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Pet Insurance is a growing trend.  People love their animals as if they were their own children and for many folks, they are just like children.  Therefore, when they become ill, it is devastating.

 

With all this rain over Illinois we thought some clarification was in order to offer an understanding of sewer and water backup coverage and flood insurance.
Let’s begin with Flood Insurance.  The dictionary defines "flood" as a rising and overflowing of a body of water onto a normally dry land.  For insurance purposes, the word "rising" in this definition is the key to distinguishing flood damage from water damage.  Generally, damage caused by water that has been on the ground at some point before damaging your home is considered to be flood damage.  A nearby river overflows, heavy rain seeps into your basement or a heavy rain or flash flood causes the hill behind your house to collapse into a mud slide that oozes into your home through a window well or other source.  A standard Flood Insurance policy would apply to this damage. No other insurance will cover flood damage and standard homeowners’ policies do not provide flood coverage.
Homeowners’ policies do provide coverage for many types of water damage to the home. Water damage is considered to occur when water damages your home before the water comes in contact with the ground - such as a hailstorm smashing a window allowing water in; heavy rain soaks through the roof allowing water into the attic and ceiling; a broken water pipe.
A coverage no home should be without is sewer and water backup coverage.  This is specifically designed to provide coverage for the backup of sewer and drains in the event your sump pump fails or if the city sewer overflows and it enters your home.
Therefore we recommend you review your homeowner’s insurance policy to make sure you are adequately insured.  We hope this offers a better understanding of your coverage and invite you to contact us in the event you have any questions whatsoever.

If you or someone you know is going to be involved in a wedding this spring or summer, you might want to consider wedding insurance.  Travelers Insurance offers a Wedding Protector Plan which provides coverage in the event that something goes wrong.
 
What if the reception venue goes out of business a month befor the wedding?  Or what if severe weather causes cancellation?  What about having the wedding dress damaged or stolen or having the bride or groom becoming suddenly ill and unable to attend?  These and a variety of other sudden or unexpected occurences can be covered with insurance that will provide reimbursement for lost deposits or additional expenses.
 
The average wedding can now cost well above $20,000.  Our access to the Travelers policy can not only provide a bride, groom and their family liability coverage for the event, but also the security in knowing that all is not lost if something does go wrong.

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Fire is a very real threat in the home. While you might have home insurance to cover the loss of your home and possessions, a life is irreplaceable. You might have good intentions for making an emergency escape plan and buying fire extinguishers and smoke alarms, but never quite gotten around to putting these measures into place. Now might be the perfect time to fireproof your home, and to update your homeowners’ policy with your Illinois insurance agent.

One of the, often, misunderstood components of insurance is the deductible. This is the amount of money that is an out of pocket expense payable when you make a claim – each time you make one on any of your policies. You may have had it explained to you when you bought your IL policies initially, but you may, like many people, have forgotten all about it until your first claim.