Kevin Brunson Daily Mountain Trail Runner and NV Insurance Agent.

The Pilgrims’ Real Thanksgiving Lesson

In the past I have used this blog to relay general information about the industry that may help the general public and clients alike. Today I am going to write about some products that we sell on an accommodation basis to our existing clients. The first is term life insurance. We have the ability to find the lowest rates in the country for term life insurance and because we generally have additional lines of business, we can offer a level of service that online life insurance brokerages just cannot match. We also offer financial related products for niche situations. We are NOT a stock brokers or financial planners. Their job is to make you rich. At Ardent Insurance we offer products that protect your assets, preserve your estate, and/or provide an income stream (guaranteed). In addition we have a full line of permanent life products that have generous loan provisions (so you can borrow money from you policy) and we have permanent life products with long term care riders. The li

Insurance: The One Question Everyone Asks “Am I overpaying?” That’s a question that every consumer asks from time to time. Everyone is curious and concerned as to whether he or she is getting a good value for the money, whether it’s for a candy bar, a car or an airline ticket. It’s a good question to ask about insurance, too. After all, Americans spend a lot of money on insurance for homes, autos and businesses. In 2008, American drivers spent $161 billion for personal automobile insurance, reported the A.M. Best Co., an insurance research and ratings firm. This large market for auto insurance is highly competitive. Consumers play a large part in keeping insurance rates competitive by virtue of shopping—whether online, by telephone or on the World Wide Web. More than one of four (about 28 percent) of auto insurance buyers shopped around for car insurance in 2009, reported J.D. Power & Associates in its 2009 national auto insurance study. But consumers aren’t the only ones shopping

Concerned About Uninsured Drivers? There Are Ways to Protect Yourself October 19, 2009 Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Is Optional In Most U.S. States INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE New York Press Office: (212) 346-5500; media@iii.org Washington Press Office: (202) 833-1580 NEW YORK, October 19, 2009 — One driver out of every seven in the U.S. is believed to have no auto insurance and that has broad repercussions for the 86 percent of drivers who do, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) “Most people don’t think about the uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage portion of their auto insurance policy until they are the victim of a hit and run accident, or are involved in a crash with a driver who either does not have auto insurance or has very minimal insurance,” said Jeanne M. Salvatore, senior vice president and consumer spokesperson for the I.I.I. Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage will reimburse you, a member of your family, or a designated dri

Mona Charen : About Canada - Health Care and More - Townhall.com Shared via AddThis

FOX NEWS WHITE HOUSE VIEW - RE POST August 12, 2009 Gibbs: Obama misspoke about AARP During the White House briefing today, Major Garrett asked Robert Gibbs about the comments President Obama made yesterday in regards to the AARP endorsing the health care plan - for the record - they have NOT! QUESTION: OK. Yesterday, the president said the AARP endorsed a plan. As you're aware yesterday, the AARP said it hasn't addressed a plan. Where on the information or disinformation scale would the president's remark fall? GIBBS: Well, the president said -- well, AARP has said they are certainly supportive and have been for years on comprehensive health reform. I don't think the president meant to imply anything untoward. I think he discussed the notion that AARP is supportive of legislation -- or, I'm sorry, an agreement that would -- that would fund filling the doughnut hole for seniors as part of Medicare Part D, as well as additional savings for comprehensive health care r

John Stossel : Big Business Goes Big for Health Care Reform - Townhall.com Shared via AddThis

Interesting article about ObamaCare (please cut and paste link): http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203609204574314622075560890.html#printMode

Watch out for medicine of big government - Victor Davis Hanson - fresnobee.com Shared via AddThis

It has never been more confusing to explain why you need an agent. With all the TV/Radio ads urging you to buy direct, plus the confusion that many direct companies also utilize the independent agency force (this includes our agency - Ardent Insurance Inc). Hopefully, this brief story will help shed some light on the subject. One of the companies we represent was contacted directly by one of our insureds. Our client made multiple changes on her account. The insurance company in question usually has excellent customer service, however, this time the changes incorrectly changed our clients status (raising her insurance premium). Luckily our agency noticed the rate increase and contacted our client immediately. She explained what had happened and we worked with the company to fix the problem. Now her rates are accurate and everyone was satisfied with the outcome. The bottom line is, you can go it alone, or you can hire an independent insurance agent like Ardent Insurance to help.

What is the difference between combined single limits (CSL) and split limit insurance coverage amounts? CSL is designed to allow you a lump sum amount coverage, which may be used to effectively cover an automobile loss up to a specified amount. For instance, if your CSL automobile liability limit is $300,000, that amount can be used to cover bodily injury to one person (per person) or all the people in the vehicle injured (per occurrence). In addition any property damage would also be included within the $300,000 insurance amount. The key benefit of CSL automobile liability protection is flexibility. With split limit coverage there are fixed amounts of coverage for each automobile loss. For instance, if your split limit liability amount is $100,000/300,000/100,000 (or 100/300/100) the coverages are broken down into three categories. The first is bodily injury (per person), the second is bodily injury (per occurrence), and third is property damage. For example, if you collide wit

Many times we are asked; how can our business satisfy a certificate holders request for more than 2 million (or more) singe (each) occurrence coverage. The simple answer, is that in most cases, you probably have to shop for an additional business insurance policy called an business umbrella policy (excess liability).

Pros: Lifetime Income: Immediate lifetime annuity contracts guarantee periodic payments for as long as you live. Thus, in this instance the risk of you living a long life is borne by the insurance company providing the annuity contact. Inflation Protection: Annuities can be customized to ensure that your monthly payout will keep pace with the cost of living. This protection is critical but the downside is this add-on will cost more. Principal Protection: One of the best features of a fixed and equity indexed annuities is that the face value of the annuity can be guaranteed to be equal to or above the amount you invested. You can guarantee that you (or your heirs) will receive back at least as much money as you invested. Tax Efficient: You can purchase an annuity with qualified retirement savings, which can save you money on taxes over taking a lump sum payment. You can also rollover qualified funds into a qualified annuity without any tax penalties.

I have noticed a tendency in some insurance consumers to focus on price. My suggestion is to focus on value. Price implies that all insurance coverages and companies are the same. The facts do not back this assumption. Some companies pay claims fairly and in a timely manner. Others do not. Some people need basic liability protection others because of their wealth require more liability protection. My best advice is to hire a professional independent insurance broker by delegating your insurance purchasing to him/her. For most people this is a better use of their time, and in most cases they will be happier with the claims process.