When should you review your life insurance coverage

Life insurance is something most people never think about. It isn’t going to be dinner conversation and if you are looking for answers you probably have no idea who might be able to help. You may not even be aware of how much life insurance you have especially if it is provided by your employer. Considering how important life insurance is to anyone who counts on you, this is pretty reckless. If you live in or near Sandpoint ID The Insurance Shop USA has experienced agents who will be more than happy to sit down with you and discuss the amount of life insurance you have and how much you should have. 

When you change jobs

If you are one of the many people who get all or most of their life insurance through work, when you leave your employment it is a good time to think about having control of your life insurance. While life insurance through a benefits package is a nice supplement, having your own policy through your insurance agent is a good financial idea. You can determine the amount and the term of your policy. 

You add dependents

When you get married or have children it changes pretty much everything. You need to make sure you have the correct beneficiary on your policy as well as adequate coverage for the future protection of your family. 

When you retire

As you enter this new phase of your life, finances can become an issue. You may be looking for ways to lessen your expenses. The amount of life insurance you had when your children were young is not the same amount you need in your retirement. You still need enough life insurance to provide for any dependent you currently have and your final expenses. 

Contact The Insurance Shop USA in Sandpoint, ID for all your life insurance needs. 

Wedding insurance: Do I need it?

Weddings are pricey events that take lots of time and effort to happen. Most people believe that with proper planning, everything will go well. However perfect you want things to be, anything can go wrong. From sudden car accidents that leave your Sandpoint, ID uncle healing injuries to stolen gifts and natural disasters that render the venue inaccessible, you may want to consider buying wedding insurance to provide you with the peace of mind you need on your big day. So do you need wedding insurance? Of course, you do, and here are the reasons.

Wedding insurance covers a wide range of perils

Depending on the type of wedding insurance you choose, a wedding insurance policy can help protect your wedding from various accidents that could completely ruin your big day. Some of the accidents covered include injuries, extreme weather, wedding attire, military duty, and photos.

You can cancel the wedding

Wedding insurance allows you to cancel your wedding up to the last minute. Your insurance provider reimburses you all the money spent in the event. However, there are exceptions where the policyholder may not be allowed to change heart or mind. Our insurance experts at The Insurance Shop USA can help you with solid advice on which coverages to buy. You just need to ask.

You get the peace of mind that you need

Weddings can be particularly mind-draining, especially if you are doing everything by yourself. There is so much to worry about like your photographer fails to show up, or the groom’s parents’ flight to Sandpoint, ID getting canceled, or the reception space going out of business. All these can be worrying, but not when you have wedding insurance, as you only need to postpone till things get clear.

Planning to wed soon? Enjoy your big day with the assurance that everything will go well. At The Insurance Shop USA, we’ve got everything it takes to ensure your wedding is perfect and things go as planned. Contact us today!

What Is an Umbrella Insurance Policy?

Having liability insurance is a must in today’s world. There are so many accidents that happen, and medical bills are so expensive, that it makes sense to have insurance policies that include liability coverage. For many, umbrella insurance policies provide that much-needed coverage. If you are interested in umbrella insurance, call us at The Insurance Shop USA in Sandpoint, ID.

Home and Liability Coverage

If you are a homeowner, you have home insurance that covers a wide range of mishaps. A small part of that coverage is for your liability for incidents that happen to third parties. However, this coverage is quite low in most cases. If a serious accident were to occur, you might not be able to pay the medical bills. That’s when people get umbrella coverage. These policies supplement your home insurance and provide you with an enormous amount of coverage, and they cost relatively little. 

Auto and Liability Coverage

Auto insurance, too, comes with a small amount for liability. A serious accident will max out that payment amount and leave you paying the rest out of pocket. But with umbrella insurance, you get far more liability coverage than your auto policy contains. Once the auto policy has paid all that it will for an accident, your umbrella insurance begins to pay that overage, and it has a much higher maximum payout. 

You Need Liability Coverage

With lawsuits so plentiful and medical bills so expensive, it’s a good idea to have a high amount of liability coverage for both your home and vehicle. If you want to add to your liability coverage with an umbrella policy, call us at The Insurance Shop USA in Sandpoint, ID. 

Coverage Options of Boat Insurance

You are excited to hit the water on your new boat but before you do, you should ensure that the investment you have made in your new purchase is protected. The best way to protect your boat is through a boat insurance policy and the agents at The Insurance Shop USA in Sandpoint, ID have the experience to assist you with your boat insurance policy.

Boat and Watercraft Requirements in Idaho

Most states do require boat owners to obtain a boat insurance policy for watercraft but the marina in which you chose to dock your boat may require a boat insurance policy to be in place. Whether you are required to have one or not, it is a great idea to have coverage to protect your investment and provide you with peace of mind so you can truly relax while enjoying time on your boat.

Types of Boat and Watercraft Insurance Coverages

There are several boat and watercraft insurance coverage options available, including liability insurance, which will protect you if someone is injured in an accident on your boat or with your boat. This type of boat insurance policy will pay the medical bills for someone that is injured in an accident that is determined to be your fault or any damage that occurs from an accident to other people’s property. This also includes passengers on your boat in the event one of them is injured while riding on your boat or other watercraft.

Comprehensive coverage is the main type of boat insurance that will protect your investment. Also, if you obtained a loan to purchase your boat, the lender you borrowed the money from may require that you have a comprehensive insurance policy in place to protect the investment they have made in your boat. This type of policy will cover your boat if it is damaged or destroyed by a fire, natural disaster, or vandalism. Also, if your boat or other watercraft is stolen, this part of your policy will help you replace it.

 Collision insurance is a type of coverage that will cover the repairs to your boat if it is damaged due to a collision with another boat or object, such as the dock.

To obtain a boat insurance policy that is best for you and your beloved boat, call upon the boat insurance agents at The Insurance Shop USA in Sandpoint, ID today to get your policy started.

What Is an Umbrella Insurance Policy?

More Coverage

An umbrella insurance policy boosts other policies that you have to provide you with an umbrella of protection. If you think you need an umbrella policy, or you want to find out more about them, call us at The Insurance Shop USA in Sandpoint, ID to find out more about these helpful policies. 

Umbrella Insurance

For people who already have an auto policy and a homeowners’ policy in place, this type of coverage provides more coverage, over the maximum of those policies. The policy entails that the first insurance policy, either the home or the auto policy, has to pay out to its maximum coverage before the umbrella policy kicks in. When it does, it has a substantially larger maximum than either the home or auto policies. This allows for a much higher payout should the worst happen. 

Liability Coverage

The extra coverage that umbrella insurance gives to the insured is in the form of liability insurance. This covers accidents and other incidents that are judged to be the insured’s fault. It also provides liability coverage for other occasions that are not carried in homeowners’ policies. This allows you to get the payout you need when accidents happen instead of having to pay out of pocket for the liability portion. And, this type of insurance costs far less than it would cost to raise your liability maximums on your home and auto policies. 

Getting Umbrella Coverage

If you don’t want to pay far too much for extra liability coverage on your home and auto policies, call us at The Insurance Shop USA in Sandpoint, ID to make an appointment with an agent who can help you decide how much insurance you really need to keep your financial future safer. 

How does boat insurance protect someone?

In the Sandpoint, ID area, the warm weather during the summer and fall months can make it a great place to own a boat. When you have a boat here, you will always have a way to enjoy all of the amazing recreational options in the area. If you do get a boat here, you also need to make sure that you get into the right insurance policy. A boat insurance policy can protect someone in a number of ways.

Insurance Will Provide Liability Protection

While operating a boat in this area is generally a safe activity, accidents do happen. Even if you are a safe boat operator, there is a chance that you could cause an accident while you are using it. If this does occur, you will have to pay for damages that are caused. When you get a boat insurance policy, you will receive the protection and support that you need to offset this risk.

Insurance Protects Assets

Beyond receiving liability protection, you will also receive coverage for your boat. Buying a boat or other watercraft will take considerable investment and it is very important that you protect this as well as you can. If you do get a boat insurance policy, it will give you the coverage that is needed to repair or replace your boat if it is stolen or damaged. 

Overall, getting boat insurance in the Sandpoint, ID area is a good idea for anyone that owns a boat. If you are a boat owner here, you should call The Insurance Shop USA. The team at The Insurance Shop USA knows how important it is that you get this insurance. If you do get this type of insurance protection it can give you the support that you need to protect you and your asset. 

Top 5 Considerations When You’re Getting Wedding Insurance

If you’re planning your wedding, something you may overlook yet is extremely important is wedding insurance. There’s so much preparation that goes into a wedding, you don’t want to have yet another thing to worry about when it comes to losses and damage. An agent from The Insurance Shop USA of Sandpoint, ID can assist you.

Here are some things to keep in mind when getting this insurance.

Do Your Research and Ask Around

Do you have a family member, friend, co-worker, or neighbor who recently got married and used wedding insurance? If so, you’ll want to get their opinions on different companies as well as recommendations.

In addition, it’s a good idea to check out review websites to get more information about the companies you have in mind for wedding insurance. In most cases, they’ll have endorsements from brides/grooms as well as from reception venues.

What Type of Insurance Do You Need?

There are a few different policy types under wedding insurance. This includes wedding liability and wedding cancelation policies. You’ll want to make sure you can get both Liability or Cancelation individually or together as a package if the company offers this option.

Insurance Isn’t Just for High-End Weddings

Don’t avoid getting insurance for your wedding just because you’re not spending much on it. Whether your wedding costs $10,000 or $100,000, you’ll want protection in place if someone is injured or if you end up needing to cancel it.

Optimal Levels of Coverage

It’s important that you have coverage for a wide range of accidents and issues. Consider the specific risk factors involved (weather, if you’re hiring multiple vendors such as photographers and a catering company, etc.) and explain this to your insurance agent. Examples of scenarios that are covered include theft of your gifts at the reception, severe weather events such as hurricanes, lost or damaged photographs, wedding relocation, and sickness and injuries keeping key wedding participants from being there.

Understand the Terms and Ask Questions

If you’re confused about some of the language in your policy documents or offerings from the insurance company, take the time to ask your agent. It helps to understand everything fully and avoid the headache later on if you expect something to be covered and it isn’t, or the coverage limits are different than you assumed.

Reach out to us at The Insurance Shop USA of the Sandpoint, ID area with your questions and concerns. We’ll help you get the best possible wedding insurance to put your mind at ease so you can enjoy this special time.

Am I required to have renters insurance?

If you rent an apartment or house, it’s always a good idea to have renters insurance to hedge against the unknown. With that in mind, your legal obligation to have a policy is situation-dependent. In either case, The Insurance Shop USA would be a good place to start looking if you’re in need of a policy within Sandpoint, ID.

The main instance in which you would be on the hook to purchase renters insurance is if your landlord has it as a requirement in your contract. It can come at the benefit of the landlord to require insurance as it mitigates future disputes over damaged property or their legal liability.

If it’s not in your contract, you are free to choose whether you need renters insurance or not. Landlords will typically have their own insurance policy to cover structural damage and their side of liability issues. More than likely, this will not extend over to your personal property or liability. This is why it would be highly advisable to have your own, as a policy can be used to cover your personal possessions or furniture.

Having guests in your apartment is also a risk factor that makes renters insurance handy. Imagine if someone has an accident in your apartment and puts the blame on you for their medical bills. Having enough coverage would allow you to avoid the financial and legal headache to come.

If your apartment is left uninhabitable after a certain disaster, it’s possible to have living expenses included in your policy while your apartment is being restored.

When you’ve come to the conclusion that you need renters insurance, be sure to check out the website of The Insurance Shop USA to shop around for options within Sandpoint, ID.

How Condo Insurance Protects You

Whether you just bought a brand-new condo or have had it for a while, you should consider purchasing insurance to protect it. Investing in a condo is similar to buying a single-family home in that it is your house and all of the things inside are precious to you. When you talk with your insurance agents at The Insurance Shop USA in Sandpoint, ID, they’ll discuss your options and help you decide what coverage you’ll like based on your needs.

What Is Condo Insurance?

Condo insurance is protection for you just in case damage happens to your belongings. The protection is there to replace what you’ve lost and repair any damages. In Idaho, you can purchase what’s known as a unit-owner policy. With a unit-owner policy, you’ll have protection against damages due to a fire, vandalism, theft, or any other hazards that are covered under your policy.

Why You Need Protection for Your Condo

While your condo association should have insurance that covers the exterior building and grounds, you should have coverage for the interior portion of the unit you’re living in. If a fire starts outside of your building and travels to your home causing damage to your belongings, the association will be able to take care of the repairs for the property outside, the building’s exterior, and any items that were part of the unit, such as the refrigerator and stove. You would be responsible for taking care of the costs for your belongings, like furniture and clothing. The interior floors, ceilings, and walls should also be protected with your coverage.

What to do Next

Once you’ve looked over your condo association’s insurance policy, then head to The Insurance Shop USA. If you’re in or near Sandpoint, ID, their associates will be able to get you started with insurance for your condo.

3 Things You Should Know About Religious Institute Insurance

A place of worship is a pivotal place for a community. From the ceremonial to the practical, it plays a role in our daily life that can never be taken for granted. Protecting a religious institute in Sandpoint, ID starts with understanding how the right kind of insurance policy can make a difference. The Insurance Shop USA wants you to know the following. 

Technical Protection 

Religious institutes aren’t generally known for their IT expertise, which can make them a target when it comes to cybercriminals. Just one hack can open the door to countless liability issues, both amongst staff and congregants. The right policy can ensure that you have the protection you need in case of an exposure. 

Protection from Errors 

The staff works with people on an everyday basis, often offering counseling and support across a wide variety of concerns and issues. This can leave the organization open to liability if someone is negatively affected by the advice or guidance they receive. You can build your policy to ensure that you have help when you need it from an accusation. 

Your Partner Matters 

Who you choose to partner with for religious institute insurance in Sandpoint, ID is just as important as what kind of policy you select. Having a tailor-made contract just for you means that you get all of the protection you need and nothing you don’t. But just what kind of protection do you really need? At The Insurance Shop USA, we find out more about who you work with, what kinds of programs you have, and what you hope to do in the future. With that information in hand, we work to create a policy that will keep you covered today while still planning for tomorrow.