In this new “economic norm,” many consumers are looking for ways to save money where they can. Everyone has to have auto insurance, but there are ways you can save on the premium. Some could be instant savings, some of these suggestions will take a little time.

First, lets briefly discuss what not to eliminate. Do not reduce your liability limits. At no time should you be covered for less than you comfortably can afford. Liability protects you and your assets, this is not where you want to cut expenses. You are required to carry uninsured motorist (covering YOU in the event you are involved in an accident and the other person is legally liable and has no insurance,) but underinsured motorist is optional. This protection will give you coverage if someone does not have enough insurance to cover your phyiscal damages or injuries when they are legally liable. Remember, this covers YOU. It typically is not an expensive coverage to have on your policy and should be purchased.

Now lets look at ways to reduce the cost of auto insurance. Keep in mind that all companies price their coverage differently, but for the most part, they all use similar key elements in creating their pricing structure that has to be approved by the state insurance department.

Those suggestions that can make an immediate impact on your rate-

1-Check for all discounts. Often a company will allow discounts and you may not be getting credit for them. Call your agent and ask about all the discounts they offer and see if you qualify for any of them. Among some of the ones offered could be; safe driver discount, defensive driving discount, good grades by a student driver in the household, multi policy discount (having your home, condo or renters policy with the same company,) multi car discount (having more than one vehicle on the policy,) retired discount,  new vehicle discount and ABS brakes (or other saftey features on your vehicle.)  It is important to know that not all companies offer the same discounts or at the same discounted rate, but it does make sense to call your agent and discuss which ones they do offer and you qualify for on your policy.

2-Increase your deductible- Increasing your deductible can give you immediate savings. By taking on more risk yourself (the money you will pay out of pocket in the event you are legally liable for an accident and your vehicle is damaged) the more you will save on the premium. Many companies will offer programs where they reward you by decreasing your deductible (your out of pocket expenses) if you go a certain time period without an accident. So, if you are good driver, you may choose to increase the deductible and save on your monthly premium.  Just be ready to shell out a little more money if you do end up in an accident. We do not plan accidents, they happen, but you can be prepared by having the deductible tucked away in savings.

3- Purchase your new policy future effective- By purchasing your policy in advance of the termination date of your current policy, you could save some money up front. This sounds confusing, but some insurance companies reward you by discounting the premium by buying the policy well in advance of your current policy running out. Example- Say your policy runs out next month on the 1st.  Go to the new insurance company now, write up the policy, make it future effective for the 1st of the month. There is no double coverage, and you get the discount for signing up early. Many insurance companies reward those who plan out their purchase instead of instantly needing the coverage “the day of.”

4-Prior insurance and do not let it lapse- The other tip that plays along with number 3 above is to never let your policy lapse.  Having a gap in coverage could cost you the next time you go purchase insurance.  Some insurance companies give you a discount or a better rate for having a current policy in force. If you have a lapse in coverage, currently do not have insurance on your vehicle or no policy at all, an insurance company sees you as a higher risk. Higher risk drivers will likely get a higher premium.

Now lets discuss the suggestions that may take some time.

5-Clean up your credit.- Most insurance companies have continued to put a great emphasis on your credit score to give you a rate that is set by the company and approved by the state insurance department. According to statistics, insured drivers with good credit have less claims than drivers with poor credit. Therefore, reviewing your credit report, seeing what is on it, cleaning it up, may take some time, but in the long run this could save you some big bucks on your insurance rate. Credit is becoming a larger factor in the insurance rating system and consumers need to be more aware and conscience of their credit.  This is where two consumers almost identical in demographics with identical cars can call the same insurance company and get two totally different rates. With differing credit scores, everyone’s rate is going to vary slightly according to their credit.

6-Improve your driving record.- Probably the one thing many of you did not want to hear, but your driving record plays a big role in your rate. Accidents are big whammies against you, speeding tickets as well. Not to mention your big offenses like DUI and reckless driving. The next time you are speeding through town, punching the gas at a yellow light, or texting while driving your car, think twice. Your rates could be going up as much as $100 a month or more! Some companies use a 3 year standard as they evaluate your driving record and some use other terms such as 5 years. Regardless, your driving record directly affects the rate you pay. The best way to keep your auto insurance rates low is to be a safe driver and keep your record clean as a whistle.

Auto insurance is not rocket science, but it does take a little understanding in order to make wise purchasing decisions. The most important suggestion is to know your agent. If you have a personal agent that knows you and your families situation, you are more likely to get a tailored policy versus a generic auto insurance policy.  The ease of buying on the internet is nice, but typically, buying insurance on the internet is not cheaper than buying insurance directly from a neighborhood agent. Having an agent that you know, trust and can sit down face to face with makes a big difference not just with price, but with peace of mind. Almost all insurance companies have internet markets, but their rates are usually no different than if you went to their local office around the corner.  Have that face to face meeting with your agent and discuss your auto policy in detail. Know what coverage you need and know what discounts you deserve.

Philip L. Bradley is the CEO The East Cooper Insurance Agency in Charleston, SC. He is licensed in SC for Property and Casualty, Life and Health insurance. He is also a Personal Financial Representative.

www.insuranceofcharleston.com

Please consult your personal insurance agent, financial adviser and legal adviser before making any decisions regarding your personal financial or insurance situation.

Often we leave for vacation, whether its during the holidays or during summer months, and we worry about the safety of our home and belongings. Over the years of handling claims at our agency, we have come up with a few helpful hints that will hopefully give you peace of mind as you are away.

Every home should have a main cut off valve for water coming into your home. Many claims from water damage result from a washing machine, dishwasher, water heater line breaking and causing a continuous flood until you come home. Hours if not days go by as the water continues to cause damage to your home and belongings. Damage can be minimized by turning off the main water valve and preventing anymore than a little water in the line from leaking onto your floors or carpet. If a line were to break or come lose, it will only drain out the water in the line rather than having a continuous flow of water being sent through the line and onto your floors.

Put a timer on your lights. Nothing says, “you’re not home,” like a dark house that is silent for days at a time. Timers can be programed to turn lights on at different times. Set up two or more low wattage lights and give the appearance that someone is still living in the home. Leaving lights on at all doors is also a good idea. If you can put a timer on these lights, it is best so they do not burn during the daytime. Back doors, side doors, sliding glass doors, are all easy marks for a thief in the dark.

Have a friend or neighbor come over and check on the house. Most neighbors do not mind coming over every other day and checking on your home. Making sure doors are locked and nothing has happened like a busted water heater. A house being “cased” by a thief will shy away when they see people using the house or visiting the home. While they are there, have your neighbor move your car in the driveway. Lets charge the battery and give the appearance someone has used that idle car in the driveway.

Stop the press!!! The only thing a stack of newspapers in the driveway tells a thief is that nobody has been home for days! If you do not have a neighbor that can help, at least call the the newspaper and have them stop delivery.  Speaking of delivery… avoid ordering anything that the delivery company will just leave on your doorstep. If a package is delivered, have your neighbor put it inside the house out of site or let the sender know not to send it until you are home again.

Unplug unplug unplug! When you are home and a thunderstorm hits, it is always a good idea to unplug your electronics. When you leave your home for an extended period of time, unplug tv’s, computers, modems, routers, stereos. Not only are they using useless electricity, if lightening strikes, you lose all your valuable electronics and are stuck paying a deductible and filing a claim.

There are many other great safety tips on the web to securing your home when you go on vacation. Please let us know if you have any suggestions. Something you do to your home when you leave that might help others. Perhaps you have a claim experience that you could share with us.

As always, please consult your insurance agent about any questions you have about coverage. Often there are limitations when it comes to theft on certain items, so it is a good idea to know what these limitations are before you have a claim. Most of all, try to prevent a claim from happening. Many of us carry higher deductibles now and that is not money out of pocket you really want to spend.

If you need insurance coverage or advice, please call our office at 843-881-2886. We are happy to help you with all of your insurance needs.

Philip L. Bradley is the CEO The East Cooper Insurance Agency in Charleston, SC. He is licensed in SC for Property and Casualty, Life and Health insurance. He is also a Personal Financial Representative.

www.insuranceofcharleston.com

Please consult your personal insurance agent, financial adviser and legal adviser before making any decisions regarding your personal financial or insurance situation.

Can you believe it has been almost 20 years since Hurricane Hugo? Although Charleston has not been hit directly since then, we are all affected by hurricanes no matter where they hit in the U.S.  Ever since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 Insurance companies have been taking a scientific approach to dealing with hurricane risk. After Katrina, many insurance companies doubled their efforts to protect against the growing risk of future hurricane losses and began to slow down the amount of business (risk) they take along coastal states as well as raised rates. But, there are a few things you can do to lower your rate and precautions you can take to weather the storm.

In addition to what we have written in this article, check out the article from last year at www.insuranceofcharleston.com/news/?cat=6

KNOW YOUR INSURANCE POLICY-

The best advice prior to a storm approaching is to know exactly what your policy covers and does not cover.  For instance, storm surge, a rise of tidal waters due to a low pressure system, is NOT covered under your homeowners insurance policy. Only FLOOD insurance covers storm surge. FEMA regulates flood insurance, but is available at the same price at most insurance agencies.

Check your deductible and know what you will have to pay out of pocket after the storm occurs. Many deductibles are now a percentage of your total insured value of your home. For instance, a $100,000 may have a 5% windstorm deductible which means you will have $5,000 deductible. This special windstorm deductible is different than your regular deductible which could be $500 or $1,000.  Know in advance what your deductible is and make sure that money is tucked away in savings for when you need to use it.

Be sure you are getting all of your discounts. Many insurance companies will offer discounts to you for having hurricane shutters and upgraded building code specs.  Be sure you know what your company offers in ways of discounts and see if you qualify or if the expense of adding shutters etc would be worth the savings.

Talk to your agent. Call your agent and spend some quality time to review your policy. You need to know exactly what your policy covers and make changes to it as you make changes to your home.  Have you added an addition? remodeled a room? Bought new jewelry, antiques or other valuables? If you have, you need to make sure your agent updates the policy to make sure you are covered.

Condo Owner need to review the regime policy for their condo association. Check the regime policy and know if you are responsible for all interior walls or just the wall paper inward.  Having a copy of the regime policy to show your insurance agent is a good idea so he/she can help you evaluate what you need to buy coverage for and what you do not need to spend money on. Also ask the condo association what happens in the event your condo is not livable after a hurricane.  Be sure to have “loss of use” coverage on your policy. This coverage may vary from company to company in name and in coverage, but if your condo is not livable, the insurance company will offer living expenses for renting another condo/apartment/home. Typically “loss of use” has a time and coverage limit. (see a previous article on condo insurance at www.insuranceofcharleston.com/news/?cat=9 )

OTHER TIPS for Hurricane Season-

Take a hard copy of your insurance policy with you when you evacuate. Be sure you have the companies claims hotline to call immediately upon your assessment of the damages.

Take all other important family documents with you when you evacuate.

Inventory your contents- (see article www.insuranceofcharleston.com/news/?cat=6 ) Be sure you have a list of all valuables/contents whether it is written or documented on video.

When you prepare your home for a storm take all patio furniture and grills off of your porch or deck and store inside. (These items can cause a great deal of damage when strong winds move them.) Move all furniture away from windows where water may be blown in. Place towels at door ways or windows to absorb any rain water that may be blown in or seep under a doorway. Unplug all electronic equipment and get them off of the floor level. Garage doors withstand wind better when braced with horizontal bracing such as a 2×4.  Secure all shutters and or plywood over windows. IF you use plywood it should be at least 5/8 inch thick and cover the entire opening of the window or door.  Have an emergency kit, food and clean drinking water for your family.  If you are ordered to evacuate, please take your family to safety immediately.

IF you have any questions about hurricane insurance, please call our agency at 843-881-2886 or send us a contact and ask your question.  Regardless of who you are insured with, please contact your agent and review your policy NOW not later!

Be safe and be prepared!

Philip Bradley

Philip L. Bradley is CEO of The East Cooper Ins Agency in Charleston, SC. He is licensed in property and casualty, life and health insurance in the state of SC. He is also a personal financial representative. For more information, please contact him at Philip@insuranceofcharleston.com or 843-881-2886.

Please consult your insurance professional and or an attorney before making any major decisions regarding insurance or financial decisions.

Do you know that it is perfectly legal to operate a boat on the waterways without insurance? But who would want to make that irresponsible mistake?  Boating responsibly requires that you carry boat insurance. Typically boat insurance is not expensive to purchase and can save you a huge headache if you were to have an accident on the waterways.

Boat insurance is basically like auto insurance. You have physical damage to protect the actual boat, motor and trailer. You crash into a dock, pier, or a tree falls on the boat while parked in your yard, your boat damage will be covered. It will even cover the engine if it is stolen or damaged.

Most importantly, boat insurance carries liability and medical insurance. If you are operating a boat and someone is hurt on your boat, you crash into another boat/dock etc.. the damages that you caused would be covered under your liability or medical protection.  If you are towing a skier behind your boat and that person is injured, you are going to be responsible, therefore you need liability/medical protection.

Remember this too.. If you are towing a boat behind your car and are involved in an at fault accident, the liability coverage for damages you caused will come from the auto insurance not the boat insurance. The damage you caused to your own boat will be covered under your boat insurance policy. (There is no coverage for damages to your boat from your auto policy!)  So both are necessary not just in the water, but out of the water too.

for more information about boat insurance, please call 881-2886 and talk to our customer service team that will help you choose the best boat policy to fit your needs.

So, make sure you do not leave shore without your life jackets, whistle, throw cushion, fire extinguisher, and yes, proof of  boat insurance! Be safe on the water this summer! Happy Boating!

Philip L. Bradley is CEO of The East Cooper Ins Agency in Charleston, SC. He is licensed in property and casualty, life and health insurance in the state of SC. He is also a personal financial representative. For more information, please contact him at Philip@insuranceofcharleston.com or 843-881-2886.

Please consult your insurance professional and or an attorney before making any major choices regarding insurance or financial decisions.

Here is a quick tip for you that one of my subscribers asked me about recently concerning rental reimbursement!

You asked for “full coverage” on your auto insurance policy, but did that include rental reimbursement and what is that anyway?

Typically rental reimbursement can be added to your auto policy for just a few dollars a month. This coverage kicks in when you are in an accident and are liable for the damages. (In other words, you caused the accident.) If your car is in the shop for repairs, you will need a replacement car to drive to and from work etc. Rental reimbursement helps with the cost of this rental car.

Usually you can buy rental reimbursement at different levels. For example, $10 a day reimbursement for 30 days, or $30 a day of rental reimbursement for 30 days. The more coverage you buy, the more expensive this extra coverage will cost you.

If someone else hits you and they are liable for damages, then their liability insurance will pay for your rental car while your car is in the shop getting repaired. Your rental reimbursement would not kick in unless the other driver did not have insurance and you had to rely on your insurance to pay the damages.

Another time that rental reimbursement does not cover you is when you are on vacation and rent a car. This is not what rental reimbursement is used for. Some other plans with credit card companies or motor clubs offer discounts for this type of rental.

Often insurance clients assume they have rental reimbursement and only find out after an accident that they do not have it. Consult your local insurance agent and review your own policy to determine if you have rental reimbursement and if this is a coverage you want to carry on your policy. Remember, all insurance companies are not the same and differ in their overall interpretation of coverage. So check and re-check to make sure you have the coverage you need.

Philip L. Bradley is the CEO of The East Cooper Ins. Agency in Charleston, SC. He is licensed in Property and Casualty Ins and Life and Health. He is also a personal financial representative.

Please consult your own insurance and legal advisor before making any decisions concerning your own insurance or financial situation.

Does the idea of being involved in a lawsuit scare you? In today’s world, you must protect your assets to the best of your ability and affordability. Buying enough liability coverage to cover your families assets is key to having your wealth insulated the best you can. A Personal Umbrella Protection policy, (PUP,) can help you achieve this overall liability protection.

Imagine you have a friend over to your home, they slip and fall? Imagine your neighbor’s child comes through your unlocked gate and falls in the pool and drowns? What if you are pushing your shopping cart through the grocery store and accidentally hit an elderly lady who falls and breaks a hip? What happens if you are on a hunting trip and accidentally catch a person in cross fire? (remember Vice President Cheney?)  Many other examples exist, but the most common example you probably believe you already have covered. What happens if you are involved in an auto accident that the damages exceed the coverage on your auto policy? What happens then? Typically, these scenarios are going to involve excess liability insurance under a PUP policy if you have it. After the homeowners or auto insurance liability coverage is depleted, then the PUP policy would “kick in” for the remainder of the damages and up to the limit of the PUP policy.

Since this coverage is an “umbrella” over your other underlying coverages on your home, auto, boat, RV, Jetski etc., you will be required by most companies to have those underlying policies under their care. If a company is going to give you “overall” protection, they want to be, and you want them to be, the company that provides the “underlying” protection as well. Often the company will require you to have higher limits of liability on the underlying policies. For example, on the homeowners insurance policy, you maybe required to increase the minimum $100,000 in liability protection to $300,000 or more.

Typically, these type of lawsuits come as a result of negligence on the part of you or one of your resident family members defined in the policy terms. Yes, this will even cover your teenager who is accused of libel or slander and ends up in a lawsuit. But, if you or your teenager is caught in the commission of a crime, the PUP policy offers no coverage. Repeat: There is no coverage for criminal activity of any kind.

The PUP policy usually comes in the amount of at least 1 million dollars. Some companies offer higher limits usually in increments of 1 million dollars. Determining how much coverage you need is a conversation you need to have with your personal insurance agent. They will be able to help you determine the proper amount of coverage based on the risk you have and the assets you wish to protect. Someone who has more than 1 car, a pool, a boat,  jetski’s, a trampoline,  carpools other kids, or even is a volunteer should probably have higher limits of coverage offered by a PUP.

The good news is a Personal Umbrella Policy typically is not  an expensive policy to purchase.  Consult your agent and find out if you meet your companies requirements to buy a policy. Then evaluate how much you need. As always, if you need help or advice, please call The East Cooper Insurance Agency in Charleston SC for help. We have agents that are 100% dedicated to client services and helping you understand the products we sell and you are buying.

Another worthy article on this subject can be found at http://personalinsure.about.com/cs/umbrella/a/aa110503a.htm

Philip L. Bradley is the CEO The East Cooper Insurance Agency in Charleston, SC. He is licensed in SC for Property and Casualty, Life and Health. He is also a Personal Financial Representative.

www.insuranceofcharleston.com

Please consult your personal insurance agent, financial adviser and legal adviser before making any decisions regarding your personal financial or insurance situation.

Recently a woman walked into the gym and she asked if anyone had found a diamond necklace. My instincts, as an insurance agent, were to ask her if she had scheduled the necklace.  If she had the necklace sheduled, it would be covered for mysterious disappearance.  

Under most homeowners insurance polices (please check yours) jewelry and other items of value (guns, antiques, art, rugs, silver, etc) all are covered, but some carry limits of coverage on the peril ”theft.” They will typically be covered in case of a fire or a hurricane, but under theft, there are usually limitations. 

That is where scheduling comes into play. You schedule an item by getting a receipt or a recent appraisal of the item to your insurance agent. Check with your agent to see what is required by your company to schedule an item.  This could be on any number of high value items, but usually done on Jewelry, guns, antiques, art, rugs, silver etc.  The scheduled item is given a premium and added to your insurance policy as a rider.  Many scheduled items will be covered for “mysterious disappearance,” and that lost necklace or diamond in your ring, is covered if it comes up accidentally missing. Usually a scheduled item has a seperate deductible, so you need to decide how much risk you are willing to take and set a deductible. (remember, deductible is how much you are willing to pay up front in case of a claim. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium!)

It may cost you a little to get a recent appraisal on an item, but it is well worth the cost to avoid the risk of losing something precious because it was not insured properly.  Check the limits of coverage on your own insurance policy and make notes of the items that have limitations. Then go through your own contents and schedule those items to be covered adequately.

Remember, please consult your personal insurance agent and seek their recommendations and advice. If you need more information on scheduling or would like to consult an agent about home, renters or condo insurance, please call The East Cooper Insurance Agency and we will help you.

Philip L. Bradley

Philip L. Bradley is a licensed insurance agent and personal financial representative in the state of South Carolina. He is the CEO of The East Cooper Insurance Agency in Mt. Pleasant, SC. 843-881-2886.

Please consult your own insurance agent and legal advisor before making any financial or insurance decisions.

How many times have you opened your renewal letter of your homeowners or renters insurance policy and second guessed the amount of content coverage you have on your policy? Better yet, you had no clue how much “stuff” you really have and its value. Why not make January the month to document your valuables.

Documenting your contents is essential to knowing you are protecting your valuables to the full extent on your homeowners/renters insurance. What is the point in having this coverage if it does not completely cover your cost to replace your valuables in case of a fire, hurricane or other peril.

Going through a process of writing down your contents on a note pad is one way to accomplish this. Detailing the item and the approximate cost to you and when you bought it. You may even want to go through this process room by room so you know which room the item was located. Do not forget the small items too. Often we overlook the valuable “nick nack” on the shelf or something hidden in a drawer. Most people find the notepad system a bit tedious and less likely of an exercise to be done again, but better than nothing at all. Make sure you keep 2 copies of this list. One at home to take with you in case of an emergency and another copy at a different location. If your house burns or is damaged and the only copy is in the damaged home, you may not be able to recover it.

Most people find the documenting of contents easily accomplished by video taping their home. This gives incredible details of not just contents, but type of molding you have in the house, paint, cabinet work, floors etc. The more you document on video, the more quickly an adjuster will be able to settle a claim.  While documenting on video, you may want to talk about items, mentioning where and when you bought it, and how much you paid for it. Be sure to pull out valuable jewelry, guns, antiques, things in drawers and closets. You should also go into the garage and around the outside of the house.  Again, keeping a copy of this video is important, but make sure one copy is at another location. Don’t forget, any item with a high dollar figure, be sure to save the receipt in a receipt file. It is also recommended that jewelry, art, guns, antiques etc, should be appraised and scheduled on your policy. “Scheduling” is an additional rider insuring that one particular item for its full value based on a receipt or appraisal. Often items like jewelry and guns have a theft peril limitation. So be sure to check with your agent about items you should “schedule.”

Often in Charleston we are faced with hurricane risk. The time to document your contents is not during a hurricane warning. Do this now! Make this your new year resolution for 2009 to have documentation of contents done before the end of January. We suggest you update this as you buy new things, change furniture etc.. but make a point of doing this at least once a year.

If you have further questions about documenting contents, call The East Cooper Insurance Agency and we can help you further.

Philip L. Bradley, agent and CEO of The East Cooper Insurance Agency in Charleston, SC.  For more information please contact our office at 843-881-2886 or 888-375-7108.

As always, Please consult your own agent or legal advisor before making any financial or insurance decision.

Unfortunately, the most festive time of year is also a prime time for crime. Your home is a target of criminals who are looking for an easy way to take things of value from you and make money during the holidays. Often your valuable will end up in a pawn shop either locally or in another state.  The criminals who break into homes are often very clever leaving very little clues as to who they were and how they picked you as their victim.  But there are a few things you can do to prevent your home from being the one in six homes in America that get broken into annually.

- Invest in an alarm system. Although not full proof, an alarm can be a big deterent to a thief targeting your house. It would be much easier to successfully hit a home without an alarm system. Often an alarm does not prevent the break in, but does limit the time the thief has to rummage through your valuables without getting caught. Some alarms are local and only set off an alert in the house. Some are connected to a monitoring center that can dispatch the police when they are set off.  In some cases, having an alarm system can give you a discount on your insurance policy. Check with your insurance agent to see if you qualify.

-Make sure all door and windows are secured. Probably nothing helps more in the security of a door than a dead bolt lock. All exterior doors in your home should have a dead bolt.  Many thieves will look for an unlocked window or door. With the mild winters here in Charleston, many of us leave our windows open on a nice day. How many times do we forget to lock those windows before leaving home?  Sliding glass doors are also a big target. Something as simple as a bar or rod inserted in the track of the door can add protection.

-Leave a light on in and outside of the house. Something as simple as a timer on a light when you leave your home adds protection. Outside lighting is also important. A lit area will deter a thief and give your neighbors better view of your home.  Try not to leave an exterior light on all day. Buy a timer for exterior lights that will turn them off during the daytime. An outside porch light left on 24/7 is a good sign someone is on vacation.

-Speaking of neighbor; nothing could be more helpful in preventing theft than to have an agreement with your neighbor to check in on one another’s home when one is away. Just have someone walk over to your house and check doors and show some activity around the house. If a thief is casing your house, he may move on if there is someone occasionally checking on it.

- Cancel your newspaper and hold the mail. One of the greatest signs someone is not home and on vacation is a stack of newspapers in the driveway. It takes a minute to cancel your newspaper delivery and can save your home from being a target. The post office also has yellow cards to hold mail delivery until you return. Pick up a few of these next time you are at the post office and when you go out of town, throw one in your mailbox to hold the mail.

-Trim the bushes. If you have trees or bushes near windows, you are only giving a thief a shielded area to work in. Cut back tall trees or bushes so that the window is visible to you and your neighbor. Don’t give the thief any cover to do his dirty work.

-Attention RENTERS! If you rent your items of value need to be covered under a renters insurance policy. This is usually not expensive coverage and can give you the protection you need. Your landlord is NOT respsonsible for your belongings if your house/apartment is broken into. Consult a local insurance agent in Charleston to get a renters insurance policy.

-Presents under the tree. If you insist on brightly wrapped presents under the tree, do fake boxes and not valuable presents. Hide the valuables and display the fakes. Although, it probably is best not to put presents (real or fake) out until the night before Christmas. Do not give a thief something to be tempted by, he may take it.

-Itemize and document your belongings. If you do become a vicitim of theft, you should have your valuables itemized. Often homeowners will video or take photos of their belongings. A photo of a room can document hundreds of items, but a detailed list is always best. Periodically taking a photo of a room or videoing your house can give you and the claims adjuster much to go on. Any one item of high value, rugs, jewelry, antiques, art, should be itemized on your insurance policy. Often items like this carry a limit on theft.  Check with your insurance agent to make sure all of your items are covered adequately.

There is no sure way to protect you and your family from crime during the holidays, but there are simple ways to help prevent it. Do not give a thief easy access to your valuables during this holiday time. Take one afternoon to come up with a list of things you can do to minmize your home’s weak spots. If you are planning to be gone for the holidays, make a list of things you will need to do to ready your home. Lastly, consult your insurance agent in Charleston about other coverage you might need specifically for your home and family.

Philip L. Bradley

Philip L. Bradley is a licensed insurance agent and personal financial representative in the state of South Carolina. He is the CEO of The East Cooper Insurance Agency in Mt. Pleasant, SC. 843-881-2886

If you have a legal problem you call your attorney that you have trusted for years for advice. If you have a medical issue you call your family doctor that you visit when you have a health issue. When it is time to do your taxes you have your CPA work on your filings.  So when you need insurance advice and insurance coverage, why would you want to buy it from a 1-800 number or from an internet site? Would you get your legal advice online? Would you get your physical over the phone? Would you trust a CPA you have never met? Of course not. Those personal relationships are very important and must be just that, personal.

When buying insurance it pays to know your agent. Your agent knows the area in which your home is located. He/she also will come to know your situation and assets like his/her own. Just as a doctor becomes familiar with you and your health, an insurance agent becomes familiar with your most precious assets, your house and automobiles. Your agent also becomes familiar with your liability risk and can recommend the appropriate coverage to protect those assets based on his professional opinion.  Having one agent take care of all of your insurance needs is recommended. If this is not possible, at least make sure your agent for each asset knows about the other assets. It is important for an agent to evaluate the full risk whether he/she insures all of it or not.

Working with the same agent year after year builds a personal relationship that becomes invaluable.  You owe it to your family to make sure your assets are protected by a company represented by someone you can call by their first name. Someone you can go see in case you need to have a personal face to face conversation. You owe it to yourself to have that personal relationship.

Philip L. Bradley

Philip L. Bradley is the CEO of The East Cooper Insurance Agency in Charleston SC. He is a Personal Financial Representative and is licensed in the State of South Carolina in property/casualty and Life and Health.