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Winter Weather Driving Tips

February 19, 2019 Caleb Walker

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.

11 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance (Part 3)

February 11, 2019 Caleb Walker

There are simple ways to lower your car insurance premiums if you know where to check. In part 3 of our series I am sharing a few more tips that you may be able to use to save on your auto insurance today. Sometimes all it takes is a simple phone call to make sure you are getting all of the discounts available to you!

8. Discounts, Discounts, Discounts – Auto insurance companies offer several discounts for a variety of reasons. The car has automatic seat beats, air bags, anti-lock brakes, anti-theft devices, etc. The driver is a good student, which is especially valuable if you have teenage children who will be on your policy.

* Tip. Make sure you are taking advantage of all the discounts available to you!

9. Taking the Defensive – Many insurance companies also offer discounts to those who have taken defensive driving courses recently.

10. Low-Cost and High-Cost Areas – Are you planning to move? If you are, you should take into account the cost of insurance. Generally, the more urban the area, the higher the premium. The costs can vary even within a community.

* Fact. Rates can really vary from state to state. If you’re living in New Jersey, Massachusetts or Hawaii, you’re paying several times more, on average, than you would in North Dakota, South Dakota or Idaho.

11. Credit Where It Is (or Is Not) Due – Is your credit record better than your driving record? If you have a good credit record, you could be eligible for discounted premiums from several auto insurance companies.

* Fact. Many insurers now use your credit history as a major factor in determining what to charge you for auto insurance. In some cases, with some companies, you could save money by shifting your business to an insurer that uses credit as a rating factor – even if you have a so-so or poor driving record. There is another side to this coin. If you have a poor credit history, you could save money by moving your auto insurance to a company that does not use credit as a rating factor. Many insurers do not use credit as a factor.

* Tip. Regardless of your credit status, you should talk to your agent to make sure you have the best situation given your credit record, good or bad.

Are You Taking the Insurance Gamble?

February 1, 2019 Caleb Walker

There are times in your life when you might take a gamble such as on a game with friends or a fantasy football league or maybe a day out at the casino. These are choices you make and you usually know exactly what the risk is in each scenario. How much you stand to lose is usually the money you put in or amount you stand to lose is known in advance.

Would you put your future up in a gamble? What about your most valued possessions? Your home or your car? You or your family and their financial security?

No! You would never knowingly do this to yourself or your family. But how do you know that you are not?

As I mentioned earlier you know the stakes when you willingly gamble. The trip to Vegas where you took $1000. What did you have to lose? $1000 is all and you knew that going in. You hoped you would win, but were comfortable with that amount of loss. But would you gamble if the risk was losing your home, all of your

assets or your car? Let’s chat about these real life scenarios.

When you are talking about your life it is more than how much you have to lose. You have to start thinking about “What if…”. Imagining the worst case scenarios is not really fun, but it may save you from gambling with your life and the life of those you love. You may be thinking that nothing like that can affect me. I have insurance. Do you have enough? Let’s look at some scenarios that could and do happen every day.

Scenario #1: You are heading to work in the morning and running a few minutes behind so you try to slip through on that yellow light, but it turns red as you are going through the intersection. Happens every day to someone, right? However, today when you go through the intersection you hit another car because their light was green. You broadside that car and then later find out that someone in that car was famous and makes millions of dollars each year and now they cannot work because of the that accident. Maybe not forever, but for a little while they are out of work. That person is suffering both economic loss and enduring pain. How much will this cost you? EVERYTHING YOU HAVE.

Scenario #2: Reverse the situation. You are hit and cannot work. What kind of hardship would this cause you or your family. What would you lose? For some of you, the answer to this question is…

EVERYTHING YOU HAVE. EVERYTHING.

Does this sound like a good way to gamble or a fun way to gamble? Can insurance protect you from everything? Nope. We all have to take some risks because even if we could protect everything most of us would not be able to afford it. So what do you do? You find out what all the risk is and then settle in where you are comfortable like with that poker game with you friends. When you know that risk you can feel comfortable with the potential loss.

For example, if you live in a flood zone do you have flood insurance? Some of you may say yes, but most of you will say no. Why? It is because there hasn’t been a flood in x number of years so you are willing to take the risk to save the money each month. Right? Or did you think you were covered? Most homeowners policies do

not cover water damage from a flood. Did you know that? Was this a risk that you are knowingly taking or do we need to have a discussion.

Basic Tips:

Be a smart consumer, which you are doing by reading this book. I put this book together to help you become a smart consumer. In the coming chapters you will find information about the different types of insurance and how you can best protect yourself and your family.

Talk to a professional

Insurance is not something you can get and then ignore because life changes and your situation changes

so make sure you are always talking to your insurance agent about what you need coverage for and maybe what you don’t need anymore.

Make sure you have enough.

How much is enough? That number is different for each of you. It depends on what you have and what you want to protect. For example, if you have 500,000 in net worth. That’s exactly what you have to lose. Insurance can cost just a few hundred dollars over the course of the year to go from 100,000 in coverage to 500,000 in coverage. Ask us how.

Finding the right insurance company for the right price.

Whether we are talking about auto insurance or home insurance there are many different companies and many different types of coverage. You don’t need to understand all of those, but you do need to trust your insurance agent and make sure they are giving you all of the options. Your insurance agent knows you and your situation so they can quickly filter through all the options and present you with the very best options. Ultimately, this is all your decision and depends on what risk you are willing to assume.

11 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance (Part 2)

January 21, 2019 Caleb Walker

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There are simple ways to lower your car insurance premiums if you know where to check. In part 2 of our series I am sharing a few more tips that you may be able to use to save on your auto insurance today.

[button link=”https://missouriinsurancecenter.com/auto-insurance/” type=”big”] Click here to get the complete FREE report. [/button]
5. High-Profile, High-Cost – The type of car you drive is a major factor in what you pay for insurance. Is your vehicle a magnet for thieves? Is it more expensive to repair than most cars? If the answer to either of the last two questions is yes, you’re paying more than the average car owner for insurance.

6. 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 have an accident in which your car sustains $1,000 in damage, you pay the first $250 and your insurer pays the balance, $750. The lower the deductible you choose, the more you pay. If you have assets, you can probably afford to absorb at least $250 and probably $500 if you have a claim.

* Tip. If it’s been years since you’ve had an accident, you may be better off raising your deductible and paying less each year for insurance.

7. Drop Unnecessary Coverages – Let’s say you have an older car, one not worth very much. There’s really little point in having collision and comprehensive coverages. You don’t have much to protect. Remember, too, that you have to subtract your deductible from any potential payout you might get.

* Tip. As a general rule, any car worth less than $1,000 shouldn’t have collision and comprehensive coverage. Between the deductible and the extra expense of these coverages, the cost is probably greater than the benefit. How much is your car worth? An auto dealer can tell you, or there are plenty of books that have values of vehicles going back many, many years.

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Meet the Team

January 15, 2019 Caleb Walker

Insurance covers a lot in your life from home and auto, life and health, and even your farm and/or business. You wouldn’t just trust anyone with with everything you have which is why we are so honored that you trust us! Here at Walker-Winter Insurance we are a team that is always working for you and your insurance needs. We strive to always treat you like family while offering efficient and the highest quality service. On that note I would like to introduce you to our team so you can get to know us a little better.

Caleb Walker

Husband – Father – Owner

I grew up in Columbia and went to Hickman High School. I have always loved golf and went to Union University in Jackson, Tennessee and played on their team while working towards my degree in Marketing and Finance. Upon graduating, I joined my father in the insurance business. Since moving to Fayette in 2015, I have taken over daily management responsibilities at our agency and enjoy building relationships and helping our customers here in central Missouri and beyond. I like to spend my free time with my growing family and on the golf course. I also enjoy taking my young pointing lab, Gumbo, to training and should have myself a hunting companion in no time.

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Afton Walker

Wife – Mother – Bookkeeper

I have been working at Walker-Winter Insurance since 2015. Caleb and I have been married for four years and have one child, Georgia, who was born in 2017. We also have two dogs, a Boston terrier named Tucker and a yellow lab named Gumbo. We spend a lot of our free time renovating our 1960s home here in Fayette. I also love antiquing and thrift shopping to furnish and decorate our home. Most of all, I’m looking forward to our growing family and I am loving being a Mom.

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Cathy Smith

Wife – Mother – Grandma – Senior Client Adviser

I started working for Town & Country Ins. when Bud Schumacher owned the agency in Oct. 1998. I am blessed with a large extended family and love growing up in Fayette with them. My husband, Joey Smith, and I have been married for 34 years. We have four children, our son and three daughters all graduated from Fayette. We now have three wonderful grandsons, they live in Independence, we visit whenever possible. We also love the beach and love to visit Joey’s parents who live in North Carolina. I am your auto and home insurance expert and I look forward to helping you find the right insurance to fit your needs and lifestyle.

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Kiersten O’Dell

Wife – Mother – Director of Marketing & New Client Adviser

I have a wonderful husband and we have three amazing kiddos. We love spending time together as a family and especially when we can be outside in the pool, on the pond or in the winter months sledding! We are starting the high school years with the oldest two and the youngest will be starting Kindergarten! The activities and entertainment around our house are never in short supply! I have been working with Caleb and the Walker-Winter team as a Marketing Consultant since 2013. I am very excited to be joining the team in the office continuing to do all of the marketing and to be here to help you with your insurance needs. I have been running my own business for the past 8 years and in the last 4 years I have been running two small businesses. I understand your needs as both a business owner and as a personal lines customer and I really look forward to helping you with both to make sure your insurance needs are met.

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Ruth Roll

Wife – Mother – Grandma – Customer Service and Billing Adviser

I am happily married and have 1 daughter and 2 grandchildren. I have two German Shepherds that need a lot of love and play. I like to watch and go to baseball games. I like to do puzzles, read, and play poker. I really enjoy being the first voice many of you hear when you call into the office. I am here to help you with all of your billing questions! I look forward to your next call or visit!

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We enjoy working together every day as a team to make sure you have the very best insurance experience. I hope you have enjoyed getting to know our team a little better. We look forward to helping you with all of your insurance needs to keep you and your family protected!

11 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance (Part 1)

January 7, 2019 Caleb Walker

Did you recently buy a new car? Are you tired of rising insurance costs for your current auto policy?Did you know that there are simple steps you can take to save on your car insurance? In this three part series I am sharing some tips that you may be able to use to save on your auto insurance.

https://youtu.be/sJOQho7Y97Q

One Insurer, Multiple Policies – Do you have a homeowners or renters insurance policy? If so, is it with the same insurance company that provides your auto insurance? If the answer is no, you’re paying too much – for both policies. Almost every insurance company that sells auto insurance wants its policyholders to also buy homeowners or renters 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.

Good Driver, Good Price? – It’s no secret that the better your driving record, the less you will pay for auto insurance. But did you know that most people qualify as “good drivers” and are eligible for discounted premiums? Some good drivers pay a lot more than others, however.

Many auto insurers are actually a collection of several insurance companies in which each caters to a certain type of driver. The worst drivers go in one company, the best in another, and a lot of people wind up in one of the middle companies.

These middle people pay less than the worst drivers, but more than the best. The thing is, many of these middle people have driving records that are just as good as those who are insured by the companies that offer the lowest rates. Yet these middle people are paying more. Why?

The usual reason is that they don’t know any better. No one told them which insurance company in the group had the best prices. And, probably, no one told them there was even a group of insurance companies. If you have a spotless driving record, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be paying the lowest price a group of insurance companies has to offer.

* Tip. Make sure you’re getting the best discount for your driving record. Talk to your agent. And remember, be a safe driver. It will save you money.

The Beauty of the Bus (or Other Mass Transit) – Do you drive to and from work? If you do, you are literally paying a premium to do so. Insurance companies charge you significantly higher premiums if you drive to work. And, the longer your commute (in miles, not minutes), the higher the premium.

* Tip. Some drivers should consider mass transit. Yes, there’s a price there, too. But you will reap the savings of gas and lower insurance costs.

Low Mileage, Low Price – On average, people drive 1,000 to 1,250 miles a month. That is what insurance companies consider average use.

* Tip. If you drive less than the average, you could be eligible for low-mileage discounts, which some insurers offer.

Be watching for more tips to save on your car insurance in the next few weeks.

New Year! New Toy?

January 2, 2019 Caleb Walker

The holidays are a time of family gathering, laughter, good food and let’s face it a lot of stress for some of you. Well, you survived the holidays and are probably settling back into your routine. I am guessing a few of you have new gifts that you are enjoying, too. Some big — think new car, a gun or jewelry and some small — a new camera or electronic device. Did you call your insurance agent to make sure those new toys are covered? No, don’t feel bad most people don’t think to add gifts to their insurance policies right away.

However, now that the holidays are over it is time to think about your insurance and your new toys. If you received a small gift then you may have enough coverage already on your policy. If it was a bigger gift; new car, jewelry or artwork, a new gun or ATV you are going to want to get those added to your policy as soon as possible.

Why? Well, let’s look at a worst case scenario because what I do as your agent is work really hard to give you piece of mind on your worst days. So imagine this…you got a brand new ATV for Christmas. You haven’t called to add it to your policy, but it is nice outside and you decide to just take it for a test drive. Something goes wrong and you hit a tree. No one is hurt, but the ATV is beyond repair. That is a no fun day, right? Now imagine the same scenario, but you did call your agent. Instead of this being a terrible day you quickly call your agent, turn in the claim and you will be back up and running in no time. So while it is still a no fun day, it isn’t devastating financially to your family.

The New Year is always a good time to take inventory so to speak for insurance purposes. Were there any items you sold that need to be removed from your policy? Were there new purchases or gifts that we need to get added to your policy? Not sure what is even covered on your policy? Give us a call at 800-516-3322 and we can let you know and walk you through your options.

An Insurance Agents Wish For You!

December 19, 2018 Caleb Walker

Merry Christmas from all of us here at Walker-Winter Insurance in Missouri! We wish you all the best this holiday season, but most of all we wish you safe travels. If you happen to be one of the few that will park their car this holiday season we are very happy for you! However, if you are one of the 102 million Americans according to Triple AAA who are traveling this holiday season, we wish you safe travels. As you can imagine with that many people on the road accidents tend to happen which is why my wish for you is safe travels. There are certain days that tend to have the heaviest traffic flows and would be good to avoid if possible. This year Triple AAA predicts that the worst travel days are December 20^th, 21^st and 26^th.

So no matter what days you will be traveling here are a few tips that will help keep you safe:

Check your tires and fluid levels. Make sure everything is where it needs to be before you leave.
Fill up with gas now in case you get stuck in traffic. Don’t wait until you are on the road.
While the weather is looking like it is going to be mild for December be sure you have blankets, water and snacks with you in the car along with an emergency kit including: snow shovel, flashlight, ice scraper, jumper cables, warning device and extra warm clothes for everyone.
Traveling with kids – be sure they are in the proper safety seats and using their seat belts properly.
Get plenty of rest the night before…for many of you that means tonight. Research from the AAA Foundation for Safety found that drivers who get 1-2 hours less than the recommended 7 hours of sleep nearly double their risk for an accident.

If you prepare and use good safety precautions during travel you will make it to your destination, enjoy all the holiday fun and return home safely. Again, from all of us here at Walker-Winter Insurance we wish you safe travels as you load up your car and hit the road this Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

5 Rules Every Landlord Should Live By

March 16, 2017 erinkeltner

I’m pretty confident that if you asked anyone who has ever owned a rental property you would get an overwhelming response that it’s not as lucrative or easy as they thought it would be. In fact, owning a rental property can be a major pain, and end up costing you a ton of money!

I certainly don’t mean to be a “Debbie Downer”, and I know that if it’s done right it can be lucrative, but from an insurance agent’s perspective, I don’t see a lot of people doing it right.

So you’re probably thinking, “Well Chris, you are an insurance agent. What do you know about real estate or rental properties? Why should I take advice from you?”

I’m not a real estate agent, and I don’t own a rental property. However, several of my friends/family/clients/co-workers own rentals, and because I insure a bunch of their properties, I’ve had a first hand account of the process, and I’ve learned what to do, and what not to do.

[Read more…]

Will my credit rating change my insurance rates?

February 2, 2017 erinkeltner

I was recently asked this question by one of our Walker-Winter Insurance clients, and thought I would share the answer here for our readers.

There are a lot of things that go into homeowners and auto insurance rates, one of them being credit. I’ve heard a lot of complaints from people who don’t like the fact that insurance companies use credit in their underwriting.

Some people have absolutely no idea that it’s used in the rate at all.

At the end of the day, there’s not much we can do about it though. Insurance companies have been using credit in their rates for decades, and that’s not likely to change.

By the way, insurance companies don’t pull your credit like a mortgage company or credit card company does. There is no negative impact on your credit as a result of an insurance company looking at it.

When I say “pull” what I mean is that the insurance company is doing what’s called a soft inquiry, which is not the same thing as having your credit pulled (hard inquiry).

When does credit play a role in insurance rates?
It’s important to understand that insurance companies don’t continuously check or monitor your credit. Usually, they only check it when you first get a quote and/or sign up with them in the very beginning.

This means that if your credit score increases (or decreases) your insurance company does not automatically know about it.

So, to my customers question of whether or not his increased credit score will lower his rates, the answer is not automatically.

What has to be done on our side as the agent is contact the carrier the insurance and ask them to do what’s commonly referred to as a “re-score”. This is when the insurance company can re-run the person’s credit (soft inquiry) to see if there is any positive bearing on the rate.

This isn’t something that the insurance company is going to let the agency do every single year, so it’s not worth even asking unless there has been a significant change in your credit score, and only you as the customer would know if that was the case.

If you’d like to get a better handle on your credit rating, it could be helpful to setup credit monitoring. We hope this was helpful! As always, leave us comment below if you have any questions.

Winter Weather Driving Tips

11 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance (Part 3)

Are You Taking the Insurance Gamble?

11 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance (Part 2)

Meet the Team

11 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance (Part 1)

New Year! New Toy?

An Insurance Agents Wish For You!

5 Rules Every Landlord Should Live By

Will my credit rating change my insurance rates?

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Proudly serving residents and businesses in Missouri.

Columbia Office

Fayette Office

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