As you make your way through your spring cleaning checklist, don’t forget to dig out your insurance policies and look them over. Below are some of the reviewable elements of your home, life and auto insurance policies.

Homeowners Insurance

1. Make sure you’re not overpaying for insufficient coverage
Experts say the top insurance mistake is being underinsured, which happens when you fail to update your coverage as your property, lifestyle or needs change.
Take the time to assess those changes and determine where you need to adjust your insurance coverage. For example, if you like to entertain at home, consider increasing your liability coverage and purchasing a separate umbrella policy.
Umbrella liability policies typically offer a minimum of $1 million of additional liability protection and cost just a few hundred dollars a year.

2. Pay attention to increased rates
Insurance companies don’t always tell you how much your rates increased on renewals. While doing your spring cleaning, grab last year’s documents and compare the rates for yourself. If your rates rose by five percent or more, call your insurance agent and ask them to explain the increase.
Knowing whether the increase resulted from changes in your risk profile or from general increases in the marketplace can help you negotiate and shop for comparisons.

3. Learn how to lower your premium
You may be eligible for discounts that can lower your homeowners insurance premium. Our golden rule is to ask! You may miss out out savings if you don’t ask what is available.

4. Make sure you have enough personal property insurance
Most people do not take the time to inventory their personal possessions, and often do not have enough personal property insurance as a result. Homeowners should be careful not to overlook their belongings as a way to keep insurance costs down.
It is very likely that you have added new belongings to your home over the last year. If so, now is the time to inventory those belongings and ensure you have the right type of coverage for the actual value of your property.
Most consumers automatically accept the amount of contents coverage named in their policy. Instead, read the policies carefully to make sure there are no gaps in coverage, and check the dollar limits and excluded causes for personal property.
It is in your best interest to raise the dollar limit if necessary, as it will help you better replace or recover the value of your possessions if disaster strikes.
Having an updated list and video footage of your belongings could help you recover the true worth of your belongings.

Life Insurance
If you have a life insurance policy, you should make sure to review its principal points at least once a year,  including beneficiary, benefit amount, term, loans and cash value.

1. Update your beneficiaries
Many of us forget to update our policies when circumstances change. Life events such as marriage, getting divorced or having children should prompt you to update your beneficiaries. The beneficiary designations on your life insurance policy will trump any other documents you’ve created outlining your beneficiaries, so ensure that they match!

2. Review the term of your policy
If you have term life insurance, it’s important to know when the term ends. An annual review will prevent a term policy expiration from sneaking up on you. If you are caught unaware, you may face a major premium hike.
Some term policies may be convertible to permanent insurance on their anniversary, which others may be convertible at the end of their term.

3. Assess the amount of your policy
Make sure the amount of your life insurance policy is still appropriate for its intentions and for your financial situation.
Take time to evaluate what you intend for the benefits to cover. Are you hoping to fund your burial expenses, or provide college tuition for your children? Does your policy provide sufficient coverage for these needs? If not, it may be time to look into additional coverage.
If your personal wealth has increased significantly in the last year, you may consider more life insurance in order to protect your family from estate taxes.

Auto insurance

1. Reassess your comprehensive/collision coverage
If you have collision and comprehensive coverage, take time to make sure the limits are adequate, or whether you still need it. If you don’t have the coverage, consider whether it’s time to add it.
If you’re driving an older car worth less than $1,000 – or less than 10 times the insurance premium – having comprehensive or collision coverage may no longer make sense. Dropping either the comprehensive or collision coverage may reduce your premium.

2. Ask about any new discounts.
Ask about any discounts that you may qualify for, such as:

• Multi-vehicle discount
• Good student discount
• Safe driver discount
• Loyalty discount
• Resident student discount

If you don’t drive very often, providing your insurance agent with your low mileage estimate could save you money. You may also receive discount if you belong to professional associations and organizations.

For questions about your insurance or to get a quote, contact us today!

Keeping your house clean is especially important in these trying times of COVID-19 right now. Are you tired of spending money on multiple cleaning products that take up a lot of space? Often, with just a few simple ingredients, you can make your own cleaning solutions at home. Most homemade cleaning products are a fraction of the cost and are typically better for your health and the environment. Get started with these five everyday cleaning solutions:

1. Clean and deodorize your kitchen. Mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 quart of warm water in a spray bottle for a kitchen cleaner you can safely use on most counter top surfaces and appliances. It makes stainless steel shine and freshens up the inside of a refrigerator. 
2. Make your shower sparkle. Combine 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Place in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds then pour into a spray bottle. Spray, then let sit for three to five minutes before wiping clean.
3. Scrub your toilet bowl without toxic fumes. Use a glass bowl and wooden spoon to combine 2 cups of baking soda with 100 drops of a disinfecting essential oil, such as tea tree or lavender – this makes enough for about 30 cleanings. Transfer to an airtight glass jar, and store outside of the bathroom. To clean, place 1 tablespoon of the baking soda mixture into the toilet bowl then sprinkle more around the sides. Next, add 2 cups of regular 5% distilled white vinegar. The vinegar and baking soda should begin to foam. Scrub the bowl with a toilet bowl brush, let the solution sit for 15 minutes and flush.
4. Get smudge-free, fresh-smelling windows and mirrors. Mix 2 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol and 5 drops of peppermint essential oil in a spray bottle. Wipe down with a microfiber cloth.
5. Clean surfaces naturally.  Combine 3/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle with seven drops each of tea tree oil and lavender oil. You can swap the rubbing alcohol for distilled white vinegar, but do not use any vinegar solution on granite, marble, natural stone or hardwood.6

When making your own cleaning solutions, be sure to follow each recipe carefully to avoid damaging surfaces or mixing potentially toxic combinations. Baking soda, distilled white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and dish soap are the most common homemade cleaning product ingredients. Get that fresh, just-cleaned smell with the addition of lemon or essential oils. When combined, used alone or diluted with water, you can clean just about anything.
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Reposted with permission from BlueChoice Health Plan.