Walker-Winter Insurance

Columbia MO Insurance Agency

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Auto Insurance Savings | Telematics

Hi, Caleb Walker here with Walker-Winter Insurance and MissouriInsuranceCenter.com. Today I want to talk about a way you may be able to save money on your auto insurance using something the insurance companies call “telematics”. It’s a way for them to track your driving over a certain period of time to develop a rate, or a discount, on your auto insurance policy. Now, every program is a little different depending on the insurance company, but the main things they’re going to track are going to be; how quickly you accelerate, how fast you stop, the time of day you’re driving and mileage. Some will even look at your speed and usage of your phone while driving. They do it in a couple of different ways, number one, they have a device you plug into your diagnostic port. The other thing is you can just download an app to your phone and they’ll track from there.

Now, like I said earlier, every company is a little different, so it’s very important for you to know the pros and cons of each program depending on what insurance company you’re with. So reach out to us, let us explain that to you. Below I’ve given you the pros and cons from the carriers that we represent, the types of programs that they offer, and my opinions on them.

Please reach out to us if you have any questions about your policy or if you’d like to get a quote, (800) 516-3322. Thanks, Caleb

Safeco RightTrack Overview

What is it tracking?

  1. Miles Driven
  2. Nighttime Driving
  3. Hard Breaking
  4. Harsh Acceleration

Pros:

  1. Up to a 30% discount
  2. 10% Initial Discount
  3. Stays on for the life of the policy
  4. WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR RATE
  5. GUARANTEED 5% DISCOUNT

Cons:

  1. App only in some sates (App only in Missouri)
  2. Must drive at least 125 miles for full discount
  3. Each driver on policy must participate for full discount

 

Travelers IntelliDrive Overview

What is it tracking?

  1. Miles Driven
  2. When You Drive
  3. Hard Breaking
  4. Harsh Acceleration
  5. Idle Time

Pros:

  1. Up to a 20% discount
  2. Initial Discount (varies)
  3. Stays on for the life of the policy
  4. Will not increase your rate
  5. Can get out within 45 days of driving
  6. Only 90 days of tracking

Cons:

  1. App only
  2. From my personal experience, it can be inconsistent
  3. CAN INCREASE YOUR RATE
  4. Each driver on policy must participate for full discount

 

 

Nationwide SmartRide Overview
https://www.nationwide.com/personal/insurance/auto/discounts/smartride/videos/overview6

What is it tracking?

  1. Miles Driven
  2. Night Time Driving
  3. Hard Breaking
  4. Harsh Acceleration
  5. Idle Time

Pros:

  1. Up to a 400% discount
  2. 10% Initial Discount
  3. Choice of App or Diagnostic Device
  4. Stays on for the life of the policy
  5. Will not increase your rate

Cons:

  1. 4-6 months of tracking
  2. Each driver on policy must participate for full discount (app)

 

Progressive Snapshot Overview

What is it tracking?

  1. Miles Driven
  2. Time of Day
  3. Hard Breaking
  4. Harsh Acceleration
  5. Driving Duration
  6. Trip Regularity
  7. Phone Usage While Driving (on app)

Pros:

  1. Up To A 10% Initial Discount
  2. Choice of App or Diagnostic Device
  3. Stays on for the life of the policy
  4. Will not increase your rate
  5. Can get out up to 45 days into program

Cons:

  1. 4-6 months of tracking
  2. Tracks phone usage, even that of passengers using your phone
  3. Device tracks for a full policy period (normally 6 months)
  4. CAN INCREASE YOUR RATE
  5. Unknown maximum discount
  6. Each driver on policy must participate for full discount

 

WINNER?

Slight edge to Safeco over Nationwide. The shorter time period of tracking is a big advantage in my eyes.

Cyber Insurance & New Remote Employees

As many of you begin a new week, your work space may look very different. You might be rolling out of bed and walking down the hall to your home office, or popping open your laptop at the kitchen table.  Many employers here in Missouri are telling their employees to stay home, especially those with the ability to work remote.  Big or small, these companies don’t want to risk an entire workforce getting sick.  Saturday, I read an article on thehill.com about hackers finding fresh targets in this new remote workforce.  It made several recommendations that employers and employees should hear and take action on.

  1. Update network and devices with the “latest software patches and security configurations”.
  2. Beware of phishing emails. Hackers will use Coronavirus (COVID-19) fears to tempt employees to open emails designed to steal their usernames and passwords.
  3. Stay away from public WiFi

You can find The Hill article HERE.

From an insurance and risk management perspective, here are my recommendations.

Employees:

  1. If you receive a suspicious email, simply don’t open it and definitely don’t click any links contained in it. Also, avoid clicking on links you see on social media sites.
  2. Avoid public WiFi. Also consider setting up a separate network at home for your work.
  3. Don’t use personal devices for work. If you have a work computer, keep all work there and avoid transferring data to any personal devices.

Employers:

  1. Immediately communicate the risks to your remote workforce. Simply making them aware of these potential threats can go a long way.  Also, encourage them to be open with you if they feel they’ve been targeted, or their system has been compromised.
  2. Provide security awareness training to your employees. This can be done virtually by HR or an IT department (or third party).
  3. If you haven’t already, communicate with your internal or 3rd party IT provider to determine security best practices for remote workers. Also confirm if any security configurations or software updates need to be addressed.
  4. Review your Cyber Insurance policy with your broker. Understand coverage, claim reporting procedures and any risk control services the company can provide.  Knowing how to respond to an incident quickly can be important in minimizing the damage.  Don’t have a Cyber Insurance policy?  I encourage you to talk to someone that specializes in this coverage today.  This is one of the fastest growing risks to your business.  It’s no longer IF you’ll be targeted but WHEN.

 

These recommendations are important for any type of organization whether for-profit, not-for-profit, big or small.  We encourage you to work with someone, like Walker-Winter Insurance, who specializes in cyber insurance.  We tailor coverage around your business.  We can also provide training and education to you and your employees to minimize the risk.

Auto Insurance | Comprehensive and Collision Coverage

Hi, it’s Kiersten here with Walker-Winter Insurance, missouriinsurancecenter.com. And today I want to talk to you about your auto insurance, specifically your comprehensive and collision coverage. Do you have it? Do you need it?

Comprehensive coverage is there to cover your vehicle if you hit a deer or there’s a hailstorm that comes through. And here in Missouri, those things happen often so it can be pretty important. Collision coverage is the coverage that covers you if you’re in an accident and it’s your fault or the other insurance company’s not going to pay for some reason. Your collision coverage is going to cover the damage to your vehicle. And again, we don’t ever want you to have to go through a claim or have an issue, but if it happens, that collision coverage does come in handy.

So again, comprehensive and collision coverage are not required, but they are an important consideration when it comes to your auto insurance.

Ready to see if these coverages are right for you? What they cost? Simply CLICK HERE to request a quote.

Teen Drivers and Your Auto Insurance

Hi, I’m Kiersten O’Dell here with Walker-Winter Insurance and MissouriInsuranceCenter.com. Here’s a quick insurance tip for you today. Let’s talk about teen drivers and your auto insurance. It can be kind of scary, right? I have two coming up in the next two years, so I understand. I get it. It’s scary for two reasons. It’s scary because number one, they’re going to be driving out on the roads and number two, what’s that going to do to your insurance premiums? Have you called your agent yet? That’s my first question. Because whenever you have a teen driver that gets their permit, that’s the first thing you need to do. Call your agent so that they know you have a young driver. This gets them onto your policy and it also lets your agent know that they need to start shopping your insurance because you’re likely going to see a premium increase once they get their license.

When you add them with their permit, it should be no change. So you have a year to figure it out. But once they’re fully licensed and added to your policy, you’re going to see an increase. As independent agents, we are always looking out for young drivers or changes to your life or your family because those can affect your premiums and they can affect what’s the best fit for you. Your best fit last year isn’t going to be the same best fit this year with a young driver. So we’re going to be looking for both the best coverage and the best rate to fit your family’s needs.

We’d love to help you lower your auto insurance rates if you have a teen driver. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks, Kiersten.

Ready to get quote?  CLICK HERE to get started.

Insurance Rates and Your Credit Score

Hi, Caleb Walker here with Walker-Winter Insurance and MissouriInsuranceCenter.com. Today I want to talk about your insurance rates and your credit score. The fact is, your credit score can have a huge impact on your rates. Insurance companies use credit scores to help predict if you’re going to make your payments on time, if you’re going to have a high claims frequency or severity, things like that.

Here’s a quick tip to improve your rates, other than just in general improving your credit score. If you’re married, your husband or your wife, whichever one of you has the better credit score, make sure the agent you’re getting a quote from, or your current agent, is listing the person with the better credit score first. This can probably put a few dollars in your pocket using the person with the better credit score as the first person listed on your auto or home policy.

If you’d like Walker-Winter Insurance to use tips like these to lower your rate, just give us a call or click the link below to start a quote. We’d love to help out.

CLICK HERE to start your quote.

Your Roof’s Age Impacting Your Home Insurance Rates?

Many clients ask us why the age of their roof is important, well, VERY important.  We have a lot of storms here in Missouri and the insurance company wants to be sure your roof is new enough to withstand these storms.  Plus, old roofs tend to have previous damage that is hard to determine when it occurred.  So, they end up paying claims that they may not be responsible for if they weren’t covering your home when the damage happened.

This can have a BIG impact on your rates and even keep you from securing coverage from certain carriers.  Be sure when getting a quote, know when your roof was replaced.  PLUS, if you replace your roof, tell your agent immediately.  You could qualify for a big discount!

Please reach out if you have any questions.  Don’t have insurance with us?  We’d love to help!  Visit www.missouriinsurancecenter.com/quotes to get started.

10 Ways to Save – Homeowners Insurance (Part 2)

Would you like to save money on your home insurance? Did you know there are simple steps that you can take today to start saving on your home insurance. I am sharing tips in this series to help you save on your home insurance. Let’s dive right in with part 2 and get those savings started!

4. Location, Location, Location. The location of your home could have a huge impact on premium and acceptability.  Insurance company’s use a protection class scale from 1-10 with 1 being the most protected areas to 10 being the most unprotected areas.  The number is based on the distance to the nearest fire department and fire hydrant.  Here in Missouri you’ll find a range from 3 to 10.  Premiums can increase significantly as you move up the scale and some companies will not accept properties with a protection class as high as 10. 

5. Insure the House, Not the Land. Nobody is going to steal your land. Fire and high winds won’t “destroy” it. As such, when deciding how much homeowners coverage to have, don’t include the value of the land, only the value of the house and any other buildings on the property. If you include the value of the land, you’re paying too much. 

6. Don’t Insure What You Don’t Have. Each year, you should review your policy to see what coverage you have for your possessions. If you have made a major purchase, you will want to increase your limits of coverage, but what if you sell something or some things? You don’t need as much coverage. Pay particular attention to items that are covered by endorsements or “floaters” to your policy, items such as jewelry and computer equipment. 

You are possibly wondering if you could get any of these savings and the answer is probably yes with a quick phone call to your agent you can start saving today. If you are interested in getting a quote to make sure you have the very best coverage at the most competitive price just click the button below and we would be happy to get a quote started for you!

 

10 Ways to Save Money – Home Insurance

Would you like to save money on your home insurance? Did you know there are simple steps that you can take today to start saving on your home insurance. I am sharing the first three tips in this series to help you save on your home insurance. Let’s dive right in and get those savings started!

1. One Insurer, Multiple Policies

    1. Do you have an automobile insurance policy? If so, is it with the same insurance company that provides your homeowners insurance? If the answer’s no, you’re paying too much — for both policies. Almost every insurance company that sells homeowners insurance wants its policyholders to also buy auto insurance from that company. These insurers offer so-called multi-policy discounts. Usually, these discounts are at least 10% — and some insurers apply the discounts to both the auto and the homeowners/renters policy.

2. Raise Your Deductible

    1. 2. Raise Your Deductible — The deductible is the amount you pay before insurance kicks in if you have a claim. For example, if you have a $250 deductible and you file a claim for $1,000 in damage to your home, you pay the first $250 and your insurer pays the balance, $750. The lower the deductible you choose, the more you pay. Also, though, the higher deductible, the less you have to pay for your policy. Depending on the insurance company, you can save between 5% and 20% if you have a deductible of $1,000 to $5,000.

3. Newer is Better

    1. Insurers really like newer homes. That’s because it’s less likely something will go wrong with the electrical, heating and plumbing systems. In addition, the structure itself is in better shape. Insurers offer discounts of as much as 8% to 15% if your residence is new.

Here’s Part 2

You are possibly wonderi’s Part 3ng if you could get any of these savings and the answer is probably yes with a quick phone call to your agent you can start saving today. If you are interested in getting a quote to make sure you have the very best coverage at the most competitive price just click the button below and we would be happy to get a quote started for you!

 

 

Columbia Office Gets a Face-lift…

Our office at 1517 Chapel Hill Rd. Ste 400, Columbia, MO 65203 just got a face-lift recently.  We hope the space will be more comfortable for staff and clients.  Kiersten or Caleb are available to meet there any time during the week to help with your car, home or business insurance.

Winter Weather Driving Tips

Winter storms, snow and ice have made regular appearances this winter and it looks like more is heading our way tonight. While this is not a typical winter here in Mid-Missouri, we always have a few days of winter weather that make driving difficult. If you are not prepared or don’t know how to drive in these conditions it can be both scary and dangerous for anyone out on the road. According to research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, “winter weather conditions are a factor in nearly half a million crashes and more than 2000 road deaths every winter.” Those statistics are enough to make me want to just stay home, but sometimes that just isn’t possible for everyone.

Winter weather tends to catch us off guard a little bit, especially if you live in an area that normally doesn’t get a lot of snow or ice. However, if you take some simple steps to be prepared before the cold hits then traveling during the winter months will be a little more safe for you and your family. For those of you that have to go out we have some tips below to help you get prepared and for driving during the winter weather.

Prepare for the Cold:

  • Stock your car with the following as a winter emergency kit:
    • blankets
    • water
    • granola bars
    • warm clothes
    • flashlight
    • glass scraper.
  • Check your tires to make sure they have both enough air and good tread.
  • Make sure you keep your gas tank above half a tank during the winter months. If you get stuck in the cold you will want to have enough gas to turn the car on periodically to take the chill out of the car.

Tips for Winter Weather Driving: 

  • Take it slow: the roads are slick and your car will not brake and stop like normal. Slow down to give yourself plenty of time to get stopped if necessary.
  • No sudden changes: just like you can’t stop fast above you also can’t start going as fast as normal. Ease into every start and stop in your car to avoid your tires spinning or brakes locking up.
  • Don’t follow too close: give yourself more room between your car and the one in front of you. It takes longer to slow down.
  • Allow extra time: all of the above result in getting where you need to be taking longer than normal. Be sure to allow for a longer commute.
  • Turn on your lights: winter weather tends to make visibility go down so go ahead and turn those lights one to be safe.
  • Do not use your cruise control: when your cruise control is on you may not realize that your car is loosing traction until it is too late.
  • Be a Defensive driver: be alert and aware of other cars on the road and to animals crossing the road.

 

Columbia Office

1517 Chapel Hill Rd
#400
Columbia, MO 65203
Get directions
(573) 474-1819
help@walkerwinter.com

Fayette Office

122 S Main St,
Fayette, MO 65248
Get directions
(660) 248-3322
help@walkerwinter.com

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