Monday, December 15, 2014

Best tips I've ever seen for teaching a teen to drive...

When my second daughter was learning to ride a bike without training wheels, I Googled the subject and came across a simple, yet highly effective tip.  Instead of holding to the seat to steady them, gently hold the child by the back of the neck to keep them upright while riding, yet letting their body naturally learn to come into balance.  It literally took 2 or 3 uses of this technique, and my daughter was riding like the wind!

It is in this spirit of improving an important parental teaching moment that I want to share a terrific article I came across in the October 22, 2014 edition of The Wall Street Journal: "Better Ways to Teach Teens to Drive" by Sue Shellenbarger.  It was so helpful, that I thought I'd paraphrase the real salient points for you lucky(?!) parents who are teaching their teenagers how to drive, like me (on my second one -- the same one with the bike!). 

Apparently, we do an okay job with teaching our kids how to steer, park and generally control a vehicle.  But, parents are not expert in teaching the skills new drivers need to avoid accidents.

Parents tend to follow routine daytime driving along familiar routes, but don't go on to teach how to spot and avoid possible hazards, such as slowing when coming to a crosswalk where there might be people waiting to cross.

Deborah Hersman, president of the National Safety Council, says, "The most important things parents can teach teens are how to develop hazard recognition and judgment -- making the left turns into oncoming traffic, how to merge on and off highways at high speed."

Other successful tactics gleaned from the article include:
 --Take your teen into gradually more challenging and varied roads, at night and in bad weather. 

--Teach the young driver never to glance away from the road for more than two seconds.

--Require them to silence cell phones and keep stored away while driving.

--While accompanying your teen in the car, parents need to stay calm and avoid being overly critical.  Don't bring up touchy issue (like poor grades, or a significant other issue).

--Be specific and sensitive in any constructive criticism.

--Stay calm.  Try to not panic and stomp on the imaginary brakes if you think they're going too fast.

According to a 2011 study of 257,000 accidents by Robert Foss, of the Highway Safety Research Center, teens still make mistakes for their first few months of solo driving, then, as the learning sets in, the potential for accidents does start quickly tapering off. 

So, if you follow these tips and do a little praying while your teen starts driving solo for the first few months, you should be able to rest a little easier after that.

I have access to an excellent, free, teen driving video that Farmers created.  Let me know if you're interested in having your teen watch it.

David Yates Insurance Agency
1881 General George Patton Dr., Suite 103
Franklin, TN 37067
Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817
dyates1@farmersagent.com
 
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Monday, November 24, 2014

Is there mystery behind your walls, or under your floors?


Got sucked into a mystery movie on TV last night. This teenager in a ritzy neighborhood lives next door to a middle-aged man, whom he suspects is a killer.  The climax of the movie, of course, is at the end, when the teenager sneaks into the man's house, and discovers a hidden room that leads to a basement, containing a huge, deep body of water, in which he discovers some bad things.
I won't get into anymore details about the movie, which, although it started out well, became more unbelievable as it went on.  When the teen went into the man's basement, my insurance-nerd mind started drifting to how poor an insurance risk that "nice" house was.  I started evaluating this home on its insurable merits. Water in the basement can lead to foundation failure, not to mention growing mold everywhere.  I was telling myself, "Gee, I'd hate to be this killer's insurance agent", and "How did he ever get a policy in the first place, with a lake in his basement?"!
Water in and under your house can lead to all kinds of problems.  And to add more insult to injury, insurance policies likely won't cover damage done by water when it's been going on for some time.  Say you've got a pipe in your shower that's leaking behind the wall, and over time, rots out the subfloor in the bathroom. By this time, this situation is likely NOT covered by insurance, because it happened over time and was not addressed earlier.

Same thing with a leak that causes mold to develop.  If it's been growing as a result of all that water, that means the original leak started a long time ago, and your insurance probably won't cover anything.
The insurance industry, as a whole, sees long-term water leaks and its resulting damage as a customer maintenance-related issue, where the homeowner should have known about it far earlier, when it could have been addressed easier. 
In general, insurance covers things that are "sudden and accidental" like a pipe bursting, a tree falling on a house, or lightning striking the house and starting a fire. That's why we have to be vigilant to all things related to our home plumbing, because they are not always readily visible.  Look for warning signs -- spots on the ceilings, a wet crawlspace, the sound of dripping behind a wall, water collecting cabinets under a sink -- are a few examples.

Good luck in solving any potential water mysteries in your home!

David Yates Insurance Agency
1881 General George Patton Dr., Suite 103
Franklin, TN 37067
Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817
dyates1@farmersagent.com

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Monday, October 20, 2014

Frankly my deer -- watch out!


In my opinion, I have one the most beautiful commutes from my office here in Franklin TN.  I take the back roads, and in the middle of the route, climb a hill on a fairly windy road, but am rewarded after reaching the crest of the hill by seeing the beautiful, expansive, green valley below.  Almost like a moment out of "The Sound of Music."  It's also great to see the usual four or five deer who graze, rest, and frolic on the sloping meadow that starts just on the other side of the guard rail, all along the twisting downward roadway.


The only thing wrong with this picture is that deer routinely jump that guard rail and run across the road to the woods on the other side, and vice versa, not to mention simply standing there in the middle of the curvy two-lane road.  So I slow, way down, to grandpa-speed when I'm in that area, up and down the hill.
And so I've seen, unfortunately, carcasses of deer that didn't make it, hit by cars, all along this road.  Every year, about this time, deer mating season reaches fever pitch. In fact, most deer-related crashes occur between October and January, with the peak occurring in November.
According to the Tennessee Wildlife resources Agency, there are over 900,000 deer in the state, and the herd grows by about 1 percent to 2 percent each year, so there's plenty of deer-auto collision potential out there, of course, depending on where you are driving.  You're not out-of-the-woods, so to speak, on the Interstate, either.  The Tennessee Highway Patrol indicates that over 9 percent of deer-related crashes took place on the Interstates during a recent four-year period. "Watch out for deer" just needs to be another thing on your To-Do list while driving.
Is your "Comprehensive" coverage up to date?  Do you know what Comprehensive coverage is?  It's the part of your insurance that pays to repair or replace your vehicle if you hit an animal (in addition to covering for theft, vandalism, hail. etc.).  Make sure it's a part of your overall coverage if your vehicle is worth $1,500 or more.
Also, if you are ever forced to make a split-second decision of either hitting a deer or swerving off the road and into a tree or other object, please choose the deer.  You risk less injury that way, and may avoid an increase in your insurance rates (i.e. you don't get dinged on your premiums by colliding with a deer, but possibly would if you hit a tree).
If you haven't reviewed your current insurance in a while, especially to make sure you're properly insured for deer collisions, this might also be a great time to do so.  Just give me a call if I can be of assistance.
David Yates Insurance Agency
1881 General George Patton Dr., Suite 103
Franklin, TN 37067
Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817
dyates1@farmersagent.com

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Wednesday, September 3, 2014

These shocking stats may make you think twice about life insurance...

Do you have life insurance? If you do, is it enough?  Here are some truly surprising statistics about life insurance usage in America, courtesy of LIMRA:
 
-- The average amount of life insurance coverage for U.S. adults has dropped to $167,000 -- which is DOWN $30,000 compared to the average amount of coverage in 2004!  That really surprised me. Costs of living generally go in the opposite direction, so it appears more folks are worse off than they were 10 years ago. 

-- There are 11 million fewer American households covered by life insurance today compared to just six years ago.  Could that be related to the Great Recession's impact, with folks cutting all kinds of costs?

-- Just as bad, right now, 30% of U.S. households have NO life insurance at all. 
 There's really no excuse for a family to not have at least a basic term policy in place, particularly when there are children involved.  Term policies are very reasonably priced. 

However, you don't want to skimp on the company you buy it from.  I've heard of people with "no-name" life policies find that their original insurance companies went out of business, and that their policies were SOLD to other no-name life insurance companies.  You don't want your policy to backed by "Lloyd's of Lubbock" (sorry, old joke from the Odd Couple TV show from the '70s)! 

Quality companies, like Farmers Insurance, of course, offer excellent pricing, so you can get cost savings AND a company that will be there when you need it.

How's YOUR life insurance plan -- or IS there one?  It's very important to me, personally, to make sure families are properly covered, because my mother passed away when I was three, and our family had NO life insurance in effect.  I know it was hard on my Dad and all of us kids in the days that followed.  How a simple insurance policy would have made a difference.

So during September, which is Life Insurance Awareness Month, please take some time to sit down with your trusted insurance advisor, and make sure you have a good plan in place to protect your loved ones, now and in the future.

David Yates Insurance Agency
1881 General George Patton Dr., Suite 103
Franklin, TN 37067
Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817
dyates1@farmersagent.com
 
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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Three crucial changes to make to your auto insurance policy RIGHT NOW...

Change your bodily injury liability coverage to a $500,000 limit -- if you hurt somebody in a car accident, your policy's bodily injury limit represents the highest amount your insurance will pay for the "other guy's" medical expenses, funeral, etc. If you're not my customer, you probably only have a $100,000 limit -- which seems like a lot, but it's NOT, considering the average "bodily injury" lawsuit jury award nationwide is now about $400,000. Where does the rest of the money come from? From your assets, current income, and future income. Isn't it worth a few extra dollars to properly protect yourself?
Make sure you have Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist bodily injury coverage -- if someone with little or no insurance hurts you in an accident (half of the drivers out there), you need to have at least a $500,000 limit covering your own injuries, loss of future income, etc., etc..
If your vehicle is worth $1,500+, you need Comprehensive and Collision coverages -- covers physical damage your own vehicle. Comprehensive coverage pays to fix or replace your ride due to vandalism, theft, or if you hit an animal. Collision coverage pays to fix or replace it if you have an accident that's your fault. If you don't have these basic protections, then your insurance won't pay if you wreck your own car or truck! Of course, if the "other guy" is at fault, then their insurance is responsible.
These are basics, but you'd be surprised how many folks are driving around without the proper insurance. Are you at risk with not enough coverage? Remember, you can't choose when you have an accident, so please make sure you're properly insured today. Call me if I can help review your current insurance with you.

David Yates Insurance Agency
1881 General George Patton Dr., Suite 103
Franklin, TN 37067
Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817


dyates1@farmersagent.com
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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Water: Your home's arch enemy…

When you think about all the pipes, hoses, gutters, and openings throughout your house, it's no wonder that water poses the one of the greatest threats to your home -- and your bank account. Sure, after your deductible, a high-quality insurance policy will typically pay for sudden and accidental water damage, but the inconvenience, and possibility about insurance not covering "lack-of-maintenance"-related water issues should make us to take this threat seriously and do what we can to prevent problems in the first place.
Inside Your Home: A water leak can occur anywhere in your home — most often in the kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room — and cause big-time damage to both your home and personal belongings. Preventative maintenance can help keep this from happening!In addition to making sure everyone in your house knows how to turn off the water shutoff valve, there are several other specific steps you can take to lessen your risk.
In the Kitchen: To reduce the chances of a water leak, regularly check under the sink to see if the water connection supply line to the dishwasher is secure. Also, check around the base of the dishwasher for evidence of leaks. If your refrigerator has an icemaker, check the hose connection to make sure it is securely attached to the water supply line. Finally, inspect the caulking around sinks and check the pipes under the sink for signs of water leaks.
In the Bathroom: Check any caulking where walls meet the floor or the bathtub, looking for cracks or mold. Discolored or damp areas around floors and walls near showers, bathtubs or toilets are a good indication of a leak. If the shower walls or floor are tiled, a leak may develop if the tile grout develops cracks or there are areas of missing grout. If either situation is found, clean and remove loose material and apply new.
Laundry room: Inspect washing machine hoses regularly for dampness around hose ends and for any cracks or fraying. If any problems are found replace the hose. As a preventative measure, replace the hose every 3-5 years with metal braided hoses.
Outside: A leaky roof, poor drainage and clogged gutters or downspouts can lead to significant water damage inside a home and lead to damage to a roof or siding. Keep your roof and downspouts free from buildup of leaves, twigs and other materials that prevent proper drainage, and keep trees trimmed to prevent them from rubbing against the roof.
What to do when damage occurs: If water damage occurs to your property, such as with a storm, it is important to dry all wet areas and provide air circulation to aid in the drying process. Also, cover any exposed areas of the dwelling with a tarp to prevent further water damage. Covering exposed areas along with drying and dehumidifying wet areas can help minimize the possibility that mold will form due to the water damage. Always contact your insurance agent immediately to discuss whether it makes sense to start a claim.
Don't forget -- flood damage is NOT covered by your homeowners policy, as many folks in Franklin TN sadly realized only after the May 2010 flood. You need separate flood insurance, available through insurance agents, but provided by the U.S. Government, if you think there's a potential threat.
Hope you're having a great summer!

David Yates Insurance Agency
1881 General George Patton Dr., Suite 103
Franklin, TN 37067
Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817
dyates1@farmersagent.com

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Monday, June 30, 2014

Three letters you never want to see on your auto policy: "ACV" Here’s why…

If you wreck your car, how does your insurance company determine how much it will pay for a replacement or repair? It depends on your policy and how it's worded. Remember how I always say that all insurance is NOT the same? Here's a great example of this.

Cheaper auto policies "settle" (meaning, pay for) claims using depreciation to figure the value of your vehicle, for either the repair, or to compensate you for the car's value (if it was totaled).  Every year, your auto loses a tremendous amount of value using this method.

Your huge clue to policies that settle in this manner is to look at your declarations page (that sheet you receive from your insurance company at renewal time, detailing your coverages). Look at the line items "Comprehensive" and "Collision". These are the parts of your coverage that fix or pay for your auto for various reasons (you hit an animal, or it’s stolen, vandalized, or you wreck it). If, listed next to these terms, it also says "ACV" or "Actual Cash Value" -- look out!  This is a policy that likely uses straight line depreciation to devalue Hope you don't have "Actual Cash Value" or "ACV" car insurance!your vehicle's worth, before paying you.  Typically, after ten years, a car's been fully depreciated, which, after subtracting your deductible, means  you're not getting much, if anything, for your former ride.

Better auto insurance policies look at the "fair market value" of your vehicle, which take market factors ( including automotive industry car value guide books, and local car dealer pricing) into account, instead of a one-size-fits-all depreciation devaluation. This common-sense method means you'll usually get more from your car insurance at claims time.

If you'd like me to help you review you current policy and see if you have ACV claims settlement, just call on me.

David Yates Insurance Agency
1881 General George Patton Dr., Suite 103
Franklin, TN 37067
Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817
dyates1@farmersagent.com


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Monday, May 5, 2014

Use your car for business? Are you sure it’s covered by your current insurance?

One of my newest customers is an real estate agent, spending much of his days driving clients around Brentwood, Franklin and Spring Hill looking at homes, and visiting with prospective home sellers at their homes. When he originally came in to see me, one of the first things I asked him was whether he had business usage coverage on his current policy. He said he didn't know. Careful review showed he had none.

Look at yours or ANY personal auto policy. It will specifically state it only insures only for personal use, and not “business usage”. If you use your personal car for your occupation or business, and regularly do more than just commute back and forth, you may be at risk. I'm talking about salespeople, home physical therapists, delivery drivers, etc..

There is help available. Some insurers (including Farmers Insurance) offer their customers a “Business Usage endorsement”, which changes the policy to extend coverage for when you use your car for business.

Not every occupation will be acceptable. Insurance companies will not extend this extra coverage for vehicles used for potentially more dangerous occupations like a pizza delivery driver or taxi service.

My client said his previous insurance agent of over ten years never inquired about his occupation nor periodically reviewed his coverage with him, so this gap was never discovered. Rest assured he has this coverage now through my Franklin TN agency and Farmers Insurance.

The topping on the cake for my customer? Not only did I add the business usage coverage, but also doubled his overall liability protection, and saved him $138 for the year, compared to his previous (and lacking) auto insurance!

This is the type of result I am proud of achieving quite often for my clients. Does your insurance agent KNOW you? Or is it time to come see me?

David Yates Insurance Agency
1881 General George Patton Dr., Suite 103
Franklin, TN 37067
Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817
dyates1@farmersagent.com

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Thursday, April 10, 2014

New agent joins David Yates Insurance Agency staff...

I'm pleased to welcome Sales Service Representative Wendy Martin to my agency. She is a fully licensed Property & Casualty agent, offering full support for our existing and prospective clients' auto, home, and commercial insurance needs.

Wendy is a capable professional who genuinely cares about her clients. Her commitment to details and above-and-beyond customer service has won her friends and fans in several industries.

I think you will appreciate Wendy's warm personality, too, in addition to her insurance knowledge. She is committed, as I am, to giving you the attention you deserve and assuring we are there to understand and meet your changing needs, now and in the future.

Please stop by our office or give us a call any time. We'd love to hear from you!

David Yates Insurance Agency
1881 General George Patton Dr, Suite 103
Franklin, TN 37067
Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817

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Monday, March 24, 2014

Free Child ID fingerprint kits available

Come on over to the soccer fields on Downs Blvd in Franklin TN this Saturday, March 29, 2014, and I’ll give you a free Child ID fingerprint kit. For the eighth straight year, in addition to being a team sponsor, I’ll be handing out free Child ID Kits to parents at the Williamson County Soccer Association (WCSA) picture day from 7:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.. I’ll have a booth set up at the entrance of the indoor soccer arena at 1878 Downs Boulevard, Franklin TN 37064. It’s also where WCSA soccer teams will have their team pictures taken, starting at 7:30 a.m. Hope you can stop by! If you can’t make it on Saturday, but still want one or more a Child ID fingerprint kits, please call or stop by my office, and we’ll be glad to give them to you.

 

David Yates Insurance Agency

1881 General George Patton Dr, Suite 103

Franklin, TN 37067

Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817

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Friday, February 14, 2014

Don't wait until after a fire or tornado to learn if your home insurance will pay enough...

What would it cost to re-build your home in the event of a Make sure your insurance is up to the task to completely rebuild.catastrophe? Does your insurance provide enough?
When you sign up for a home insurance policy, your insurance agent asks you for details about the house. What's your square footage, how many full and half bathrooms, what size is the garage, what kind of flooring you have, is there a basement, is it finished or unfinished, and the list goes on!
It may seem nosey, but it's really so the agent and insurance company can accurately calculate a "Reconstruction Cost Estimate" -- what the insurance company thinks it would cost for a contractor re-build your house, as it was before. With your input, this amount eventually becomes the "Dwelling" limit on your policy, meaning the maximum amount of rebuilding dollars your policy will pay to rebuild in the event of a covered claim.
Though you can't decrease this amount, you can increase it, if you think your home warrants it. Ultimately, approving the Dwelling amount is your responsibility.
What's a good amount to have? Well, here in Franklin, Brentwood, and surrounding areas, a good rule-of-thumb for a majority of homes is anywhere from $95 per square foot to $130 per square foot.
It's a pretty good bet that you can rely on the agent's and insurance company's expertise to come up with an accurate Dwelling amount. But you should have your own figure in mind, too. How you determine it is up to you, but you should consider data from the local tax assessor, and input from experts in the construction industry. I do this, and more, as part of my due diligence when calculating the Dwelling amounts for customers and prospective customers.
Here's a couple of watch-outs: Do not rely on using the sales price of the home, or the value from an online home price estimating website. One reason is that the value of your land is included, and, of course, land isn't insured by your home policy. Another reason is that sales prices and online estimating websites don't necessarily reflect actual, current construction costs, as they change throughout the year.
Having your own idea about what it would cost to rebuild your home will help make your conversations with your agent that much more productive, and ensure your home is properly covered.

David Yates Insurance Agency
1881 General George Patton Dr., Suite 103
Franklin, TN 37067
Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817

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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Prevent your pipes from freezing…

We’ve had many homes with bursting pipes in the past few days here in Middle Tennessee. Every winter, the pipes in your home are at risk of damage from freezing conditions.  Here are ways to avoid the problems before they can begin…

* Disconnect all gardening hoses.

* Most outside faucets have an interior shut of valve. Close this line at the shutoff valve.

* Keep your house temperature at 68 degrees or higher, even if you're leaving the house for an extended period of time.

* Open cabinet doors below sinks to allow heat from the home to circulate.

* Identify the location of the main water valve and the valve on your water heater. (Learning the location of these valves may come in handy during an emergency.)

* Wrap pipes nearest exterior walls and in crawl spaces with pipe insulation or with heating tape. This can prevent freezing, especially for interior pipes that run along outside walls.  Also insulate any exposed pipes in the attic.

* Close all windows near water pipes; cover or close open-air vents. Freezing temperatures combined with wind drafts can cause pipes to freeze more frequently.

* Heat your basement and consider weather sealing your windows.

* Insulate outside walls and unheated areas of your home.

* If you plan to be away from home for an extended period during the winter months, shut off the main water supply valve. Then open up the faucets and allow the water in the lines to drain out.

Monitor Freezing Pipe Conditions

* Allow a faucet to drip slightly (lukewarm water) in order to minimize freezing.

* The first sign of freezing is reduced water flow from a faucet.

* Check your faucets for water flow and pressure before you go to sleep and when you wake up.

* Check pipes around your water meter, in unheated areas, near exterior walls, in crawl spaces and attics.

* Identify cold air drafts coming in from a flue or chimney chase and caulk any gaps near pipes. 

If a Pipe Freezes

* If a faucet or pipe inside your house freezes, you can thaw it using a good hair dryer. (For safety purposes, avoid operating a hair dryer around standing water.)

* To thaw a frozen pipe, heat water on the stove, soak towels in the hot water and wrap them around cold sections of the pipes.

* When thawing a pipe, start thawing it nearest to the faucet. Make sure the faucet is turned on so that melted water can drip out. 

If a Pipe Bursts 

* Shut off water at the main valve. Make sure everyone in your family knows where the water shut-off valve is and how to open and close it.

* If the break is in a hot water pipe, the valve on top of the water heater should be closed.

* Call a plumber. Keep an emergency number nearby for quick access.

* Call your insurance company’s claims office

 

Here’s hoping you and your home’s pipes stay warm this winter!

 

David Yates Insurance Agency

1881 General George Patton Dr, Suite 103

Franklin, TN 37067

Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817

 

 

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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Am I shielded from a lawsuit if my teenager has their car and insurance in their name?

I’ve had lots of anxious parents in Franklin TN and Brentwood TN ask if they can avoid liability for an accident if they simply have their live-at-home child get insurance in their own name, particularly if they own their own vehicle. Are the parents’ assets then protected?

The answer is NO.You're still on the hook for your child -- until they're truly on their own.

As long as your son or daughter is financially supported by you, they’re tied to you, liability-wise, even with an auto policy in their name. That’s the consensus from all the insurance adjustors, underwriters and attorneys I’ve spoken with over the years. And that’s one of the first things a car accident lawyer will look at in putting together a lawsuit strategy against you. Of course, anything could happen in court, but the odds would definitely be stacked against you.

Even if you had the foresight to purchase an umbrella policy with extra liability coverage, your son or daughter won’t be included on it if they’re not listed on your policy.

You’re only truly safe once he or she is out of school, not a tax dependent on your return, is living on their own at a different address, and has the car in their name.

Sorry to break this news to you, fellow parents, but at least we’re all in the same boat!

 

David Yates Insurance Agency

1881 General George Patton Dr, Suite 103

Franklin, TN 37067

Phone 615-778-1816  Fax 615-778-1817

 

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Doh -- a deer!

We're nearing the peak of the deer-mating season, the time to be extra watchful for deer while you are driving.  In fact, about half of ...