​You already realize the importance of having business insurance for your company, but you may not often think about keeping your policy up to date. In order for a business to survive, it usually means there are changes and growth that take place at a consistent rate. Those changes are critical to take note of, so you can keep your agent up to date on what needs to be covered.

Let’s consider two scenarios which could make a difference in the life of some common businesses.

Fern Halloway owned a flower shop in Houston, TX. She ran the business on her own with occasional help during the holidays. One spring, Fern stumbled upon a great deal on a yellow Prius, the perfect car for small deliveries. She had never offered deliveries before, but the timing seemed right for adding a new service to her customers.

Fern, of course, got insurance on the vehicle as soon as she changed the title, but never thought to let her agent know the car was to be used mainly for her company’s use. She put a cute decal on the driver’s door with her shop’s logo, and quickly got to work with deliveries. It was only a week after her deliveries began that Fern ran a red light, colliding with a vehicle.

Damage to both cars was extensive, and the other driver was hospitalized for a few days due to a concussion. Fern’s liability coverage helped out with the other vehicle and medical bills, but the other driver’s insurance company pressed charges against Fern’s flower shop for their client’s loss of income, pain, and suffering. Fern took a great loss, and sadly ended up selling her shop to help pay the legal fees.

Nate ran a tax service for a small Texas town. He usually hired four extra workers for the months between New Year’s and mid April to keep things running smoothly, but business had been picking up during the past few years. Nate decided to update his computer system and add several more computers and employees to his usual workforce. He kept careful track of the expenditures and carefully discussed the details with his insurance agent. They both understood the importance of not only adding new products to the current policy, but the extra risk for fraud when adding more employees. Nate’s agent revised the business policy to include the updates, added an umbrella policy for extra liability coverage for Nate, and fidelity bonding insurance, keeping Nate covered for any possible perils his business might face.

Do either of these stories resonate with you as you consider your own business insurance? Have you made changes in the recent past that you should mention to your agent? Keeping your agent up to date on your company’s current state of affairs could mean the “death or life” of your company.

Give Armstrong insurance a call today to talk to a knowledgeable agent about how we can keep your company covered to its full extent.

Not everyone will need to purchase extra insurance for their rental car, but you should be sure of the facts ahead of time. Do you need rental coverage in the Houston/Aldine or New Caney, Texas area? Let’s take a look at several scenarios to help you discover if rental car insurance is a policy you need.

Do you already have auto insurance?
If so, your current policy may extend to cover a rental car as well as your own vehicle. You should call your agent ahead of time to see what is covered in your auto insurance policy for rental cars. If you only have basic liability coverage, you would be responsible for damage done to the rental car in case of an accident. You will also need to pay your deductible. 

Will you be covered if you are injured?
This also depends on what your auto insurance covers, and what type of health insurance you have. If you don’t have good coverage for personal injury, it would be a good idea to buy rental car insurance. 

Do you travel often and use rental cars, but don’t own a vehicle?
There is a policy you can purchase called Non-owner Auto Insurance. This would be a good choice for you, as it would keep you covered no matter which vehicle you are driving. 

What if your belongings are stolen from your rental car?
Thankfully, if you have homeowners insurance or renters insurance, the coverage extends to your personal property away from home. This means if you lose something to theft or other peril while your belongings are in storage, a friend’s house, or a rental car, for example, your homeowners/renters insurance will step up to reimburse you for your loss. You will still be responsible for your deductible. 

Are you renting while on a business trip?
If so, check with your employer to see if you will be covered by your company’s insurance policy.


What should you do before renting a vehicle?
If you already have auto insurance and homeowners/renters insurance, give your agent a call to see how your current policies extend to rental cars. Also, call your credit card company to see if they offer any coverage to rental cars that you pay for with your card.

If you don’t have homeowners/renters insurance, or have auto insurance, give your agent a call to see if a non-owner car insurance policy would be a good option for you, or if you would be better off buying extra coverage from the car rental company.

Being prepared ahead of time by checking into these facts could save you a boatload of cash so you don’t blindly buy into all the options offered to you by a rental car company. After all, it doesn’t make sense to pay for coverage that you already have, right?

If you have more questions about these topics, give Armstrong Insurance a call. We can go over your policies with you to see how you are already protected, and can talk about other options available to you as you travel.

​As a renter, it is important to understand how renters insurance works. You may not realize that your landlord’s homeowners insurance does not protect your belongings or help you out if you are temporarily displaced from your home. Even if you don’t think your belongings are worth enough to warrant purchasing a renters insurance policy, you should take into consideration how the Loss of Use coverage in your policy could benefit you.

Let’s take a look at a fictional character who could easily be your next door neighbor:

Bailey Garrison rented an upstairs apartment near her place of work in New Caney, Texas. She decided to purchase a renters insurance policy to cover her computer, large television, and her newly bought living room furniture. While Bailey was at work one February day, a kitchen fire in a downstairs apartment caused some extreme smoke damage to several of the apartments in the complex, including Bailey’s. She arrived home from work that afternoon only to find that she would be homeless for the next few weeks while repairs were made to the damaged building. Thankfully, due to the loss of use coverage in her renters policy, Bailey was reimbursed for many of her extra expenses during her stay at a local motel. Not only was her motel bill covered, but her insurance took care of boarding for her cat, public transportation since she couldn’t walk to work, and even extra cost for meals eaten out during her time without a kitchen. Bailey was grateful for the replaced furniture that had been ruined by the smoke, but was especially glad for the Loss of Use coverage during those weeks of being displaced. It made a tough time in her life much more bearable and affordable.

As you already know, calamity always hits when you least expect it to. By buying a renters insurance policy, you can rest at ease that any perils covered by your landlord’s homeowners policy will typically be covered for you, as well. This means that not only will your possessions be protected, but you will not have to worry about being displaced if there is damage to your home that requires repair or replacement. This only applies to covered perils so, for example, if you do not have flood insurance, damage done by flooding will not be covered.

Another part of your Loss of Use coverage policy would be what’s called Prohibited Use. Let’s say an underground gas line was leaking, and your entire neighborhood was forbidden from entering their homes. The Loss of Use coverage in your renters policy would cover you during your displacement, even though the peril didn’t include damage to your home. This type of coverage usually lasts for up to two weeks.

If you have any questions about renters insurance and how it could help you, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We can discuss how to put together a custom policy that fits your particular needs.

​As a Texas homeowner, you are not required by law to purchase homeowners insurance. If you owe money on your home, however, your lender will require you to have a homeowners policy. Your home is likely one of the biggest investments you will ever make, and purchasing a homeowners insurance policy is the prudent thing to do, regardless, as there are countless perils that regularly threaten to cost you for repairs or replacement.

There are typically six common coverages included in a Texas homeowners policy. Today we are going to take a look at the Loss of Use coverage. Most homeowners realize that their insurance covers losses such as fire damage, vandalism, and weather related damage to their homes. You might not be as familiar with the loss of use coverage portion of your policy.

To illustrate how this type of coverage works, let’s look at what happened to Harriet Hickory:

Ms. Hickory bought a house in Aldine, Texas. She rented out her upstairs studio apartment to a coworker, which worked well for both of them and their shared daily commute. Seven months after purchasing her home, Harriet woke up to howling wind coming through her bedroom ceiling. A large tree branch had fallen from an oak tree in the yard during a thunderstorm, breaking through the roof. Thankfully Harriet wasn’t hurt, but her roof was damaged so extensively that she and her renter were unable to stay in her home until repairs were made.

There was a motel in Houston where Ms. Hickory settled in during her home repairs. She also had to find a boarding place for her German shepherd, since pets were not allowed in the motel. Harriet normally made her meals from scratch, but without a kitchen, she found herself eating out every day. All of these expenses quickly added up as Harriet’s lifestyle was so abruptly changed. Thankfully, the loss of use coverage in her homeowners policy was able to cover most of the expenses that were caused due to her displacement. That means her motel room, her dog’s boarding, her extra food expenses, the loss of rent money, and the extra gas money due to more miles to Harriet’s daily commute were reimbursed. This made the inconvenience of the whole fiasco much more bearable as she waited for the repairs to be completed.

Keep in mind, this coverage only pays for added cost of living that goes above your normal expenses. It will not cover expenses you were responsible for before the covered damages were done to your home, such as your mortgage, childcare, etc.

Give Armstrong Insurance a call to speak with an agent about how much loss of use coverage you might require. We can adjust your policy accordingly, as our goal is to make sure your policy fits your needs.

As a vehicle owner in Texas, you are required to purchase a minimum liability coverage. However, as insurance providers, we are required to offer you uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage as well as the mandatory liability insurance. It is up to you whether or not you will add this to your policy. Hopefully after reading this information you will better understand the need for uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

There are approximately fifteen million licensed drivers on Texas roads. Of those, about fourteen percent do not have any liability insurance. Every time you leave your driveway to share the road with fellow drivers, you stand the chance of having an encounter with someone who cannot pay for damage done to you, or your vehicle in the event of an accident. 

Let’s take a look at a short description of three main types of auto coverages you can choose from:

Liability is the insurance that pays for damage to the other driver and their vehicle or property when you are at fault. It does not cover anything on your vehicle.

Collision covers damage done to your vehicle when you are involved in a crash with another vehicle, an object such as a tree or post, or a single car roll over. It does not cover any medical expenses. 

Uninsured/Underinsured protects you and your vehicle from damage done by someone who has no insurance, or who doesn’t have sufficient coverage to pay for the damage incurred. It also covers hit and run, or injury to you if you are walking or biking when hit by an un/underinsured driver.

Harvey drove an old beater of a pick-up truck to work every day. He knew it wasn’t worth a whole lot, so he turned down any extra coverages offered beyond the essential liability insurance. One Friday evening, on his way home from the factory he worked for, Harvey stopped to grab some microwave dinners and soda at the local grocer. He hadn’t even left the parking lot when a cargo van barreled into the driver’s side of his cab. The van’s driver had gotten confused and floored the accelerator thinking it was the brake. Harvey suffered a broken hip and pelvis as well as a severe concussion. His hospital stay wracked up a bill exceeding $45,000. The driver of the van had the required minimum liability insurance, but that only covered $30,000 of the medical bills Harvey owed.

As you can see, even if you are involved in an accident with an insured driver, it does not ensure that your expenses will be covered. When you consider how quickly medical bills, loss of income, legal costs, and other expenses can build up due to an accident, you can see how this type of coverage is a wise choice. 

If you have questions about uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance, give Armstrong Insurance a call. We are here to make sure the coverage you need is included in your policy.

Have you recently purchased a home in the New Caney, Texas area? If so, you will want to make sure the homeowners insurance coverage for your new home is the right fit. Armstrong Insurance has the coverage you need, and can work with you to customize a policy.

Here are a couple of stories that prove how helpful this coverage can be:

Nettie relocated from the east coast to Texas thanks to a new position in the company she worked for. A few rungs up the corporate ladder provided for a comfortable house with a large yard and pool. Nettie talked at length with her new insurance agent as he set up her homeowners policy. Nettie had brought estimates of her valuables, including some inherited jewelry,  her guitars, furniture, and electronics. She also made sure that the swimming pool, which was attached to her patio, was included in the policy.

Several years after her move, Nettie arrived home after work to find extensive storm damage to her yard and house. A tree had been uprooted during an afternoon storm, landing across the swimming pool and breaking through the living room roof. Besides structural damage to the pool, patio, and house itself, there was also some water damage to some of Nettie’s furniture.

Thankfully it proved to be a straightforward process as Nettie made a claim with her insurance provider. Nettie had done the right thing by listing her belongings, their worth, and making sure the pool was included in her policy. 

Darren and his family took over his dad’s country home when his dad moved to an assisted living facility in the city. Darren’s son had some friends over after school one afternoon. The kids were having fun playing with two dogs the family had recently rescued from a local shelter. Suddenly one of the dogs attacked a young boy who had been teasing it with a stick. The bites required some hospitalization, months of healing, and some significant scarring. Thankfully Darren’s homeowners insurance covered the medical bills that mounted up from the dog bites. 
 
Most Texas homeowners policies contain these six types of coverage:
​

• Personal Property, which protects your belongings from theft, fire, water, or other perils.
• Dwelling, which covers the actual structure of your home.
• Medical Payments, for if someone else is injured while on your property, or if your pet injures someone whether on your property or on the loose.
• Personal Liability, pays medical bills and loss of wages for anyone you are responsible for injuring, and court costs if you are sued.
• Loss of Use, pays for motel stays and travel costs if you are temporarily displaced while your home is being repaired from damage.
• Other Structures, which includes buildings not attached to your house, and structures such as retaining walls or gazebos.

If you are new to the New Caney, Texas area, or are a first-time homeowner, give Armstrong Insurance a call. We can help you customize a policy that will protect your specific needs.

If you live near New Caney, Texas, and are looking for auto insurance, Armstrong Insurance is here to assist you! We can take a look at of few types of coverages to choose from for your insurance needs:​

As citizens of Texas, you are required to purchase a policy for auto liability, specifically to protect other drivers who share the roads with you. With this policy, your insurance will pay for any bodily injury and/or property damage for the other guy involved in an accident in which you are at fault. This may be all that you need if you are driving a beater that won’t be affected by dents and scratches. You will have to decide if your vehicle is worth the extra cost of a better policy, or if you would rather be putting some money aside for the day your beater finally bites the dust.​

​Let’s take a look at Craig, who just bought a used car from his elderly neighbor. Even though it is about ten years old, the car looks brand new inside and out. It was a pretty big investment for Craig, so buying a basic auto liability policy didn’t quite seem sufficient. He decided to add collision coverage which protects him from the costs incurred should he be involved in a collision with a vehicle or other object, rollover, or damage from potholes. This way, even if he is at fault in an accident, his insurance will reimburse him for the cost of repair or replacement, minus his deductible.

​In another scenario, Nell went to a local car dealership to buy her first vehicle before leaving for college. She chose a sensible sedan with good gas mileage. Nell signed up for some affordable monthly payments to get her car paid off within 3 years, but one requirement was that she purchase a full-coverage policy. A full-coverage policy consists of both collision and comprehensive coverage. Comprehensive coverage protects the policyholder from having to pay for damage caused by collision with animals, damage from hail, fire, windstorms, fallen objects, vandalism, theft, and many more perils. By purchasing full coverage, the lender is assured that the vehicle is well protected against any possible hazards.

​These are just a few of the most common auto insurance options. When you talk to an agent, you can ask about the other choices available to you. For example, if you are a business owner, you may want to consider commercial auto insurance. There is also coverage for uninsured and underinsured motorists, to protect you from having to pay when involved in an accident where the other driver does not have sufficient coverage.

At Armstrong Insurance you will find helpful agents with the knowledge to assist you in finding the right auto insurance policy. We will work with you to customize a policy resulting in a perfect fit for your specific needs. Give us a call today, and we will get you covered!

​Do you rent a house or apartment in the New Caney, Texas area? If so, Armstrong Insurance has renters insurance that can help give you peace of mind. Not everyone realizes that when they rent a home, their landlord’s homeowners insurance does not extend to the renter’s personal property or liability.

​Buying a renters insurance policy could save you thousands of dollars or more if a calamity happens where you live.

​Take for example a family who was renting an apartment in New Caney, Texas. Juan, his wife Giselle, and their two children woke up one morning to a flooded living room and bathroom. The upstairs neighbors had left their bathroom sink on, flooding both the upstairs and downstairs apartments. The water damage was quite extensive. One ceiling had partially collapsed, and Juan’s acoustic guitar collection that had been in the living room, as well as Giselle’s laptop and printer, were either ruined or damaged to the point of needing expensive repairs.

​Juan had bought a renters insurance policy when they moved into their apartment, making sure that his guitars and their other belongings were sufficiently covered. One thing he hadn’t realized was that his renters insurance would also pay for his family’s stay at a local motel while repairs were made to the building. It even covered the extra food costs when the family needed to eat out, raising their weekly grocery bills.

​On the other side of town, Blake rented a small house. He had recently adopted a medium-sized dog from a nearby shelter, making sure he had permission from his landlord. While entertaining some friends on a Friday night, Blake’s dog suddenly attacked and bit a young man who was looking for something to drink in the kitchen. The bite in his hand required surgery, thanks to a torn tendon. Unfortunately, Blake had never considered buying a renters insurance policy. He was surprised to find that he was required to pay for not only the surgery but also his friend’s lost wages due to the dog bite. If he had purchased renters insurance, the liability portion of his policy would have covered the costs he now faced out of pocket.

As you can see, buying renters insurance, which is very affordable considering the alternative costs should a catastrophe hit, can be a real lifesaver. Here are a few of the ways renters insurance can keep you covered:

• Loss or damage to property due to theft, fire, storm, or vandalism
  
• Liability should you be at fault if another person is injured, including dog bites
  
• Displacement costs if your home is damaged to the extent that you are forced to move out temporarily.

​If you have belongings that have a value above what your policy covers, you should talk to an agent about purchasing additional riders.

​Armstrong Insurance has the coverage you need as a renter. Give us a call, and we can work together with you to find the right policy to fit your needs. With a good renters insurance policy, you can rest assured that your belongings are covered and your pocketbook is safe.

Log in Faster
During a typical day, how many separate websites do you have to log into? Taking the time to enter complex passwords over and over again can be quite tedious. You need passwords for your email, your social media accounts, your online banking and probably other important tools and services. Each website you visit has its own unique requirements for how long or how complicated your password must be and how often you must change it. With a password manager you can log in once at the beginning of your day or your browsing session and instantly have access to all of your online accounts…no extra typing required!

Avoid Frustration
How many online accounts do you currently have? When was the last time you updated your important online passwords? You probably can’t recall. If you are required to change passwords for an account frequently it can be easy to mess up and type in an old password. Websites don’t like frequent log-in attempts and may choose to lock you out if you try too many combinations! All of this can create a huge headache when you are just trying to get through your day and accomplish simple tasks. Having a good password manager puts you back in control and provides one central place to verify and keep track of your online accounts. The number of passwords and usernames you can memorize has a limit, but a password manager can keep track of a huge number with no problem. Why not make your life easier?

Keep your accounts secure
Many people try to solve their password problems by using the same password on every website. This creates a huge (and unnecessary) security risk. If a hacker can uncover your username and your password on one site, what’s to stop them from trying that same password on another website you use? Think of how many websites you already have the same username for. This is why having diversity among your passwords is important. The more that you re-use the same password, the more likely it is that a hacker can “crack” that password on one small, poorly secured site and from there obtain access to all of your important online accounts.

How to Get Started?
Find a password manager that is recommended and reviewed by trustworthy sources. There are many to choose from. Make sure that you understand how the program works (is it online only? does it have an app for your phone?) and the specific benefits it provides. Check out these top password managers and start protecting yourself today: LastPass  Dashlane  1Password  RoboForm.

We Care
At Armstrong Insurance in Houston and Aldine, Texas, we want our neighbors and friends to be safe online and offline. If you have any questions about your insurance, call us today at (281) 449-0111.

(photo courtesy Jonas Löwgren)

Did you hear the one about the 9-volt battery that walked into a bar and said to the junk drawer, "c'mon baby light my fire?"

Failed attempt at humor 1, blogger 0.

But hey- pay attention
There is a hidden fire danger in that junk drawer where you throw all the stuff that you need to dispose of later. 

Let's see what's in that drawer. You know the one. (We'll take a look at my drawer first so you aren't embarrassed to show us yours.) Let's see what could turn my "good day" into a "bad day."

Inventory:
Cherry cough drop stuck to the wrapper
Crumpled Kleenex that I'm not sure I've used
8 Keys that probably don't open any locks I have
Five business cards from folks I'm never going to call
Old reading glasses that make me look stupid
27 sheet rock screws from that project I never finished
Brochures from the PTA that I'm never going to read
A used 9-volt battery from the smoke alarm in the kitchen

Do you see the danger? No?

That 9-volt battery has two terminals that you didn't cover before throwing it in the drawer, lots of metal to complete a circuit (creating a spark), and lots of kindling to turn that spark into a fire.

Let's look at what could happen in a fictional play:

Act 1
I jerk the junk drawer open in a hurry, looking to see if one of those orphaned keys opens the bicycle lock in the garage.


Act 2
The stuff in the drawer all rattles around and changes places as I slam it shut.

Act 3
I run out to the garage and get lost in all kinds of meaningless and distracting things.

Act 4
Meanwhile, back in the drawer, the 9-volt battery has snuggled up to the remaining keys (in particular, that really good-looking key).

Act 5
The positive and negative terminals (the two posts) on the 9-volt battery are connected by the good-looking key. Sparks fly. The Kleenex are waiting nearby to encourage this romance. Soon, the entire drawer is on fire. But not a good kind of fire. The End.

SIMPLE SAFETY TIP
Cover the posts (terminals) of your 9-volt batteries with duct tape or electrical tape before disposing of them.

Wow. That's simple. (Did you think it would be hard?)

And before you think this is an Urban Legend, and you "Snopes-Check" it; it's not an urban myth. Here are a couple of links to check out: Youtube video (3 minutes) reporting on a home fire caused by 9-volt batteries. And this safety brochure from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Be safe. Tape over those old 9-volt batteries.

--------------------------------
Blatant Advertisement
Since we are your insurance agent in Aldine and your insurance agent in New Caney, your safety matters to us. And if we aren't your insurance agent yet, you know that we have the lowest rates on auto insurance anywhere, ever, at all times, right? (Ok, well, we try.)

Call us at (281) 449-0111 and let us try to save you some money.

(Copyright 2014. Photo courtesy Joe Haupt)