Meet Dan

Meet Dan. Dan is not a "1-800" number. He is ready to assist you with all your personal lines insurance. Have you compared your coverage and rate lately? Let Dan help: 515-279-2722 or www.insaia.com. Serving the Des Moines Metro and surrounding areas.

Things Insurance Fans Love

As a Local Independent Agent, I often have the pleasure of discussing many facets of life with clients over the phone or in the office. Sometimes these jovial discussions remain just that: jovial and entertaining. However, other times, folks tell me things they don't necessarily care for about insurance. I understand many of these concerns, but when it comes down to the reality of what insurance actually does and how it responds when we are in our most desperate positions, I cannot help but to be a fan and advocate. Usually, upon reflection with the clients, we both end up feeling better about the situations.

Here are just a few items that insurance fans love:

• Risk Transference. This is the basic tenet of insurance. For a fee, we allow another entity to absorb our first dollars worth of liability. This is AWESOME! The insurance company gets behind us when we have momentary lapse of judgement and cause damage to another party up to our policy limits. Without this, our bank accounts, wages, homes, and retirements would all be subject to lawsuit that follows! Better yet, get yourself an umbrella policy and boost those limits even higher with broader ranges of coverage.
• Roadside Assistance. If you have ever broken down alongside the side of the road, then this is an awesome endorsement available via most companies auto policies (restrictions apply per company).
• Water Back-Up/Sump Pump Failure. This is another one of those special endorsements via the home insurance policy. What happens to your sump pump when the power goes out? You guessed it- it goes out as well. If you have a finished basement, these mild irritant just became a costly mess. However, if you this endorsement on the home insurance, it will pay to cover clean up and the cost to replace ruined building items and contents (subject to policy limit).
• Rental Car Reimbursement. You've just had the accident. Sure enough, you were at fault. You have great liability limits and the other party will be handled well through your carrier, but now your sole means of transportation will have to be in a shop for the next two weeks to get repaired. This is more than a mild annoyance. This is devastating! Thankfully you and your Absolute Agent added rental car reimbursement to the full coverage on your vehicle so that you can utilize a rental car while your vehicle is being repaired. Another day saved through a proper conversation with your Absolute Agent (limits apply to per day cost and coverage is only available if comprehensive and collision coverage is purchased on the vehicle).

These are but a few of the things insurance fans love. There are definitely more to review in detail and we will definitely touch on them in the future. Until then, contact your Absolute Agent today at 515-279-2722 for more information. www.insaia.com

What's Insurance Up To?

In a world where the only constant is change, it can be difficult to keep up on the little things (and big things) that affect us on a daily basis. Between our families, jobs, and pets; the essential daily grind of our lives; as we connect ourselves further and further into the macrocosm of society to free up our time to get involved in even more activities... as .... as... as... Full stop....

We are busy. The reasons for this are as varied as we are from person to person. Each of us has a particular skill set that make us valuable to, and within, society. However, for most folks, insurance is NOT that thing. But do not despair! There is hope! Like a shining beacon on a hill, there is hope for those lost in the dark landscape of insurance unknowns and that shining beacon on the hill is none other than YOUR ABSOLUTE INSURANCE AGENT! They have the knowledge and expertise to know what insurance is up to!

Contact your local, independent ABSOLUTE AGENT in order to help you weather the STORM of liability, deductible, and endorsement talk. They can help you through the confusing maze of insurance speak and set you on a path to smooth sailing. Call us today at 515-279-2722.

Spring has Sprung!

Finally Spring has come and with it comes the possibility of spring showers through April and May. With the rain will come the rejuvenation of the outdoor world. The lawns will turn to green and the tulips will begin to bloom. These are beautiful sights to behold after a winter of being held hostage in homes due to the frigid winds and temperatures. However, as these showers melt away the bits of snow and ice on the ground and as the ground thaws, there can be a lot of extra water coming towards the foundation of your home and ultimately being routed to you sump pump. This is an excellent time to head down to your basement and open the sump pump well do some your regular spring maintenance. No one wants to deal with the problems associated with a malfunctioning sump pump and there are a few steps to take to maintain your pump and keep it in the best working order. These tips are general guides and you should follow the manufactures recommendations first and foremost.
These tips were found at www.homerepair.about.com:
Plan on doing these items every 3-4 months:

• Clean pump inlet screen
• Check power cord and make sure the cord is connected to power
• Dump a bucket of water into the sump to raise the float and make sure the pump turns on

Plan on doing these items every year:

• Remove the pump from the sump and clean it and inspect it
• Clean out the sump
• Check the owner manual to see if the pump bearing require grease or oil. If you do not have the manual look it up on the internet using the manufacturer and model number of your pump or contact the manufacturer
• Replace the pump in the sump
• Check power cord and make sure the cord is connected to power
• Dump a bucket of water into the sump to raise the float and make sure the pump turns on, adjusting the float if necessary

We at Absolute Insurance also STRONGLY advocate that homes with sump pumps should also install a battery back-up pump that will assist your main pump in the event of a power loss. There is also a newer version of a pump that uses the home’s water lines to act as a pump rather than using electricity. This is highly beneficial if you are in area that losses electricity consistently during storms. Call your Absolute Agent today at 515-279-2722!

Ensuring Insurability and More!!!

Do you have children or grandchildren and are tired of buying plastic toys or gizmos that will end up being stored and thrown out in the next few months? As a parent to 2 children myself, I know this dilemma well and I want to give my children beneficial gifts in addition to next big Christmas must-have. There are better uses for that money. One of which is a Children’s Universal Life Insurance policy through Pekin Life Insurance that offers a Guaranteed Insurability Rider. These are very reasonably priced policies that are permanent and build a cash value. In addition to that, they have a rider that allows the owner or the insured on the policy to increase the death benefit up to 7 times throughout the lifetime of the child at various ages indicated within the policy. The best part about this is that there are NO HEALTH QUESTIONS and NO NEW UNDERWRITING for the increased death benefit. There are too many heartbreaking stories of children developing chronic diseases that leave them uninsurable in the future. Now is the time to put this important protection in place and give yourself the peace of mind that your child can increase their coverage even in the event of a tragic diagnosis. Call your Absolute Agent today at 515-279-2722!