you haven’t reviewed your Home Insurance policy, now would be a good time to do so. Now is also a good time to get that Flood policy in place. There is a standard 30 day wait on flood insurance, so don’t put it off any longer – give us a call today!  Many States have enacted a moratorium preventing insurance companies from cancelling and non-renewing policies for non- payment to the insurance carriers during the Covid-19 crisis. DON'T LOOK AT THIS AS FREE INSURANCE! The insurance carriers are only delaying your payment due date. This does not apply to automatic payments via bank draft/EFT. Know also, delaying your payment due date does not mean you won’t have to pay at all. What it may do is cause a “balloon” payment to be due when you least expect it. Any unpaid amounts could eventually be turned over to collections if not paid when expected. Don't let your credit history take a hit. What can you do to keep your insurance affordable and still pay on-time? Look at a reducing your insurance coverage. With auto insurance, you must (at least) have minimum liability as required by most state laws. If your vehicle is financed, you must secure the lien holder’s interest by having comprehensive & collision coverage. However, you can increase your deductible on these coverages. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium. Talk with your insurance carrier or insurance agent about possible options. If you can't afford the EXTRA coverage and are not required to have it, do without during this time. You can modify your coverage when you are back on your feet and financially able. What about the young drivers on your policy who are home-bound during this quarantine period? You can contact your insurance carrier to see about excluding drivers who are NOT driving during this period of time. Be careful with this option though. If your young driver is behind the wheel at any time, they need to be listed and removing them then letting them take the vehicle somewhere is not a good idea! Also, remember to change them back from an excluded to rated driver once the stay-home order is lifted and life returns to normal. These are strange and scary times but whatever you decide, protecting what’s important should be top on your list of priorities. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can get by without proper insurance on your auto(s), home or even life! Until next time, take care, be safe and stay informed! Tommy Curtis & Staff DIsclaimer: NOT everyone will fall under this moratorium. You can still be cancelled for nonpayment if your new policy effective date is during the moratorium. In doubt, always talk with your insurance carrier to see if you qualify for this moratorium. You will also be cancelled or non-renewed for fraud and/or misrepresentation.  We’ve done our best to educate and inform you on all aspects of Medicare here on our website and blog. Today we’re going to share with you the changes we know are coming down from Medicare in 2020.
 Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay In February we did a post explaining what 'Insure Your Love' was all about and in it, we mentioned that September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. These have been instituted by the non-profit organization, Life Happens. So I thought I'd share some more interesting information I found on life insurance....
Did you know that unclaimed life insurance benefits are paid to your state? I recently discovered that fact and that there are over $1 Billion dollars in unclaimed benefits out there! |
Tommy Curtis
Is an insurance agent with integrity and your best interest in mind. Call to speak directly to him. Contact us Phone: 337-433-1683 Address: 509 7th Street Lake Charles, LA 70601 Office Hours: M-F 9a - 5p (CST) Follow Us
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