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  • Love Your Valentine's Day Gift?  Insure It!
    Valentine’s Day is upon us, and thoughts of people everywhere turn to… jewelry.
    Those who don’t buy shiny things for Valentine’s Day may prefer other types of valuables, such as electronics, artwork, antiques, wine and furs. All totaled Valentine’s Day spending will tally approximately $17.6 billion of retail sales, with $4.1 billion of that being spent on jewelry, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2012 Valentine’s Day Consumer Trends report.
  • Home Inventory:  Know Your Stuff
    Most people know that a homeowners or renter’s insurance policy is crucial when it comes to protecting your home from a fire or other disaster. However, if you want to safeguard your valuables from the unexpected, there’s another important document you may be overlooking: a home inventory.
  • Hosting a Super Bowl Party? There Could Be More than Team Pride on the Line
    Hosting a Super Bowl party is a great way to cheer on your team if you can’t make it to the stadium in Indianapolis this Sunday, but make sure you know and manage the risks of hosting the big game day party. In many states, individuals hosting parties can be held liable in cases where a guest or third party is injured in an accident related to alcohol consumption at your event. Hosts have been held responsible for medical bills, vehicle repair costs, lost time from work, and even wrongful death.
  • One Roof
    Eliminating the chaos that comes along with managing so many different policies is a major advantage of using a Trusted Choice® insurance agent. Placing your business insurance through a Trusted Choice® agent brings someone onto your team who can bring calm to your multi-policy chaos. Consider the following advantages to keeping all of your business insurance needs under one roof.

  • Does Volunteering Your Time Mean Volunteering Your Insurance?
    Millions of Americans donate time—their most valuable asset—to serve as a volunteer board member on non-profits, booster clubs, churches, PTAs and civic organizations, just to name a few. The decisions these folks make can have a dramatic impact on their respective organization—and not always for the better. If a volunteer endeavor goes bad, would a volunteer board member have coverage against a lawsuit under his or her homeowner’s policy?
  • Insuring Your Happily Ever After
    Getting married and embarking on a new life together is one of the most exciting experiences in two people’s lives. It’s a time of hope, promise, romance and … reality. Finding the person who will be by your side forever may have seemed like the hard part, but getting married also requires a lot of time, money, and careful consideration. Whether a couple is planning their wedding or deciding where to live, there are a lot of decisions to make before saying “I do,” especially when it comes to insurance.
  • Insuring Your Growing Family
    Having a baby can be a very exciting, emotional, and exhausting experience for a family, and while most parents remember a lot of the preparation details -- such assembling the crib and installing child-safety locks -- updating their insurance may not be the first thing that comes to mind.
  • Lights Out:  Frozen Pipes & Spoiled Food
    You’re hosting the party for the big game. The invitations are out, responses are in and it’s going to be a big one. Your shopping is done and the refrigerator and freezer are stocked with the finest party fare money can buy.
  • Protection from Luggage Looters and Baggage Bullies
    The holidays are a popular time of year to travel – whether it’s to visit family and friends, relax on the beach, or hit the slopes – but taking a vacation during this time of year often
    means hauling a lot of extra luggage, such as skis, golf clubs, and holiday gifts. The chance of your luggage getting lost or stolen isn’t high – less than one percent of travelers reported mishandled luggage, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2009 Air Travel Consumer Report. Yet baggage-handling accidents and thefts do happen, which is why it’s important to have the proper insurance in place before your depart for your destination.
  • Downside of Online:  Cyber Crime & Stolen Data
    What does a cyber crime cost? According to the Ponemon Institute’s First Annual Cost of Cyber Crime Study, published in July 2010, a business can expect to pay an average of $204 per customer record that is lost or stolen.
  • Is a GPS Covered by an Auto Policy?
    Some may view them as science fiction gone wild. Others see them as indispensable, possibly life-saving tools. Regardless of your feelings about Global Positioning Systems (GPS), they continue to occupy the dashboards of millions of U.S. vehicles each year. The pervasiveness and expense of the technology has drivers asking if their GPS systems are covered by auto insurance.
  • Home Fire Escape Plans Save Lives
    Fall is officially here, and with it comes the National Fire Protection Agency’s National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 9 -15. This year’s theme is “Protect Your Family from Fire,” which makes now a good time to come up with a fire evacuation plan or review the one your family already has in place.
  • Halloween Safety Tips
    Halloween is just around the corner and many consumers may not realize how scary this ghoulish night might really be for their personal safety, their property…or their pocketbooks. Trusted Choice® insurance professionals can help families better prepare for Halloween hazards that may come in disguise or under the cloak of dark.
  • Is Your Home Ready for Winter?
    Is your home ready for winter weather? Many consumers don’t realize that lack of preparation could mean unwelcome home damage and unexpected repair expenses. To help families and businesses protect themselves against winter risks and enjoy the season, Trusted Choice® offers tips that can help families prepare for risks and hazards that may come during the winter months.
  • Sounds too Good to be True: Downloading Illegal Music
    Remember the days of curling up to the radio on a Saturday night, torturing yourself through commercials and lame tunes just to be able to crank it when Mr. DJ played your favorite song?
Is Your Home Ready for Winter?

Is your home ready for winter weather? Many consumers don’t realize that lack of preparation could mean unwelcome home damage and unexpected repair expenses. To help families and businesses protect themselves against winter risks and enjoy the season, Trusted Choice® offers tips that can help families prepare for risks and hazards that may come during the winter months.

Snow or ice is the fifth leading cause of homeowners’ insurance claims. Also, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), the average homeowners’ claim for water damage and freezing is a whopping $5,531. Follow these tips to protect you and your home from serious financial liability:

Prevent Ice Dams—An ice dam is a build-up of ice that blocks water drainage from the roof and the gutters. Ice dams can cause leaks from ceilings and walls that can ultimately lead to mold and other problems. To prevent ice dams, remove leaves, sticks and other debris from gutters or install gutter guards (available in most hardware home stores) that will prevent debris from getting in the gutter and interfering with drainage.

“Watch Out for That Tree!”—Trees and branches weakened by snow, ice and wind can snap and seriously hurt a person on your property as well as cause serious damage to your home or car. Trimming trees and removing dead branches can help prevent serious damage and injuries.

Roof Care and Repair—High winds, snow and ice can damage a roof. Check the structural ability of the roof to sustain unusually heavy weight from the accumulation of snow and ice. After a heavy storm, check for water stains in the attic and on any overhangs. Lastly, repair or replace split or loose shingles and fix any leaks.

Pipe Dreams…and Nightmares—First, the bad news: Frozen or broken water pipes disrupt hundreds of thousands of American lives every winter. You can prevent frozen pipes by following these tips:

• Keep the inside temperature of your home at 65 degrees or warmer.

• Wrap heating tape and/or standard insulation around pipes wherever possible.

• Look for pipes with cracks or leaks —they freeze first.

• Keep cabinet doors open during cold spells to allow warm air to circulate around pipes (particularly in the kitchen and bathroom).

• If you’re leaving your home for several days, turn off the water completely and drain the pipes, or keep water dripping through one or two faucets, as moving water prevents freezing. However, if you are leaving your home for an extended period of time, plan to turn the water off. It also helps to have someone check your home every day while you are gone.
 
• If your pipes do freeze, quickly shut off the water and immediately call a plumber.

Prevent Personal Injuries—Homeowners are liable for any injuries that occur on their property. Keep kitty litter, sand or rock salt on hand to sprinkle over frozen driveways, walkways or sidewalks. Additionally, ensure that your outdoor steps and guardrails are in good repair to prevent injuries from falls on ice.

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127 South Peyton Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 800.221.7917
Fax: 703.683.7556
Email: Trusted.Choice@iiaba.net