How Healthy Are Your Finances?

January is not only the beginning of a new year, but also the official Financial Wellness Month.  It’s a great time to look over your family finances and see where you can improve.  Here are a few great places to start…

Get rid of debt.  Debt reduces your monthly income, costs you money in interest, and can make it harder to purchase a home.  Maybe 2016 will be the year that you get rid of it once and for all? One simple tip you can start with is leave your credit card at home. Only having cash on hands limits your spending. For more great tips on where to start and how to create a debt payoff plan, check out books by Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman.

Put more money in savings.  The easiest way to save money each month?  Put it on autopilot.  Set up an automatic transfer from your checking to your savings account on the day you get paid.  Or find out how you can save money tax free in a retirement account through your employer.  The less you have to think about it, the easier it will be to save! 

Get the right insurance.  You don’t want to skimp on insurance coverage, but you don’t have to overpay either!  Call us today to schedule a free no-obligation insurance review.  We’ll look at all of your needs and find you the best policy for the best price.

Your Insurance Financial Plan

There are many aspects to successful financial plans.  Most include a family budget, emergency savings, retirement savings, and…insurance!

So today, let's review the important parts of your insurance financial plan.

Protect Your Stuff - 

This is what we think of first when it comes to insurance.  Fixing your car after an accident and replacing your belongings after a fire.  When you review your financial plan, you want to make sure that all of your valuable assets are protected.  Cars, homes, high priced jewelry or artwork, boats, motorcycles, ATV's, etc.  Protect it all and make sure that the deductible is reasonable and that you have full replacement cost coverage.  (We can explain all the details.)  

Protect Your Money - 

Liability is a misunderstood coverage, but it's extremely important.  When you are held responsible for an accident, your assets and money are at risk!  What if your teenager caused an accident and your were sued?  What if you caused a major accident and didn't have enough liability coverage?  Good insurance can make sure this doesn't happen!  We look at how much you have to protect (total assets) and create a plan to cover it all.

Protect Your Family - 

You can protect all of your belongings, but the ultimate way to protect your family is with good life and disability insurance.  If something happens to you, you don't have to worry about your family being protected.  You can plan to pay off debt, pay for college, or anything else that is important to you.  

All of this might seem like a lot for think about, but it doesn't have to be.  With a great insurance agent, you can meet once a year and trust that all of these things are taken care of.  Why not take a few minutes to schedule an insurance financial planning review with one of our agents?  Call us today at 508-347-9343!  

Think Twice Before You Switch!

We hear it all the time on the radio and television, “Big savings on your auto and home insurance.” In these difficult economic times, we’re all looking for ways to save money and insurance is a place to start. But there are some things that we need to consider… Just because we can get a lower rate with another carrier doesn’t mean that changing companies is a good idea. Do you have the same coverages or did the new company give us lower limits of insurance? We also need to consider company loyalty because the longer you are with a particular company, the more likely you are to receive a credit for being with them a long time. And if you’ve been with one company for years, they are more likely to stay on your policy if you’ve had a loss or two (remember those tornadoes, snow storms, and ice storms that we had back-to–back in our area a few years ago?). If you are considering changing insurance companies, please discuss your concerns with your Insurance Agent before you make any changes that could affect your future.

Avoid Running Out of Money During Retirement

Many people have no idea how much money they will need to retire and/or think that they have plenty of time to plan for it. Before you know it, you’re about to retire and feel completely unprepared. Do you know how much you need to have available at your retirement? You need to consider your life expectancy and how much money you’ll need to maintain your lifestyle (which includes inflation). See your personal Financial Planner today to discuss what you’ll need to be able to have a retirement that is as stress-free as possible.