photo credit: mr_double_f

Here are three crazy stories:

• A driver claimed they were leaving for work one morning and drove into a school bus parked at the end of their drive. A claim was filed against the bus driver, since the bus was five minutes earlier than they had expected and therefore obviously at fault. (as told by English comedian Jasper Carrott)

• A woman meeting her husband, a Navy crewman who was coming into port that day, parked at the end of the slip where the submarine was due in to berth. There was an inexperienced ensign at the helm who overshot his landing and hit the end of the slip, breaking a section away and sending the car plunging into the water. Needless to say, those damages were on Uncle Sam! (as told at www.businessballs.com)

• A driver parked by the side of the road was relocated to Oz when a home fell off the back of the truck that was relocating it. Eventually the insurance company paid the claim, but only after confirming with the moving company that the car had, in fact, been totaled by a house (as told by English Comedian Jasper Carrott)

Here at Costello and Son, we offer the following options for your Car Insurance:

• Bodily Injury
• Medical or Personal Injury Protection
• Property Damage
• Collision
• Comprehensive
• Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Deciding exactly what type of coverage you need may be confusing, that’s why our insurance specialists are dedicated to helping you find the best auto insurance in California, as well as make you, and your unique needs, our top priority!

Please visit costelloandsons.com for more information, or call us at 415-257-2100!

photo credit: Phillip Pessar

Umbrella Insurance is basically added liability protection that goes beyond the limits of homeowners, auto, and watercraft insurance policies. By purchasing an umbrella insurance policy one can add millions in liability protection.

Exemplary Situation:

Suppose that you are driving home, not paying attention to the road, and hit someone walking. It was totally an accident, but you were not paying attention, and now this person has serious injuries. If the person sues, the standard liability on your auto policy will cover many of the costs involved. If the costs go beyond what your standard liability covers, they can go after your assets. Umbrella insurance adds a layer of protection between the costs accrued by the accident and your personal assets.

How Do I Get Umbrella Liability?

Specific and comprehensive coverage can be underwritten along with your Homeowners’ policy. We can secure custom policy language and specialized limits to insure your assets are well protected.

As part of our Homeowners application process, we will request detailed information to provide appropriate coverage limits. You can contact Moira McNeill at 415.257.2125 or email her at mmcneill@costelloandsons.com to find out more.

photo credit: Social Butterfly Jewellery

Many people do not purchase additional coverage for stolen jewelry because they believe that their home insurance policy has a provision that covers it. The truth is that the provisions in home insurance policies for stolen jewelry are very small. If there is a fire, explosion, or collapse of a house the full value of the jewelry is covered, but this is not usually the case. Theresa Lawless from Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company estimates that, “85% of insurance company payments related to jewelry are for theft and what the insurers call mysterious loss.” If you have a large amount of jewelry that is just being covered by a homeowner’s policy, you need to understand the risk you are taking.

Unless you live in a big city like New York, insurance rates are actually pretty cheap. According to a New York Times article by Joseph Treaster, “jewelry insurance typically costs $10 to $15 per $1,000 of coverage.”

To secure the broadest coverage available, consider valuable articles coverage. This type of insurance policy allows you to “itemize” your jewelry, so that each piece is separately described and individually valued. This way, if your jewelry is stolen or damaged, you have coverage for each item and not just a blanket “home contents” dollar limit. Having a replacement-cost appraisal of your collection can help you itemize your jewelry and select the appropriate amount of coverage.

Please call us at 415-257-2100 or visit our website for more information!

photo credit: Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protectio

Are you prepared for natural disasters? Are you aware of the potential risks that your current environment presents? It pays to be prepared. Just ask the residents of Joplin, Missouri who recently had to deal with a massive tornado. On June 1, 2011 the Springfield News-Leader reported that insurance claims have already been filed for 9,000 vehicles. To add insult to injury, the city estimates that about 18,000 vehicles were damaged or lost on the May 22nd tornado.

At Costello & Sons Insurance we strive to supply you with as many options as possible; thus enabling our comprehensive insurance strategies to provide you with the opportunity to custom build a policy that meets all of your auto insurance needs.

Our Comprehensive Liability coverage best applies to the situation described in Missouri. Even though California requires you to have Car Insurance, it is never a bad thing to review your policy.

• Bodily Injury Liability – covers injuries to others caused by the policyholder while operating an automobile.
• Medical or Personal Injury Protection – covers treatment of the driver and passengers of the policyholder’s car in the event of an accident.
• Property Damage Liability – covers damages caused to someone else’s property by the policyholder while operating an automobile.
• Collision – insures the policyholder from loss during a collision with another vehicle or object.
• Comprehensive – protection for the policyholder’s car from damage and loss resulting from incidents other than collision.
• Uninsured Motorist Coverage – covers medical treatment of the policyholder’s injuries in the event of a collision with an uninsured driver.

Please call us at 877-500-6997 or visit our website to find out more!

photo credit: niiicedave

Many people buy Homeowner’s Insurance without the knowledge of the specific coverage that would best suit their particular needs. There are different types of property and casualty insurance that people could benefit people with different demands. In terms of risk covered, there are two important categories; “named peril” and “all peril.”

• Named Peril
  • Relatively broad policy that specifically names “perils” that the policy covers

• All Peril
  • Broader policy that covers all risks except the ones specifically excluded. For example, flood, earthquake, nuclear accident, mudslide, etc.

Make sure you know what risks you are facing to determine which type of policy is best for you. Why pay more if you feel that you have adequate coverage? If you have any questions please contact us at 877-500-6997

photo credit: Jemingway

Memorial Day has often been called the unofficial start to summer. This is a time of vacation, relaxation, and travel. Although we don’t like to think about it, many of the activities we choose to participate in require insurance. There is nothing better than feeling secure about our families and our possessions. Many people choose to ignore summer time coverage but this could be a serious mistake. Here is a list of insurance options that you might be interested in:

• Renting a Home
• Renting a Car
• Motorcycle Insurance
• Boat Insurance
• Small Watercraft Insurance
• Insuring a Motor Home
• Life Insurance

Here are some common misconceptions that people may have:

• Adding a boat to my homeowner’s policy will provide adequate coverage
  This usually does not include sport liability, motor damage, towing expenses, or coverage for ice and freezing

• When I rent a summer home, the landlord is responsible for my damaged property
  Leaving your valued possessions in a rented home without renter’s insurance is dangerous. If something happens to your content’s within the house, you are not insured. When renting a summer house, speak with the landlord and assess the worth of your possessions. Once you have this figured out, you can decide which renter’s policy is right for you.

• I won’t be living in a flood zone for that long, so I don’t need flood insurance
  This is a risky statement. People that are traveling during the summer need to be aware of the threats they face in different areas. Flooding is the number one natural disaster in the United States.

photo credit: John Picken

Growing up with pets, I‘ve come to think them as part of the family, as do many people. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Americans spend around $41 billion on our pets every year. We spend money on buying food, toys, treats, and medical expenses. These items really add up, especially medical expenses. I remember when my childhood dog broken his leg and it cost my family over $2 grand to fix it! According to Insurance Information Institute, more than $20 billion is spent on veterinary bills year each. Still, we want the best for our pets. Do you know you can have insurance for your pet?

3 Types of Pet Health Insurance:

• Traditional Health Coverage

Similar to human health insurance, there are 3 levels of coverage.

• Basic coverage, which is the least expensive. This covers your pet for injuries, poisoning, and illnesses including cancer.
• Comprehensive Coverage, which has more reimbursements than the basic coverage. This covers injuries, emergencies, illnesses, office visits, prescriptions, diagnostic tests, x-rays, and lab fees.  
• Pet Well Care Protection, which covers preventive care such as physical exams, flea and heartworm prevention and vaccination.
• HMO Coverage

Some vets provide wellness packages and this gives discounts on services such as physical exams, flea and heartworm prevention and vaccination.

• Discount Plans

You can get discounts on veterinary services including surgeries and supplies from participating veterinarians and pet vendors.

Theft Insurance:

This provides coverage in the event that your pet is stolen.

Homeowner and Renters Insurance:

• Liability Protection

This provides protection against incidents from dog bites.

• Personal Property

Items purchased for your pet is covered under this policy. Remember to save your receipts and add it to your home inventory.

Talk to your insurance provider to find out how to protect every part of your family.

photo credit: Andre Um

May 7 through the 15 is National Travel and Tourism Week, which was started by former President Reagan in 1984. If you’ll be traveling this week or any week coming up you should take some precautions. There are different types of insurance you should consider before your bags are packed especially with security and travel alerts heightened in the U.S.

•         Trip Cancellation Insurance

This coverages you if have to cancel your trip unexpectedly due to illness, death in the family, or other causes in the policy. It would also protect you if the tour or cruise line went out of business. Coverage usually costs five to seven percent of the cost of the trip.

•         Baggage Insurance or Personal Effects Coverage

This insurance covers you if your personal belongings are lost, stolen or damaged. Before purchasing extra insurance, you should find out the type of coverage the airline or trip operator covers. Also, check your homeowners or renters policy because you may be covered under for off-premises theft.

•         Emergency Medical Assistance

This provides medical assistance insurance for travelers. For example, it would provide coverage if you had to be airlift, had an extended stay in a foreign hospital, or you needed to be flown home due to serious illness. Before going abroad, you should find out what your health insurance covers in foreign countries.

•         Accidental Death

This insurance covers you if you or your family member dies on the trip. However, check your life insurance policy first.

If you are unsure about travel insurance and what you need, let us review your policy with you today. Visit our website or call us at 877-500-6997.

photo credit: A. Blight

Mother’s Day is just around the corner – this Sunday! What are your plans? A spa day, chocolates, flowers, and jewelry are nice mom type gifts, but what if you do something a little different this year — something that will last such as life insurance?

It may seem odd to consider life insurance as a gift, but being a mother is one of the most important roles a woman can have. It is easy to get too busy to stop and learn about life insurance. People can always find ways of putting off what they don’t really understand. Why not make it easier?

What should you know about life insurance?

There are 2 common Types:

1.    Term Life Insurance:

This is the type to get if you need it for a specific time period. Why would you need life insurance for only a certain amount of time? You may only want it, if you have young children and you want them to taken care of if something were to happen to you. So you may only require a 20 year term policy. Another reason would be that you need a large amount but only have a limited budget. However, it’s important to understand this type of only covers for the term length.

2.    Permanent Life Insurance:

This type of life insurance you have until death, (well as long the contract isn’t breached). Premiums are usually higher than term life insurance; however, it’s important to know that the premium should not increase as you age. It really is an investment.

Other key information to know is that insurance brokers can work with you for your unique life. Choosing the right policy depends on your budget, time, and the amount of coverage you need to fit your life.

So take mom out and enjoy celebrating her! In addition, give her a sense of peace and protection for her greatest gift – her family.

It’s almost the season for graduations, vacations, and traveling. While these events are fun and exciting, it can be a bit daunting when you have to do things like rent a car. It can take a lot of time to plan a trip and most people don’t think about rental insurance until the rental person is asking you if you want to buy it.

Do you need to buy rental car insurance or not?

According to Insurance Information Institute, you should make two phone calls before you leave your house.

1.    Call Your Insurance Company

In most cases, your own auto insurance will cover you when you rent a car. However, you should call your insurance company to make sure and find out what is covered exactly.

 2.    Call Your Credit Card Company

Contact the credit card company that you plan renting the car with. Some credit cards offer limited insurance benefits such as coverage for damage to the rental car. It could benefit you to find out what exactly is covered.

Rental Car Company Insurance Offers

At the rental car counter, you are usually asked if you want to purchase different coverages. Here is what they are:

•     Loss Damage Waiver (LDW)

This waives the rental of financial responsibility if the rental car is damaged or stolen provided that the accident was not caused by breaking the law such as speeding or drunk driving.

•      Liability Insurance

Rental companies by law are required to provide a certain amount of liability insurance. However, this generally does not give you much protection. If you have liability insurance on your own car, then you probably don’t need additional insurance. Again, make that phone call first.

•     Personal Accident Insurance

This provides coverage for you and your passengers for medical bills. However, if you have adequate health insurance or personal injury protection, you probably won’t need this when renting a car.

•    Personal Effects Coverage

This protects you from theft on your personal items left in the car. If you already have homeowners or rental insurance with off-premises coverage, than you should already be covered.

Before you decide of rental insurance or foregoing it, you should find out what you are already covered for. We would be happy to review your policy, if you have questions or in the market to shop.