2010 safety picks

Shopping around for a new car? Worried about the safety of your family? The safest cars for 2010 have been tested and listed on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s website. Please keep in mind that these vehicles will more than likely save you some money on your auto insurance rates as well, being that they come standard with such great safety features. Click on the link below to see if your car made it to the list:

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/

insure your rv with us!

With RV insurance, you can select many types of coverage, including vacation liability, full timer’s, emergency expense and more. Your RV insurance policy can also protect your traveling companions and your valuables when you’re on a trip. Keep in mind that RV insurance covers several kinds of vehicles, such as motor homes—including Classes A, B, and C; motor coaches; and camper vans—as well as travel trailers, including campers, pop-ups, fifth wheels, and toy haulers.

Here’s a little overview of what vacation liability, full timer’s, and emergency expense covers…

• Vacation Liability pays up to the specified limits for Bodily Injury and Property Damage for which you are legally responsible as a result of an accident that occurs while the RV is used as a temporary vacation residence.
• The Full Timer’s Package provides coverage similar to a homeowners policy and is required for people who use their RV as a primary residence, which is defined as not owning or residing in another dwelling.
• Emergency Expense coverage pays up to specified limits for reasonable temporary living facilities, transportation expenses and the cost of returning the RV if it becomes disabled due to a covered loss more than 50 miles away from the insured’s primary residence.

If you have an RV that needs to be insured or if you’d like for CWI Underwriters to review your current RV policy, please give us a call at 888-636-6438.

long hot wet summer awaits us

If you were tired of the random cold weather we had here in South Florida… well get ready, because we are having one of the hottest and wettest summers. Click on the link below to read up on the weather predictions thru September. Not only are they predicting one of the hottest summers we’ve had in a long time, also one of the busiest hurricane seasons starting in September! Along with the heat and humidity, prepare yourself for the occasional flooding. Is your home protected against flooding NOT from a hurricane? If not, give CWI Underwriters a call! We can properly insure your home against any rising water flood claims.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-rainy-season-outlook-20100506,0,2743454.story

are you prepared for hurricane season?

With hurricane season around the corner, have you down the necessary to make sure you and your family are ready? Below are some points for you to review to make sure you are ready…

If you have any questions or if you’d like for us to review your homeowners policy please give us a call 888.636.6438 or visit us at www.cwiunderwriters.com and fill out a new quote request form and we will get back to you immediately.

northern capital victims… we can help!

Wondering why exactly Northern Capital went under? Although the company is less than four years old and the state has not experienced a major hurricane since it opened, Northern Capital had less than $4 million in reserves, which is in violation of state law. Not only can consumers expect higher premiums in comparison to those of Northern Capital, but they can expect to be in some sort of rush looking for a replacement policy before the termination date of May 30th. Give us a call so we can get you a great rate for your replacement policy! We here at CWI have awesome homeowners department, and we are ready to help you in your time of need.

sunfest anyone?

If you don’t have any plans for this weekend…. hit up Sunfest… it’s where music meets the waterfront! Click the link below to see the lineup for all 3 days! You pay a daily rate for one ticket and you can visit the different stages and acts that are playing at different times thru out the day… there is food, drinks and great music! C-ya there!

http://2010.sunfest.com/

medical benefits under your workers comp policy…

Have you ever wondered what medical coverage is offered under your Workers Comp policy? Here’s the sixty-second wrap up of what you and your employees can expect…

As soon as you notify your carrier about your employee’s work-related injury, the carrier will:

1. Determine the compensibility of the injury
2. Provide an authorized doctor
3. Pay for all authorized medically necessary care and treatment related to the injury

Authorized treatment and care may include:

• Doctor’s visits/Hospitalization/Medical tests
• Physical therapy/Prostheses/Prescription drugs
• Travel expenses to and from the authorized doctor.

Once the maximum medical improvement (MMI) has been reached, the employee is required to pay a $10 co-payment per visit for medical treatment. MMI occurs when the treating physician determines that the employee’s injury has healed to the extent that further improvement is not likely.

If you have any questions regarding your Workers Compensation policy or any of your other commercial policies please give us a call 888-636-6438… We here at CWI Underwriters are the local experts in making sure you are properly covered!

happy earth day!

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day! Have you gone green yet? Here are some ways to get your home to go green, so you and your family can become a part of helping the Earth not only on, today, it’s day!

• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
• Unplug appliances when you’re not using them. Or, use a “smart” power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts “phantom” or “vampire” energy use.
• Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.
• If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat costs a lot at the store-and it’s even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.
• Stop using disposable bags-order some reusable bags or make your own! You can order some at Enviorsax or Flip & Tumble.
• Pay as many bills as you can online and stop paper billing.
• Shut your computer off completely at night.
• Conduct a quick energy audit of your home.

These are just a few ways that the whole family can work together in saving the earth! Progressive has been going green for years now, offering e-signing for the applications and also giving a paperless discount for those that opt to get all their policy information via email vs in the standard mail.

Join CWI Underwriters in celebrating Earth Day and GO GREEN!

understanding permanent life insurance

Ever wonder if your life insurance policy is enough to cover your family and loved ones? Keep reading below to understand the difference between the different types of permanent life insurance.

There are three types of permanent life insurance policies:

• Whole Life: Whole life policies will accumulate cash value over time. These are traditional policies and most of them pay dividends to the policy holder.
• Universal Life: Universal policies have flexible options that other permanent polices don’t have. It allows the insured to change the amount of insurance and change the premium as the insured’s need’s change.
• Variable Life: Variable policies are the most risky. The policy value and death benefit are based upon the performance of an outside investment fund. The majority of the policies guarantee that the death payout won’t fall below a certain minimum; however, they do not guarantee the cash value of the policy.

If you have any of the above mentioned policies give us a call here at CWI Underwriters 888-636-6438, so we can review your life policies and make sure you are properly covered.

Wait for it… Homeowners Rates going up again…

 Home insurance rates will be increasing within the next 3 years by 33%, per a bill that was passed by the Senate. This will mean a 5% increase the first year, 10% the next year, and then 15% for the third year. This may come as a shock; since we have haven’t had any storms since Wilma back in 2005. However, this is a problem that has been accumulating for years and has nothing to do with the amount of storms that we have had. This rate increase will allow the insurance companies to be financially stronger and give them a greater chance of paying claims if we get hit by another major hurricane in the years to come.

Luckily our agency has various A-rated companies that write home insurance. If you get a rate increase, give us a call and we can find another company for you and save you money!

We also have excellent rates on Life, Business, Auto, Flood, Motorcycle, and Boat Insurance. Please visit our virtual office at www.cwiunderwriters.com and check out our services!