Thoughtful insurance guy

So, I'll be the first to admit, I'm a bit stumped. Giving away a pair of $10 Chevron gas cards with no difficult barrier to enter, and I get a total of 3 entries over two separate contests. The most recent contest has just a single entry! I thought for sure this would generate more interest, but perhaps I'm looking at things the wrong way.

So, I'll pose the question to you! Do you want more interactive things, like the insurance quizzes? More informational stuff, like the occasional "did you know?" type posts? Or would you be happier if it was SactoFoodAndPleaseStopTalkingAboutBoringInsurance?

Inquiring insurance guys want to know! I want to educate, but I also don't want to bore folks.

LasVegasFoodAndInsurance?

So it turns out that insurance guys need a break every now and then. Go figure! I'm still working in the local insurance mines for now, but I'll soon be spending a few days relaxing in Las Vegas! Fun stuff indeed, but, I have a bit of a question on my mind, and it involves food, of course.

Here's the thing: with no car to drive around, where are some good eats close to the strip? I don't need anything super-fancy (though I won't turn it down if it's incredible!), I do prefer hole-in-the-wall, and I won't turn my nose up at food trucks (in fact, I'd love to sample a new one!) or anything a little bizarre.

With that criteria in mind, does anyone have a spot or two to look into?

So, you think you know home insurance?

It's that time again! If you've been following me at all, you may have seen my similar contest on car insurance several months back. This time around, it's all about home insurance. Keep in mind, this isn't just for owned homes. This is about home insurance, renter's insurance or condo insurance.

Now, same as last time, take this quiz and leave me a comment OR Tweet at me at @SactoFoodAndIns with your answers. I won't judge this on the number of answers correct! This isn't a contest to see who can Google things, but really to test your own knowledge to make sure you really "get" your policy. For one random California resident who submits their answers, a $10 Chevron gas card is on me.

Question 1) What are the two main occurrences NOT covered under standard home insurance policies in California?

Question 2) True or false: The best way to compare different home insurance companies is to have them quote you using the exact same coverage as each other.

Question 3) True or false: Like auto insurance, you can only be surcharged for "at-fault" claims on your home insurance.

Question 4) True or false: A home that you own and reside in will be insured with a different type of policy than one that you own but rent out.

Question 5) Of the following, which three have limited coverage under most home policies in California: computers, TVs, jewelry, sports cards, designer clothing, furniture, video game consoles, or appliances.

Easy, right? Comment or Tweet away, and just make sure to leave me a way to contact you if you're the lucky winner. I'll select the winner on Thursday, 9/1!

Feeling good. Looking similar (?)

There's something about getting healthy. The world just looks, sounds and feels a heck of a lot better. Combine that with a haircut and a freshly cleaned suit, and things just look good.

Don't confuse this with me being vain! Quite the opposite. I'm the first person to crack a joke about my overall looks (a leftover from Jr. High School), but I do clean up decently when the stars align.

Now the big question: will this help me sell anything? The answer: probably not. I've been doing quite well while recovering from a cold while having borderline unruly hair, but man, I just FEEL good today. Let's hope this is a trend for the week!

Flash mobs

Maybe it's because I'm planning to marry someone who's worked as a dance teacher for much of her life, but I've always really been intrigued by the idea of a flash mob. Not so much being IN one (though I wouldn't rule it out), but just seeing them. Or just liking the idea. I'm really not sure.

Lo and behold, today, while eating a burrito over by the Arden Fair Mall, I witnessed a small flash mob. I was enjoying some lunch with a couple of fellow insurance guys, when Justin Bieber's "Baby" started blasting mid-bite, and I turn around to see a group of mothers dancing around with their small children and strollers. Pretty interesting thing to see.

Putting on my insurance guy hat for a second though, that type of thing must driver building or property management crazy. 20+ people suddenly breaking into dance, involving things on wheels? I'm pretty sure your liability risk just went up a ton.

Let's Get Life Insurance-y!

Taking a break from my normal chatter about eating and food-related topics, I do have a pretty serious topic to give folks a nudge about: life insurance.

I run into a strange occurence with my clients: people have it through work (which is good!) but don't know how much they have, and are still convinced that they have enough (which is bad).

The strange thing about it is that with home or car insurance, my clients are extremely interested in making sure they have enough coverage. I've been grilled for hours with various questions about how one thing will be covered, if they have enough coverage for this type of accident, etc. But I very rarely get that about life insurance! I just get the, "I have coverage already" response, and no more.

Please, do yourself a favor and make sure. Do your homework and see if the coverage you have is enough! If the answer is no, just tell me no. I definitely won't be offended. But also, don't think that $25,000 coverage through work is realistically going to be enough if you're married, have a child, and have a mortgage to pay. If you're in a dual income household, that's just a drop in the bucket. Having coverage through work is a great start, especially because it's usually quite inexpensive. But just having that likely won't be enough.

Bottom-line: get a trusted professional to review things with you. If you know and trust your advisor, you likely won't have to worry about any sort of high-pressure tactics. You might be surprised at how inexpensive coverage can be if you're healthy!

There's a first time for everything

I found out that I was sick. And do you know what? For the first time since the days of elementary school, I was happy to find out that I was sick. Because I thought I was just losing my mind. Turns out I had a nice fever going and somehow didn't realize it!

So, word to the wise: if you can help it, don't go to work with a fever. If you do, you might end up like me and forget lunch, and then spend hours later in the day trying to remember what in the world you did for two hours instead of eating.

Normal posting to resume soon now that I've rediscoved my brain!