Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
Are You Covered?
  • Changing Your Address Means Changing Your Insurance
    May is National Moving Month and every year more than 40 million Americans will move, according to the American Moving and Storage Association. As you pack up your belongings and move across town or across the country, make sure you don’t forget to “pack” your insurance coverage.
  • Summer Storm Recovery Tips
    Independent insurance agents not only advise clients about insurance, but they’re disaster readiness consultants. It is imperative to know what your risks are and what to do in the
    event of a hurricane. We recommend meeting with a Trusted Choice® independent insurance agent who can consult with you in assessing your risks and ensuring that you, your family and your home are prepared in the event of a disaster. Trusted Choice® offers many disaster-specific readiness and recovery tips for consumers.
  • Landscape Ready: Utility Marking, Underground Septic & Sewer Back-Up
    Homeowners: Before you hit a gusher—and we aren't talking oil—get the 811 from Trusted Choice.
  • Spring Forward: Spring Cleaning and Safety Updates
    Temperatures are getting warmer and now that it’s spring, it’s time for spring cleaning and making spring time repairs around the house. Taking care of our homes is important, so take a moment to understand how taking care of things around the house can impact your insurance.
  • A Little Less than Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: Insurance and Tax Issues with Nannies and Housekeepers
    With more and more families every year having both parents work full time, there has been an increasing need for help around the house with childcare and chores like cleaning, laundry and running errands. If you’re hiring household help it’s important to understand how having domestic workers (including nannies, housekeepers, caretakers, etc.) around your home can impact not only your insurance coverage- both your auto and your homeowners- but also how it could have tax implications for you. If you don’t understand these issues, the result could be something quite atrocious.
  • Earth Day and Going “Green” with Your Homeowners Insurance
    "I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us." – Theodore Roosevelt
    With Earth Day on April 22nd, Roosevelt’s call for responsible use of resources remains as relevant today as when he wrote it over a century ago, and many Americans are taking up the call as part of the “green” movement, particularly in the areas of construction and building. Whether you’re building a new home or are interested in retrofitting your home to be a “green” home, it’s important to recognize how taking these steps to make your home more environmentally friendly may require some special “green” insurance to protect them.
  • Notable Omissions/Limitations in Your Home Insurance Policy
    Do you know what types of losses your home insurance policy will cover? Perhaps more important, do you know what types of commonly occurring losses it will not cover?

    Knowing the limitations in your policy is the first step to finding the fix. Following is a list of commonly occurring events or exposures that can cause significant financial damage to you and your family. What do they all have in common? Coverage for them is either limited or excluded under a typical home insurance policy.
  • Death and Taxes: The Uncertainty of What Happens With An Insurance Policy When A Loved One Dies
    As Benjamin Franklin said, “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” When a loved one dies, as family and friends settle their affairs, one important question should be asked: What happens to the insurance policy on the house when the owner dies?
  • April Showers: Umbrellas Are for More Than Water
    At the mention of umbrellas, you likely think of protection from falling water drops. Your Trusted Choice® agent would like to remind you the proper “insurance umbrella” could also protect you from a “rain” of lawsuits. Personal liability claims against homeowners and drivers are increasing in frequency and severity. The question is simple: Are your current limits of liability on your homeowners, boat, and personal auto policies adequate?
  • Think your home, condo or business insurance policy covers flood damage? Think again!
    A standard home insurance policy will cover losses caused by water that accumulates in the home resulting from the accidental discharge of a system of appliance, such as a broken hose or valve. That same policy will not cover losses caused by water that accumulates as a result of the overflow of a body of water or runoff of surface water.
  • Are You Prepared for a Flood?
    March 3-9 is National Severe Weather Preparedness Week, and as we move from winter into spring, spring rains coupled with melting snow and ice can increase the risks of flooding, and it’s not just those in high risk flood zones who are vulnerable. Here’s some information on evaluating your flood risk and how you can protect your home with flood insurance.
  • Avoid a Bracket Busting Claim: Insuring Special Events
    It’s time for March Madness! Are you planning a blowout that will make render an entirely new meaning to “bracket busting?” Has your neighborhood community center asked for a either a hold-harmless agreement or a damage deposit exceeding your current mortgage payment?

    Welcome to the world of personal event risk management!
  • Flood Safety Awareness Week
    March 12-16th is Flood Safety Awareness Week, and as we move from winter into spring the risks of flooding can go up, and it’s not just those in high risk flood zones who are vulnerable. Here’s some information on evaluating your flood risk and how you can protect your home with flood insurance.
  • Before, During and After a Tornado
    Tips for dealing with tornadoes from Trusted Choice.
  • How Can I Save Money on My Insurance? Asked and Answered
    Earlier this month Trusted Choice® asked fans on Facebook what questions they had about insurance and what they would like to know more about when it comes to coverage and price. Responses ranged from “what to do after an accident” to “Am I covered if…,” but far and away the question on most people’s minds was “How can I save money on my insurance?”
Three Insurance Resolutions for the New Year
resolution.jpgSome people vow to exercise more, or to quit smoking or to read more books, and these are all admirable New Year’s resolutions. But what about resolutions that help provide you with peace of mind, more protection and a little more money in your wallet?  Trusted Choice ® Independent Insurance Agents encourage you to review these three straightforward “insurance resolutions" that can help you start 2013 on the right foot:
 
  1. Check to See If You Qualify for Discounts to Lower Your Premium
    It’s always a good idea to save a little money when you can, and asking your Trusted Choice agent about potential discounts is a great place to start. While premiums are calculated based on the level of risk an insurance company must take to provide you with coverage, there are steps you may be able to take to reduce those risks. For example, installing alarms in your home that alert local authorities to fires or burglary may help to reduce the premium on your homeowners insurance since it can aid in the prevention and mitigation of a fire or break-in. If you have teenagers that are or will be old enough to drive this year, ask your agent about good student discounts, and all drivers may be able to lower their premiums by successfully completing a defensive driving course.

    Another way you can lower your premiums would be to raise your deductible- the amount you pay for a loss before your insurance coverage kicks in. Raising your deductible on your auto insurance collision and comprehensive coverage can help bring your rates down.

  2. home inventory.JPGMake a home inventory
    The reason we all purchase insurance is to help us recover, rebuild and replace after a loss. 2012 saw devastating storms, from tornadoes to hurricanes where thousands of people lost their possessions. Keeping a comprehensive home inventory can help you replace your belongings after a loss, as accurate records will make it less likely that there will be a dispute between you and your insurance company during the claim process. 

    Not sure how to create a home inventory? Trusted Choice offers a home inventory tool on our mobile app, which allows you to use your smart phone or tablet to take pictures and document important details of your belongings.

  3. Find and Fix Gaps in Coverage
    One of the worst experiences you can have when filing a claim after a loss is being told that you don’t have the right coverage. While a Trusted Choice independent insurance agent will work with you to try and eliminate those scenarios, there are also times when your circumstances change, and if you don’t update your insurance coverage accordingly, you might find yourself with a gap in coverage. If you have certain high value items such as jewelry or collectibles, they may not be fully covered under a homeowners policy, despite coverage being available elsewhere under an add-on called a “personal articles floater.” Similarly, in the wake of Sandy and other storms with intense flooding, many homeowners found out that their homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flood losses. Even if your mortgage company doesn’t require it, a flood insurance policy can be an important piece of protection you should investigate.

    Speaking with a Trusted Choice agent can help you identify where there may be potential gaps and they are able to help you obtain the coverage to fill them.


A New Year is a new start, and a time to start over. Committing yourself to these resolutions can help provide you with peace of mind, more protection and, hopefully, a little more money in your wallet to start the year.

What Are You Looking For?

 

Find Us On Facebook

Get in Touch

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