barrington insurance: Why do I need Life Insurance? - 03/31/13 12:01 PM
A recent survey by LIMRA International shows that one third of adults in the U.S. have no life insurance.  Those with coverage, the study also showed, have far less than most experts recommend for a secure financial future for their families.  For most consumers, buying life insurance can be a tough decision, and myths about life insurance can confuse and delay consumers from purchasing a policy, potentially forcing their families to make financial sacrifices.
One of the many benefits of life insurance is to help protect loved ones who depend on you financially.  To determine how much life insurance you need, … (2 comments)

barrington insurance: Life Insurance protecting the ones you love. - 10/30/12 08:33 AM
A recent survey by LIMRA International shows that one third of adults in the U.S. have no life insurance.  Those with coverage, the study also showed, have far less than most experts recommend for a secure financial future for their families.  For most consumers, buying life insurance can be a tough decision, and myths about life insurance can confuse and delay consumers from purchasing a policy, potentially forcing their families to make financial sacrifices.
One of the many benefits of life insurance is to help protect loved ones who depend on you financially.  To determine how much life insurance you need, … (0 comments)

barrington insurance: Every 218th crash involves a Deer! - 10/10/10 01:04 PM
Well, it is that time of year again, that we start getting more phone calls about collisions involving a Deer. A large insurance company said it recorded 42,844 accidents involving Deer between July 2008 and June 2009 in Illinois alone. That puts Illinois at a rank of 31 on the national list for the likelihood of Deer-vehicle accidents. Of 2.3 million accidents involving Deer nationwide, West Virginia gad the highest rate, while hawaii is the lowest ranking state for such acciidents. Deer are not native to Hawaii, but were introduced there. As always, use precaution when driving at dusk when Deer … (4 comments)

barrington insurance: Long Term Care Insurance.....what describes you? - 03/01/10 09:18 PM
Now that the holidays are over, and we are settling in to the new year, many of us are reflecting on recent family gatherings, and maybe have a concern about an older relative. A parent, older sibling, or other family member may just seem a little more frail and maybe a little more susceptible to a fall or injury that might keep them from taking care of themselves without help. The reality is that as our society ages, the "Baby Boomers" born in 1946 will be 65 next year. Almost 75% of these Boomers have at least one living parent, step … (0 comments)

barrington insurance: Deductibles and how to lower premiums - 01/13/10 05:06 PM
More and more in the landscape of today's insurance marketplace, people are willing to raise their deductibles as a way to lower premiums. It really makes sense to assume a greater risk to save money in premium dollars. Just today I spoke to a customer that saved $200 a year by raising the deductible by $500 or from a $500 to a $1,000 deductible on their Home Insurance policy. In just a few years you already save the difference even if you have a claim. Also, not putting in smaller claims helps to avoid premium increases and claim surcharges.  
… (0 comments)

barrington insurance: Common Myths about Life Insurance - 10/05/09 01:34 PM
A recent survey by LIMRA International shows that one third of adults in the U.S. have no life insurance.  Those with coverage, the study also showed, have far less than most experts recommend for a secure financial future for their families.  For most consumers, buying life insurance can be a tough decision, and myths about life insurance can confuse and delay consumers from purchasing a policy, potentially forcing their families to make financial sacrifices.
One of the many benefits of life insurance is to help protect loved ones who depend on you financially.  To determine how much life insurance you need, … (0 comments)

barrington insurance: Homeowners Insurance and the use of deductibles - 10/04/09 09:36 AM
As the landscape of insurance has been changing over the years, my clients have been understanding the advantage of using higher deductibles on their Homeowners Insurance. In the last several years the midwest has sustained hail storms and flooding that we had not seen in many years. As a result, Homeowners Insurance premiums have increased significantly. My clients have found a great advantage in raising the deductible to $1,000 or even higher. In this way, the small claims do not get filed, which also ultimately can result in claim surcharges and the loss of claim free discounts. The savings on the … (0 comments)

barrington insurance: Small cars and auto insurance - 09/10/09 07:56 AM
Recently one of my clients traded in a Honda Accord for a Honda Civic thinking they would save money. When I changed cars on the policy we realized the 6 month premium would go up $100 rather than go down. Some smaller cars are less expensive to purchase, but more expensive to insure because of average repair cost as well as the high percentage of claims we have that are attributed to that type of car. We are more likely to have more claims on a Honda Civic if the type of person that buys that type of car has a … (0 comments)

barrington insurance: Vacant homes and homeowners insurance. - 07/09/09 07:15 AM
We all have seen the glut of vacant homes on the market, as this is just part of today's economy and the situation within the Real Estate industry. As a general rule, your homeowners insurance will continue to cover your home with the exception of vandalism coverage if the home is vacant and not occupied for 30 days or more. Also, frozen pipes are not covered if you try and save money by turning off the heat in the winter.
Many clients find a relative to live in the home while it is on the market and vacant. Even if you … (0 comments)

barrington insurance: Who is covered driving my car? - 05/24/09 09:44 AM
Most of the major well known Insurance Companies allow for permissive use of your automobile. That simply means that anyone is covered driving your car as long as they have permission to use the car. This question often comes up because most insurance companies will print a line on the policy declarations stating the rating characteristics of the policy. It will say something like married male ages 25-49 or something similar, however this is just a statement of how the policy is rated, not a finite statement of who is covered driving the car. There are some companies that do exclude … (2 comments)

barrington insurance: Water in the basement and Clue reports as it pertains to home buyers and home inspections - 04/05/09 05:30 PM
In recent Blogs I have talked about water back up, and flooding as well. As mentioned, damage from water in the basement is covered in different ways, depending on where the water comes from. I read a recent article that indicated that on average having 1 inch of water in the basement will cost approximately $7,800 for clean up and repair. With a foot of water, now the price tag goes up to closer to $20,000.
It is unfortunate that many people have water damage in the lower level, and do not have insurance to pay for it as they have … (0 comments)

barrington insurance: Water in my basement and how is is covered on my Homeowners Insurance? - 03/16/09 11:14 AM
Spring is the time of year that we start to get quite a few calls related to water in the basement. Every year I send at least 1 communication to my clients to make sure they are fully aware of what is not covered on the basic Homeowners Insurance policy, without purchasing additional coverage.
Even though most Homeowners policies cover water related to broken pipes, and plumbing systems, groundwater is a whole different story. Basically, once the water hits the ground and enters the home over the foundation, through the foundation, or backing up through sewers, drains,window wells, or sump pump … (0 comments)

barrington insurance: Allstate Homeowners Insurance and the use of deductibles - 03/07/09 08:40 AM
The Landscape of Insurance has certainly changed since I became an Allstate Agent in 1978, 31 years ago. Back in the day it was fairly common to see a Homeowners policy with a $50 deductible, and $100 was fairly standard. With rates on Homeowners insurance increasing throughout the industry, going with a high deductible is commonplace. My Agency normally recommends a $1,000 deductible or higher, and the savings is normally hundreds of dollars a year. It makes a lot of sense to only insure for those things that you truly cannot afford, and optimistically save money in hopes of never using … (0 comments)

barrington insurance: More about Condominium Insurance...what happens when a loss originates in my unit that damages the common property? - 03/01/09 08:59 AM
Most Condominium owners are not aware of the consequences of a claim that originates in their unit, but damages common property covered by the association policy. A good example of this would be a resident that is not attentive in the kitchen and causes a grease fire. The fire most likely would damage kitchen cabinets, drywall, and other common building property. Most condo associations do have the master policy that would cover this damage, however most have a high deductible, for example $5,000. The association typically has a provision in the bylaws that assesses the deductible to the unit owner that … (0 comments)

barrington insurance: Condominium Insurance....Why do I need it? - 02/28/09 09:05 PM
All too often we find a situation where a Condo unit owner lacks coverage on their unit....because no one forced them to buy it. Unlike a home, where the mortgage company mandates insurance to protect their interests, that does not happen on a condo. The master policy of the association provides coverage for the building, which is the collateral on the loan. Of course, coverage is necessary to protect the contents, as well as the building property not covered by the master policy. This would include upgrades or improvements. For example, if the kitchen has been remodeled, it is your responsibility … (0 comments)

barrington insurance: Home Vacancies and your Homeowners Insurance - 02/15/09 08:37 AM
Every day you hear from clients who are put in a position of owning a home that is on the market for sale, and have already moved into the new residence. Obviously the financial and emotional distress from this takes a toll, but of course overseeing the property and checking in on it every few days is also very worrisome. I had a situation just a few years ago on my own home where I was out of town on a trip, and during this time a pipe froze and broke, spewing water into the basement for a a few days … (0 comments)

barrington insurance: Potholes and your car - 01/18/09 09:24 AM
Well it is that time of year where we are receiving many calls from clients where they have suffered damaged tires, wheels or suspension from hitting an unavoidable pothole in the roadway. Unfortunately all insurance companies view this is as an at fault incident....no differently than if you were to run into a fence, parked car, etc. Of course many times while driving at night, the pothole creeps up at the last second, and there is no alternative but to hit it. Swerving to avoid it in most cases can create even worse consequences. Call your insurance agent if this happens, … (1 comments)

barrington insurance: Ice damming and water damage in your home - 01/15/09 08:26 PM
This is the time of year here in the Midwest, where our extreme weather creates havoc on our homes. As I write this today we have below 0 temperatures and periodically I here popping sounds coming from within the stucture of my home due to the extreme cold. As we begin to have warmer days and the snow melts, a condition called ice damming can easily occur in your gutters. Water then can be forced up under the shingles and into the attic causing damage to insulation and drywall. Most homeowners policies do cover this damage, subject to your deductible. If you … (0 comments)

 
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Philip Rutledge

Barrington, IL

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Allstate

Office Phone: (847) 382-7580

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