It's been a little overwhelming at work these days! Luckily, not all things are bad. On the food front, things have been quite positive. These days, it's been more of a cooking thing than a restaurant thing, and I think I can mainly thank Food Network for that.
First off, if you haven't heard of Jeff Mauro, go do your research. He may be the best thing to happen to food-based television in some time. He is the self-proclaimed "sandwich king", and we've been poaching his recipes since he came on TV. Oddly enough, we're taking some of his sandwich-based ideas and bringing them back to a fork and knife deal, but it's still delcious. For example, his Schnitzel Biscuit. We just took some of the basics and ran with it. It worked out very well, and I'm aching to try a few more of his ideas too! I don't think I've ever run into a show that makes me want to create meals quite so badly.
Even with football season in full swing, take a moment on your Sundays to check out his show. It's highly worth it!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Difficult times
This past Friday, I probably had to field the most difficult phone call I've ever taken.
I won't go too far in-depth to respect the privacy of my clients, but I received a call that a client of mine who I have worked with regularly in the past few years passed away late last month. As her insurance advisor, I now have the difficult task of working to make sure that her life insurance is paid out to her family quickly.
As someone who deals with life insurance, you logically know that you need it, and that it's an important thing, but only when you're really confronted with it do you really understand. The money will not replace her by any means, but it lessens the financial stress that comes along with such an extremely difficult time.
My thoughts and prayers are with my client's family.
I won't go too far in-depth to respect the privacy of my clients, but I received a call that a client of mine who I have worked with regularly in the past few years passed away late last month. As her insurance advisor, I now have the difficult task of working to make sure that her life insurance is paid out to her family quickly.
As someone who deals with life insurance, you logically know that you need it, and that it's an important thing, but only when you're really confronted with it do you really understand. The money will not replace her by any means, but it lessens the financial stress that comes along with such an extremely difficult time.
My thoughts and prayers are with my client's family.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Of Bake Sales and Insurance
You wouldn't really think of an insurance office as a place for a bake sale, but hey, you probably don't think of food when you think insurance at all! As the title of my blog may indicate, I love both food AND insurance. It turns out I also love a good cause!
Every year since I've joined up with my current company, I've helped to raise money for the American Cancer Society leading up to their walk in Sacramento each October. It's a great cause that I was turned onto by a co-worker of mine who is a breast cancer survivor. I had never really taken notice of a particular cause up until I happened to meet her, but she's a fantastic woman, and I can't imagine that I'd have taken in all of the knowledge and experience that I have if I didn't have the opportunity to work with her. Now I do what I can each year to help contribute to a cause that she cares deeply about!
So with October coming up shortly, the charity bake sales start up again. So in addition to my normal insurancely-duties, I'll also be baking and hustling all over my building to sell delicious baked goods every other Friday.
You knew it was coming, but here comes the pitch: I'll be taking contributions of baked goods. Any monies taken in from their sales go directly to the American Cancer Society. The first bake sale will be on Friday, September 16th.
On my end, I'm thinking I'll likely go simple with some Rice Crispy squares, but I might get a little fancy and try something like Amish Friendship Bread, or a cake, or something wild like that. I don't bake a ton, but for a good cause, I'll give things a shot.
Every year since I've joined up with my current company, I've helped to raise money for the American Cancer Society leading up to their walk in Sacramento each October. It's a great cause that I was turned onto by a co-worker of mine who is a breast cancer survivor. I had never really taken notice of a particular cause up until I happened to meet her, but she's a fantastic woman, and I can't imagine that I'd have taken in all of the knowledge and experience that I have if I didn't have the opportunity to work with her. Now I do what I can each year to help contribute to a cause that she cares deeply about!
So with October coming up shortly, the charity bake sales start up again. So in addition to my normal insurancely-duties, I'll also be baking and hustling all over my building to sell delicious baked goods every other Friday.
You knew it was coming, but here comes the pitch: I'll be taking contributions of baked goods. Any monies taken in from their sales go directly to the American Cancer Society. The first bake sale will be on Friday, September 16th.
On my end, I'm thinking I'll likely go simple with some Rice Crispy squares, but I might get a little fancy and try something like Amish Friendship Bread, or a cake, or something wild like that. I don't bake a ton, but for a good cause, I'll give things a shot.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
So, you think you know Home Insurance? The answers!
I have to thank those of you who captained the last-minute charge to answer some of these questions! It's much appreciated that you took the time to go over these, and I hope you take something away from it! Other than the one of you that wins the gift card, of course.
And without further delay, I give you... the answers.
Question 1) What are the two main occurrences NOT covered under standard home insurance policies in California?
ANSWER: Flood and earthquake. They are both covered under separate policies. Seems like most people knew this one, but it is still something to keep in mind. Especially flood insurance in Sacramento!
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.
ANSWER: False. It seems logical enough to do a direct comparison, but think of it like this: if you employ this technique, and the first person led you astray or somehow got something wrong, you might not know it for years. Also, different companies employ different ways of evaluating how much insurance you'll actually need. If one company says your home can be rebuilt for $175k, and another says $200k, they're both probably correct, but only for the given company. Lastly, some companies have coverage options that others do not, and by ignoring them, you could be missing out on savings, great coverage, etc. Phew! That all being said, if you trust your insurance agent, let them help guide you a bit. I think I tricked most of you on this one, but now you know!
Question 3) True or false: Like auto insurance, you can only be surcharged for "at-fault" claims on your home insurance.
ANSWER: False. With auto insurance, a claim is generally only held against you if you caused it. So if someone hits you, your insurance doesn't go up. Not so with home insurance! Even if you're robbed, your insurance CAN go up. This varies with companies (I've seen some companies hold you responsible for weather claims, some do not) but the rule-of-thumb is that ANY claim over a certain dollar can be held against you. Only the ex insurance agent got that one!
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.
ANSWER: True. Everyone got this right. If you own a home and rent it out, you need a different policy than if you own and reside in a home. As a friend of mine was quick to point out, renter's insurance is also a concern here and frankly, you should strongly consider it if you haven't looked into it. It's inexpensive and can get you out of a jam.
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.
ANSWER: Computers, jewelry and sports cards. Now mind you, this is just going from what I know. You may run into carriers that have minor variations here, but in general, those are the limits you'll see. Two of these (computers and jewelry) are relatively reasy to increase coverage for, but sports cards are tough. Being a collector myself, I had to jump through a few hopes to get proper help there. A lot of folks picked designer clothing, but I've never seen any sort of limits there. Expensive taste in clothing won't get you in a bind, apparently.
And of course, we have the matter of the $10 Chevron card. I'm plugging the entrants into Random.org, and your random winner is...
Susan B, aka YetAnotherSusan on Twitter! Comment or Tweet at me when you have a moment. I'll need your mailing address to send your prize on over, unless you'd prefer dropping by the dreaded insurance mines that I work in. Your call!
And without further delay, I give you... the answers.
Question 1) What are the two main occurrences NOT covered under standard home insurance policies in California?
ANSWER: Flood and earthquake. They are both covered under separate policies. Seems like most people knew this one, but it is still something to keep in mind. Especially flood insurance in Sacramento!
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.
ANSWER: False. It seems logical enough to do a direct comparison, but think of it like this: if you employ this technique, and the first person led you astray or somehow got something wrong, you might not know it for years. Also, different companies employ different ways of evaluating how much insurance you'll actually need. If one company says your home can be rebuilt for $175k, and another says $200k, they're both probably correct, but only for the given company. Lastly, some companies have coverage options that others do not, and by ignoring them, you could be missing out on savings, great coverage, etc. Phew! That all being said, if you trust your insurance agent, let them help guide you a bit. I think I tricked most of you on this one, but now you know!
Question 3) True or false: Like auto insurance, you can only be surcharged for "at-fault" claims on your home insurance.
ANSWER: False. With auto insurance, a claim is generally only held against you if you caused it. So if someone hits you, your insurance doesn't go up. Not so with home insurance! Even if you're robbed, your insurance CAN go up. This varies with companies (I've seen some companies hold you responsible for weather claims, some do not) but the rule-of-thumb is that ANY claim over a certain dollar can be held against you. Only the ex insurance agent got that one!
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.
ANSWER: True. Everyone got this right. If you own a home and rent it out, you need a different policy than if you own and reside in a home. As a friend of mine was quick to point out, renter's insurance is also a concern here and frankly, you should strongly consider it if you haven't looked into it. It's inexpensive and can get you out of a jam.
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.
ANSWER: Computers, jewelry and sports cards. Now mind you, this is just going from what I know. You may run into carriers that have minor variations here, but in general, those are the limits you'll see. Two of these (computers and jewelry) are relatively reasy to increase coverage for, but sports cards are tough. Being a collector myself, I had to jump through a few hopes to get proper help there. A lot of folks picked designer clothing, but I've never seen any sort of limits there. Expensive taste in clothing won't get you in a bind, apparently.
And of course, we have the matter of the $10 Chevron card. I'm plugging the entrants into Random.org, and your random winner is...
Susan B, aka YetAnotherSusan on Twitter! Comment or Tweet at me when you have a moment. I'll need your mailing address to send your prize on over, unless you'd prefer dropping by the dreaded insurance mines that I work in. Your call!
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