Colorado Insurance

The state of Colorado is one of the most breathtakingly scenic in the country. With its majestic Southern Rocky Mountains, its canyons and red-rock formations, this state attracts several thousand tourists and new residents every year.  If you are one of the more than 5 million people who call The Centennial State your home, you likely have many Colorado insurance needs.

An insurance agent in the Trusted Choice® network can shop several top insurers to help you find policies to meet all of your Colorado coverage needs. With 252 of these agents in the state of Colorado, you should be able to find one close to home. Contact an agent now to get more information and to start reviewing a variety of Colorado insurance quotes.

What is an Independent Agent?

Every insurance agent is different from the next. When you solicit the help of an insurance agent for assistance with your Colorado insurance coverage needs, you can choose to work with either a captive or an independent agent. The differences are notable:

• Captive agents: These agents represent one specific big-name insurance company. They can provide you with rates and policy options only from this parent company. If you want to be sure that you are getting a good policy at a competitive rate, you will need to engage in comparison shopping on your own.  Because these agents work with only with insurance company, they are very limited in their ability to customize policies to meet your unique coverage needs.
• Independent agents: These agents, on the other hand, do not work for just one specific company; instead, they work for you. They have built relationships with several highly-rated insurance providers, and work with all of them to find you suitable policies at competitive rates. Independent agents are best able to customize coverage packages to meet your specific coverage needs, and typically provide an all-around better customer service experience.  Best of all, when you work with an independent agent, you can have all of your insurance policies conveniently handled through one office.

The Trusted Choice network is composed solely of local, independent insurance agents who work to find the best policy for you at the best rate.

Find the Right Colorado Car Insurance

Every state imposes minimum liability insurance coverage requirements for vehicle owners. These minimums are designed to protect drivers from the devastating financial losses that can be brought on by a motor vehicle collision. In Colorado, the liability minimums are 25/50/15. The means that your vehicle insurance must cover a minimum of:

• $25,000 of bodily injury or death coverage for one person in an accident
• $50,000 of bodily injury or death coverage in total for two or more people in an accident
• $15,000 in property damage coverage per accident

While these minimums may seem high, an accident that results in serious injuries or casualties can easily exceed these coverage limits. For this reason, many financial advisors recommend that you either purchase as much liability coverage as you can comfortably afford, or that you protect your assets with an umbrella insurance policy.

In addition to Colorado’s required liability coverage, you have the option to purchase additional coverage for your vehicle. This optional coverage includes:

• Collision insurance: This provides compensation for damages to your vehicle that are the result of a collision, regardless of fault. This coverage may be required by your lender if you have financed the purchase of your car or truck.
• Comprehensive insurance: This provides compensation for loss or damage to your vehicle that is caused by means other than a collision. Covered events include fire, flooding, severe weather, falling objects, vandalism and theft. This coverage may also be required by your lender if you have financed the purchase of your vehicle.
• Uninsured / Underinsured motorist insurance: This provides compensation for any damages or injuries you sustain in a collision, if the responsible driver lacks the necessary insurance coverage or funds to fully handle your repairs and medical costs.
• Personal injury insurance (PIP): This provides compensation for any medical care necessary to treat injuries sustained by you or your passengers in a motor vehicle accident, if you are the at-fault driver.

Adequately Cover Your Colorado Home

If you are like many people, your house is your most expensive investment. Make sure that you are covering it with a suitable home insurance policy. Colorado homeowners insurance policies have three main coverage components. These include:

• Liability coverage: This shields you from financial losses stemming from liability claims against you. This can happen if a third-party is injured or suffers property damage while on your property, and you are found responsible due to negligence in upkeep. This coverage also covers you against claims of libel and slander, and may even cover you for claims brought on because of injuries or damages caused by your pets or children. Liability coverage includes compensation for any associated legal fees and court costs.
• Home structure coverage: This covers you against damage or destruction to your home or to its outlying structures such as fencing and detached garages. Covered causes include such things as fire, hail, lightning and heavy winds. You will want to be sure to have coverage in an amount sufficient to rebuild if your home is completely destroyed. Flood and earthquake coverage is nearly always excluded from coverage so you will need to purchase additional policies to supplement your home insurance if you want to be fully protected.
• Home contents coverage:  This compensates you for loss or damage to the belongings you keep inside your home and on your property, if they are lost or damaged by a covered event such as a fire or burglary. Covered property includes everything from furniture to carpeting to cookware. If you own any particularly valuable property such as heirlooms, jewelry or antiques, you may need to purchase additional riders, or endorsements, in order to have full coverage for everything you own. An agent in the Trusted Choice network can help you determine how much coverage you need and whether or not you will need to purchase extra endorsements.

If you are purchasing a condo or renters insurance policy, you will not need structural coverage, but you will still need to protect your personal property and can benefit from the liability coverage these policies offer.

Can You Use Colorado Business Insurance?

As of 2008, there were 541,927 small businesses in Colorado. Many of these were sole-proprietorships with no employees but 127,264 employed others. If you are one of Colorado’s many budding entrepreneurs, you will want to be sure to protect your business with a suitable Colorado commercial insurance policy. A Trusted Choice member agent can help you build an appropriate policy.

A Colorado business insurance policy can provide coverage for your business’s materials and equipment, as well as liability coverage. If your business is home-based, do not assume that your homeowners insurance policy will provide the coverage you need. If you do not have a business policy, many home insurance companies will require you to purchase an additional rider to cover your in-home business, but this coverage may be very limited.

Colorado business insurance policy rates depend on several factors. Among them are:

• The type of business you own and the risks inherent with its industry
• The location of your business
• The number of people you employ
• Whether or not you own the building in which the business is located
• Whether or not your business relies on company owned vehicles
• The amount of coverage you wish to purchase

A local Trusted Choice member agent can help you understand the numerous coverage options available, and will help you determine which options are right for your particular business. Some of the many options you can discuss with your agent include:

• General liability coverage
• Professional liability coverage
• Product liability coverage
• Employment practices liability coverage
• Business property coverage
• Loss of income coverage
• Workman's compensation
• Commercial vehicle coverage

Protect Your Loved Ones with Colorado Life Insurance

Colorado’s residents live an average of 80.0 years and the state ranks 11th in the country in terms of life expectancy. As a resident of this state, you are likely to live well into your golden years. However, lives are occasionally cut short unexpectedly because of accidents or severe illnesses. How would your loved ones manage financially without you there? This is not an easy thing to think about, but if you have people that depend on you, it is an important issue.

A Colorado life insurance policy can bring you peace of mind by ensuring that your family will be well cared for in the event of your untimely death. There are two very different types of life insurance policies from which to choose, and each has its pros and cons:

• Term life insurance: This type of policy provides you with a high level of coverage at a low, affordable rate. However, these policies are in effect only for a limited time, or term. Term policies generally range from 5 to 30 years. Once the term is up, the policy expires. Depending on your age and health situation at that time, it may be prohibitively expensive to purchase another policy. The benefit of a term policy is that it provides a lot of coverage for your family during the years that they need it most. Term policies accrue no cash value.
• Permanent life insurance: This type of policy is significantly more expensive than a term policy, but it does not expire. As long as you stay current on your premiums, you can maintain this coverage for your entire life. Permanent life policies accrue a cash value, and you can elect to borrow against it or even cash in if you have an urgent need for the funds. Another benefit of this type of policy is that it permits you to lock in a low rate while you are young and healthy, and keeps that rate as you grow older, even if you are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

Regardless of which type of policy you select, the sooner you buy a life insurance policy, the less expensive your premiums will be. Procrastination is never a good idea when it comes to life insurance. Rates are determined by many factors including, but not limited to:

• The type of policy you choose
• The amount of coverage you purchase
• Your age and health status when you purchase your policy
• Your health history
• The health history of your immediate family members
• Your occupation
• Whether or not you use tobacco; smokers pay significantly higher premiums than do non-smokers

Affordable Colorado Health Insurance

People with health insurance tend to live longer, healthier lives. They are far more likely to see a doctor for annual check-ups and undergo routine age-appropriate health screenings and blood work. This allows for early detection of many health problems, so they are more likely to be treated successfully and non-invasively.  As of 2011, approximately 829,000 Colorado residents were living without health insurance. An additional 600,000 were underinsured.

Thanks to the Affordable Healthcare Act, these numbers are expected to drop. Residents who do not receive subsidized health insurance through their employers or qualify for Medicare or Medicaid will be able to take advantage of group rates when they purchase their coverage through the Colorado health insurance exchange. And, because of the new law, you can no longer be turned down for coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

Agents in the Trusted Choice network can help you understand the new healthcare laws and how they can benefit you and your family. You may want to ask your agent about:

• How the new Colorado health insurance marketplace works
• What tax incentives are available to those who purchase health insurance
• The differences between an HMO, a PPO and an EPO
• Whether or not you can save money by opting instead to pay as you go
• What types of preventive care are covered by the various health insurance plans
• What the tax benefits are for setting up an HSA (health savings account)

Find Colorado RV Coverage

Many of Colorado’s residents enjoy the beauty that this country has to offer through the window of an RV. With its gorgeous and diverse landscapes, it is little wonder that this state has so many RV parks within its borders. If you own one of these recreational vehicles, you will want to be sure that your expensive investment is suitably covered by a comprehensive Colorado RV insurance policy.

Because people use RVs as vehicles and as homes, their coverage needs are a bit more complex. Some of the coverage options you will find with a Colorado RV insurance policy include:

• Liability coverage: This covers you if you cause damages or injuries to others while driving your RV, as well as any related court costs or legal fees if you are sued as a result.
• Uninsured / underinsured motorists coverage: If another driver is at fault for an accident, the damages to your RV will likely exceed that driver’s property liability coverage. This insurance coverage will make up the difference.
• Medical payments / personal injury protection: This provides coverage for medical treatment if you are responsible for a collision in which you or your passengers are injured.
• Comprehensive coverage: If your RV is damaged due to a non-collision related event such as a fire, flood or falling object, this provides coverage for repairs.
• Collision coverage: This provides compensation for damages to your RV if you are at fault for an collision while driving it.
• Roadside assistance: Because these vehicles are so large, they require specialized roadside assistance and towing services. This provides coverage for these high costs.
• Contents coverage: If you use your RV as a part-time home, you likely have a lot of personal property kept inside it. This coverage compensates you for loss or damage to these belongings in the event of a covered event such as a fire, burglary, wind damage or collision.
• Full-timers coverage: This coverage acts as a homeowners insurance policy for those that use their RV as their primary residence.

How to Find Colorado Insurance Quotes

When you work with an independent insurance agent in the Trusted Choice network, you can have all of your Colorado insurance coverage needs conveniently handled in one office. Member agents will work to find you a variety of customized insurance policies that can suitably meet your coverage and budgetary needs. They may even be able to save you money on the Colorado insurance policies you already have.

Contact a local representative in the Trusted Choice network today to learn more and find Colorado insurance quotes that are suitable for all your coverage needs.