Roberts Insurance Group Blog |
Have you ever wondered how the rate you pay for your auto insurance is calculated? Most folks in Georgia who reach out to The Roberts Insurance Group for help or advice usually ask, "why is my car insurance rate so high with my current company?". It's a very common question. The truth is, there are over 200 factors that go into determining the rate you pay for your auto insurance policy in Georgia. Below are some of the main factors:
At the Roberts Insurance Group, we work with our clients to get the coverage they need at the best possible price. We make sure you know exactly what you're paying for and what factors are effecting your rate. We're an independent insurance agency based in Canton, GA and help clients throughout the state of Georgia. We would love the opportunity to provide a better value insurance solution for you and your family. Give us a call at 678-250-8133 or click below to start saving today!
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For many Georgians, their home is their biggest investment and asset. Most folks will go into debt for 30 years for it and want to make sure it is properly protected in the event of something unexpected. However, many homeowners in Georgia are surprised to learn that your home insurance policy protects far more than just your home. At the Roberts Insurance Group, we educate our clients on different coverages that come packaged with their home insurance. We're an independent insurance agency located in Canton, GA and help clients throughout the state and today, we're educating everyone on some of the coverages you can get with your home insurance policy: Personal Property Coverage Many Georgians aren't aware, but your personal property is covered under your homeowners policy. Depending on what type of home insurance you have (HO3 or HO5) will determine what type of coverage or cause of loss the policy will cover but all home insurance policies will have coverage for your belongings. Liability Another less than well known coverage is personal liability coverage. This coverage will pay for legal defense and settlement if there is a lawsuit brought against you or other household members in the event you are accused of being liable for bodily injury or property damage (and sometimes libel/slander) to a third party. Identity Theft In today's day in age, adding identity theft to your policy is almost a no-brainer. This coverage is very inexpensive and will pay for the costs to help recover your identity if it is ever stolen. Theft From Items In Your Car Did you know that your homeowners insurance will pay for items that are stolen from your vehicle, whether or not your vehicle is on your property? Most homeowners in Georgia don't! This is an extension of personal property coverage. Loss Of Use Loss of use coverage is another coverage that comes as a surprise to many Georgia homeowners. This coverage will help pay for any additional living expenses you my have as the result of having to vacate your home due to damage from a claim. It pays for things like renting another home, apartment, or extended stay hotel, along with additional food and transportation costs, storage costs, etc. What Other Coverages Are Available? The truth is, there's dozens and dozens of other coverages available depending on the insurance company. Something we do at The Roberts Insurance Group is we help our clients build a coverage plan that takes care of everything they want and need so that they are totally satisfied whenever the unexpected happens and they need to file a claim and use their insurance. We would love to help you and your family build-out a plan that takes care of your wants and needs! Give us a call at 678-250-8133 or click below to get started! There are many reasons Georgians choose to do business with a particular insurance company or insurance agency. Maybe it's the rates they pay, the way previous claims were handled, the coverage that their company offers, the ease of doing business, maybe the technology, or maybe it's because they have a great relationship with their carrier or agent. Whatever the reasons are, the most important thing is that you, your family, and your belongings are properly covered.
If any or all of these things are important to you, then we have some good news for you: an independent insurance agent or independent insurance agency can take care of all of those needs.. and more! The Roberts Insurance Group is a full service independent insurance agency based in Canton, GA and we help clients with their home, auto, and business insurance throughout the entire state. Even if you aren't in our area, we think it's important to find a local independent agency to do business with and here's why: Discounts And Savings Independent insurance agents know that, while price isn't necessarily everything, it's very important! Independent insurance agents, like at The Roberts Insurance Group, want to earn your business, so we will do everything possible to make that happen by delivering the absolute lowest price and best value for you and your family. Multiple Companies Unlike captive insurance agencies who just represent one company or family of companies, independent insurance agents represent dozens and dozens of different companies. For instance, here at The Roberts Insurance Group, we represent over 40 different carriers directly and have access to hundreds of others through secondary markets. This means that we can shop around for our clients to help them find the best value and best fit for their individual situation. As Life Changes, You Can Change Companies Without Changing Agents For most people, shopping or changing insurance can be very time consuming and exhausting. You spend hours calling around, talking to different people, repeating the same information over and over. And, in the end, if you do decide to switch, you have to get used to dealing with a call center or a brand new agency. When working with an independent insurance agency, there is none of that. We shop around for our clients and can place them with a new carrier without our clients having to lift a finger. The best part is that our clients get to keep us and the same point of contact forever. Knowledge Insurance can be very confusing. Even working in insurance, we learn something new almost every day. It is next to impossible to fully understand your policy and how claims work without the help of a licensed agent, which is why it is important to rely on the help of a licensed professional when purchasing insurance. The last thing you would want as a policyholder is for a claim to be denied because you didn't know what you were purchasing. Always rely on a licensed professional for advice, when possible. One Stop Shopping As an independent insurance agency in Canton, GA, we can help out clients with every type of risk they may have as life change. Home, Auto, Life, Business, Disability, you name it, we can do it. This eliminates the need to have your insurance spread around between several different agencies, which creates confusion around your insurance program. How Can We Help? The Roberts Insurance Group is a full service independent insurance agency based in Canton, GA and we help clients throughout the state with just about anything they need. We are a true one stop shop that is guaranteed to get you the very best value on your insurance and provide fantastic customer service to our clients. Give us a call at 678-250-8133 or click below to see how we can help you, your family, or your business! Are You Receiving All Of The Discounts Available For Your Workers Compensation? Chances Are, You're Probably Not. If you own a business and have workers compensation insurance in Georgia, chances are you have no idea that you can qualify for discounts on your workers comp insurance. Why? Because most agents, let alone business owners, even know they exist. This is why it is so important to work with a workers comp expert on your company's workers compensation insurance. Workers Compensation Discounts The first step to making sure you're receiving all of the discounts that you're eligible for is to work with a workers compensation specialist. Insurance agents and agencies that aren't experienced in worker's compensation are often unaware of these programs and options and, as a result, your business ends up paying way more than you need to. Some of the discounts and credits available are:
Take a look at your current policy. Do you see any of these discounts on there? Have you discussed anything like this with your agent? Chances are, the answer to both is "no" and there's an even greater chance that you're overpaying for your worker's compensation insurance. So What Can You Do? You can get with an agency that specializes in workers compensation. Give us a call at the Roberts Insurance Group at 678-250-8133 or click below and we will review your policy and let you know some options for saving on your premium and increasing your bottom line. At the Roberts Insurance Group, we insure hundreds of homes all over the state of Georgia. While serving so many homeowners throughout the state, we've been asked all kinds of questions as it pertains to home insurance. One common question is: Will home insurance pay to remove a tree from my property that could fall and cause more damage? To many homeowners' surprise, the answer to this question is NO. This is true with every home insurance company. But why? Many homeowners often argue that, if the tree does not get removed it will end up causing more damage that the insurance company will have to pay for. The answer that insurance companies have for this is: because there has been no loss. In order for home insurance coverage to apply, there has to be a loss. Something has to happen. An easy rule of thumb to know whether or not something would be covered is "sudden and accidental" loss. Has there been a loss? Was the loss or cause of loss sudden and accidental? If the answers to these questions are "yes" and "yes", then there's definitely potential for coverage (note that this "rule of thumb" is not exact and will not definitively determine whether or not there is coverage for a loss under your homeowners policy). So, for the example given, the tree would actually have to fall and damage something in order for coverage to apply. If a tree suddenly and accidentally falls and damages something, your homeowners policy should provide coverage for the damage to your property (subject to a deductible) and there would also be coverage to remove the fallen tree from your property. What Options Do Homeowners Have For A Tree That Needs To Be Removed? The only real option for Georgia homeowners would be to pay to have the tree removed out of pocket. Tree removal (before a loss) falls into the category of homeowner maintenance similar to old roofs or old and worn out siding. If your roof is old and needs to be replaced but there's not storm damage, the insurance company will not pay to replace it. Again, there has to be a sudden and accidental cause of loss, like a storm or weather event, in order to coverage to apply. Here at the Roberts Insurance Group, we help homeowners throughout Georgia protect their homes and properties and would love the opportunity to help you too! Give us a call at 678-250-8133 or click below to see how we can help. A question we hear pretty frequently is: what is the difference between collision and comprehensive coverage for car insurance? For those that do not work in property and casualty insurance, this is a very common question.
These days, when someone says they have "full coverage", what they really mean is that they carry comprehensive and collision coverage. These are the two coverages that a lienholder will require you to carry on your auto insurance if your car is financed or leased. These coverages will pay to fix or replace the vehicle if the damage is not due to another driver. So What Does Each One Cover? Comprehensive Comprehensive coverage on your Georgia car insurance policy will pay to fix or replace your vehicle if it the damage is not caused by you or another driver. So what things does it cover? It will cover things like: glass damage, storm damage, damage from something falling (like if a tree fell on your car), and it will replace your car if it is stolen. One of the less common comprehensive claims is when you put the wrong type of gas in your vehicle. We had a claim one time where a client put regular gas in a diesel truck. It ended up costing several thousand dollars to get this fixed. Aside from covered claims, one of the big differences between collision and comprhensive coverage is with deductible options and cost of insurance. Most insurance companies will allow you to carry a comprehensive deductible as low as $0 whereas the minimum for collision is usually $250. In addition, compohrnesive coverage is always far less expensive compared to collision coverage, so lowering the deductible for this coverage is going to be much less expensive. Collision Collision coverage on your Georgia auto insurance policy pays to fix or replace your car if you are at-fault for the damage. Whether you cause an accident on the roadway, hydroplane in a ditch, or back into a pole, your collision coverage will be used to fix or replace your vehicle. As discussed above, collision coverage is far more expensive than comprehensive coverage, which leads most clients to choosing a higher deductible, usually $500 or $1,000. How We Help Clients Get The Best Auto Insurance In Georgia At the Roberts Insurance Group, we work with our clients to help build a coverage plan that works best for them and their family, so that their auto insurance works exactly how they want it to when it comes time to file a claim. This includes advising on whether or not to carry comprehensive and collision coverage and what deductibles to choose. We will shop around your ideal coverage with dozens of the best insurance companies in Georgia to find the very best price for the coverage you need on your car insurance. Give us a call at 678-250-8133 or click below to get your cars properly insured and to start saving money today! The Roberts Insurance Group is a Georgia Insurance Broker specializing in commercial and personal insurance for our clients throughout the state of Georgia. We help our clients lower their cost of insurance with our superior claim and risk management expertise and our extensive carrier access. We are in the business of building relationships with our clients to help them grow and succeed. Contact us today to see what we can do for your family or business. Four Things Your Company Can Do To Make Your Next Worker's Compensation Audit A Breeze
If you've been in business for any period of time, you're probably familiar with the audit that comes at the end of your Worker's Comp policy term. Trust me, the only thing a business owner hates worse than paying for insurance is completing the audit. The main issues companies have with worker's compensation audits is that they require some paperwork and there is always the chance the insurance company will come back after the audit and bill your business for additional premium. Lucky for you, we're very experienced in helping our clients navigate their audits seamlessly and have put together some tips and tricks to implement when it's time for your next audit. If you follow our 4 tips below, you're next worker's compensation audit will be a breeze: 941 Payroll Taxes It is very common for auditors to ask for copies of your business' quarterly payroll taxes. They do this to verify that the payroll on your payroll reports matches what was paid to the employees. Before your next audit, be sure to go ahead and pull your company's payroll tax quarterly reports and have them ready to go. Subcontractors Certificates of Insurance Any time your company hires someone to do work for your business, you need to make sure they are insured and to collect certificates of insurance for their business. When it comes time for your audit, the auditor is going to ask for copies of these. If you're unable to provide them, then your insurance company is going to charge you for the work they've done for your company. Make sure to collect these as the work is being done and have them easily accessible prior to your next audit. Job Category Classification Workers compensation premiums are based on payroll paid for specific occupations. For instance, the premium for $100,000 paid to an office workers will be significantly less than the premium for $100,000 paid to a construction worker. When you are classifying your employees, it is important to make sure you classify them based on their category and not their specific job duty. Listing Executives It is important that your auditor knows who the company's executives are because there is a cap on the payroll that an executive has to pay for their workers comp premium. If this goes unchecked, there is a very good chance that you business will end up overpaying for the workers comp premium on their executives' payroll. Following these 4 tips are some of the keys to making sure your next audit runs smoothly. Even if there ends up being additional premium after your audit, there is no need to worry because your agent or broker should be able to negotiate to reduce the balance due for you and your business. If you would like to discuss any current or past audits for your company, we would love to help over at The Roberts Insurance Group. We've helped companies throughout the state of Georgia navigate current and past audits to help get their premiums adjusted and back on the right track. You can schedule a time by calling 678-250-8133 or clicking the link below. Shopping around for insurance is a pain. It is very time consuming. It can be very confusing. It can also lead you to end up making a purchase you'll regret when you need to file a claim. Think about it. Let's say you want to get quotes from 7 different companies. Whether you do it online or over the phone, you're probably going to spend close to 30 minutes on each quote. Then, once you get the quotes back, you have spend time comparing the quotes. When you're comparing quotes, each home and auto insurance quote may have some subtle differences on the proposal that you have to take into account. There may also be some significant differences in coverage "below the surface" that aren't explicitly stated on the quote(s); things that the agent or carrier may be aware of but you, the consumer, are not. And the worse part is, you don't even know to ask! So now you've spent close to 4 hours gathering and comparing quotes and now you have to make a decision on something where you're not even 100% sure what you're getting. So what can you do? Work With A Trusted Independent Insurance Agent By working with an independent insurance agent, you can save time and money when shopping for your home and auto insurance. Options If you work with a captive insurance agent, like State Farm, Geico, USAA, Farmers, etc., you're only able to get a quote from 1 company. When you decide to work with an independent insurance agent, you're able to get quotes from dozens and dozens of companies, all through the same agent or agency. Independent insurance agencies, like the Roberts Insurance Group, have partnerships with several different insurance companies and are able to shop around for you to guarantee you get the very best value. Here at the Roberts Insurance Group, we have about 40 different companies that we work with directly and have access to many more on secondary markets, if needed. Instead of spending hours calling around to different insurance companies, you can spend 15 or 20 minutes with us and have us compare quotes for you between dozens of different companies. Advisors vs. Salesperson Independent insurance agents function more as an advisor to clients rather than a salesperson. Since independent insurance agents have so many different companies and options for their clients, there is never a need to try and push a client towards any one specific company or product. For instance, here at the Roberts Insurance Group, we like to present the option with the best overall value and act as an advisor to our clients. Since we have several options available for clients, there is never a need to cut coverage or use high-pressure sales tactics just to get a deal done. Give Us A Call To Compare Coverage And Rates Across Different Companies And Get A Better Value Here at the Roberts Insurance Group, we would love the opportunity to help you navigate the marketplace when you're ready to get a better value on your insurance. Our team of licensed professionals will shop your insurance between dozens of companies and make sure you're getting the very best value on your home and auto insurance. Click below or give us a call at 678-250-8133 to get a better value today! When it comes to insurance, there are a few different things to consider that differ from insuring a primary home. Why is that? Because the risks are going to be slightly different. Depending on how your vacation home is used, there are going to be some risks associated with it that are not relevant for your primary home. Personal Use Only- Extended Vacancy If you have a second home that is solely used by you and your family, chances are it is vacant a majority of the time. With the increased vacancy, there is an increased risk for burglary, vandalism, and unnoticed damage. For instance, if there is a water leak from an appliance or plumbing fixture, it could be several weeks before you notice it. Whereas, you would probably notice it right away with your primary home. Insurance companies take this increased risk into consideration when determining your policy premium. Intentions Of Renting Many Georgians with vacation homes will often make them available for short term rental, like on Air BnB or VRBO, when they are not staying there. This helps create an additional income stream and/or a way for the home to "pay for itself". If you're doing this with you vacation home, you'll need to have your policy set up slightly different. For instance, it would be a good idea to have coverage to cover your lost income or lost rents in the event of a loss. If there's damage to the home that makes it unavailable to rent-out until repairs are made, the loss of rent or income coverage will ensure that your additional income stream is not interrupted. In addition to loss of rent, Georgians who rent out their second home need to consider the added liability that comes with short term rentals. With so many people that are coming and going and are unfamiliar with the property, the likelihood of someone getting injured on the property is increased. This is a great reason to consider adding a liability umbrella policy. How Much Does It Cost To Insure A Vacation Home In Georgia? This depends on so many different factors including how the home is used, the location, the size of the home, the age of the home, the age of the roof, your claims history, whether you need flood insurance, and more. However, you should expect to pay slightly more than you do for your regular home for the same coverage limits. To make sure you're getting the very best value on the insurance for your vacation home, we recommend consulting with an independent insurance agent. An independent insurance agent will have access to dozens of different carriers to help you find the best value for your particular situation without trying to push you to buy one specific product from one specific company. Get A Quote Today Contact us today by calling 678-250-8133 or by clicking below to get a quote on your vacation or secondary home. Our licensed independent agents have insured vacation homes all over Georgia and have the knowledge and carrier access to get you the very best value for your property. The Roberts Insurance Group is a Georgia Insurance Broker specializing in commercial and personal insurance for our clients throughout the state of Georgia. We help our clients lower their cost of insurance with our superior claim and risk management expertise and our extensive carrier access. We are in the business of building relationships with our clients to help them grow and succeed. Contact us today to see what we can do for your family or business. We work with a lot of Georgia homeowners and insure many homes throughout the state. A question we receive pretty frequently is: Will my home insurance pay for a new roof? The answer to that questions is: Yes and no- it depends! What Determines Whether Homeowners Insurance Will Pay For A New Roof? The main thing to consider when it comes to roof coverage for Georgia homeowners is the cause of loss. What actually caused your roof to become damaged and in need of replacement? Most homes in Georgia are covered on an "all peril" basis. This means that the home is covered from all damage that is not specifically excluded. When it comes to roofs, a good rule of thumb is "sudden and accidental". Was the cause by something suddenly and accidentally? If the answer is yes, then your claim will most likely be covered. If the answer is no, then it probably won't be covered. One of the common issues we see when it comes to getting roof claims covered is the age of the roof. Many times, homeowners in Georgia will have an old roof and expect it to be replaced after a roofer told them it needs to be replaced. Yes, your roof may very well be in need of a replacement. However, your home insurance will only pay for it if the need for the replacement is caused by something sudden and accidental, like a windstorm, hail storm, or a tree falling on it. If your roof needs to be replaced due to wear and tear or old age, that is a homeowner maintenance issue and would not be covered by your home insurance, most likely. The Amount Of Damage To Your Roof Matters Another key factor in whether your home insurance will pay for a new roof is how much damage there is. Is there just a small section that is damaged? Is there just a few shingles missing but everything else is in good shape? Is there massive hail damage covering 70% of your roof? All of the questions are important and will determine how much your home insurance company will pay for a new roof. If the damage is minimal, it may not warrant an entire new roof, so in the instance the insurance company may cover the loss but only for a partial replacement. How To Know If You Need To File A Claim For A New Roof In Georgia As a Georgia homeowner, the main thing you can do to know whether or not you need to file a claim is to get assessments and estimates from multiple roofers or contractors and review your policy with your agent or broker. If you have multiple contractors saying that your roof is damaged from a recent storm and it will cost $10,000 to fix it, there's a good likelihood that what they are saying is true and that your home insurance would cover it. From there, review your coverage with your agent. Make sure to know what your deductible(s) are (including wind/hail deductible) and from there, you will know if you need to file a claim or not. Here at the Roberts Insurance Group in Canton, GA, we specialize in working with homeowners throughout Georgia. We help clients design a policy and coverage plan that works the way they want and need it to- including full replacement cost for roofs! Give us a call today at 678-250-8133 or click below to see how we can better-protect your home. The Roberts Insurance Group is a Georgia Insurance Broker specializing in commercial and personal insurance for our clients throughout the state of Georgia. We help our clients lower their cost of insurance with our superior claim and risk management expertise and our extensive carrier access. We are in the business of building relationships with our clients to help them grow and succeed. Contact us today to see what we can do for your family or business. |
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February 2022
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