Q: I own a local business and my insurance policy is supposed to pay for my lost income if I’m unable to open up because of a fire or storm. However, I was without power for nearly a week after Hurricane Ike and my insurance company said that wasn’t covered. Why not? – Gene, College Station
Dallas Shipp: While your current insurance policy may not cover that, the commercial product available through The Shipp Agency does include lost revenue and payroll expenses due to electricity outages. It’s a coverage that is not always available with all companies though, so you may want to shop around. You may be surprised what other coverages are available that you don’t currently have.
Q: I’m looking into buying a new house, but was told that if there was a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, it could keep me from closing because I wouldn’t be able to purchase homeowners insurance, which is required by my mortgage company before I can close. What is this about? It’s not like we’re on the coast. – Jessi, College Station
Dallas Shipp: This is a very valid concern. While we are not located in a coastal county, once a storm enters a certain quadrant (basically, when it goes past Cuba/Florida and into the Gulf) the coastal counties get locked down because insurance companies have no way of knowing where it’s headed, and they’re not going to take the risk of writing a policy and paying a claim the next week. If a storm appears headed for Texas, insurance companies will stop binding coverage further and further from the coast.
Take Hurricane Rita as an example. There was massive damage along the coast, but there was also significant damage further inland because of tornados and hail, all the way up to Jasper, Nacogdoches and Shreveport. That’s why it is important to secure insurance as early as possible when purchasing a home.
Q: I had hail damage to my roof a couple of years ago when we had a bad hail storm, and my insurance company said that they would only pay for a portion of cost to replace my roof. Why do I purchase insurance if they aren’t going to pay to fix my house? Anonymous, College Station
Dallas Shipp: This is a huge difference from one insurance company to another and it’s called “replacement cost.” If you don’t have replacement cost on your home and your property, you’re wasting money on an insurance policy that might save you a couple of bucks a month, but in the long run, is just going to leave you angry. If you had replacement cost coverage on the dwelling—and read your contract carefully because some companies will say you have replacement cost on the home, but they’ll exclude coverage from your roof, which is probably the most likely part of your home to be damaged from hail or strong winds.
Q: I keep getting letters in the mail about an umbrella policy for ‘added liability protection,’ but what does that mean? Erin, College Station
Dallas Shipp: An umbrella policy is a very critical piece of your family’s protection plan. If you’re involved in a lawsuit, it will provide you with an extra million dollars in protection, before the plaintiff can touch your personal assets. However, the biggest reason to make sure you have this in place, is that if an insurance company has an extra million dollars on the line, they’re going to provide you with a very good lawyer at no cost to you. The key to remember here is that you don’t have to be guilty to be sued, and even if you did nothing wrong, it will still cost thousands of dollars to defend you in court. This protection is typically available for about $10/month, and is a no brainer.
_____________________
Have a question about your insurance? Email Dallas@theshippagency.com today. If your question is answered in next month’s edition of AYC Magazine, you’ll receive a free sandwich from Firehouse Subs!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The Mom's Corner...
The MOST Important School Supply
I love school supplies. I mean, I really love school supplies. I love markers, pencils, tape, folders, dividers, crayons (Oh, there is nothing like new crayons), index cards, sticky notes, binders, colored paper (Oh, I especially like colored paper), Sharpies, calendars, spirals glue, highlighters, scissors…I love it all!
I have always loved school supplies. In fact, school supplies are the one thing that that drove me to make truly bad decisions as a child. It is true! I would have never dreamt of stealing anything, hoarding anything, or hiding anything from my parents; however, when it came to school supplies, I am guilty of all three! And, I will be honest, while I have learned to restrain myself around school supplies these days, I will admit that they present a true area of weakness.
You might think I am slightly crazy (and I am), but I know there are many of there out there like myself who have the same sort of sick fascination with school supplies. Yes, I have seen you in the stores trying to get to the school supplies before me!
For so long school supplies were – to me – a symbol and foundation for all that can be learned. I related the opening of a box of school supplies to opening a door to innovation. With those tools (school supplies), I believed my own self was the only limit to the creativity that could be expressed, and there was nothing that excited me more than being engaged in thought and producing a product with pride.
Somebody told me the other day that I probably decided to go into teaching because of my love/obsession for school supplies. While I would deny that wholeheartedly if you asked me in person, I will admit as I write that there could be more than an ounce of truth to this statement.
Thus, it would not surprise you that I also once believed to be a good educator that I had to have oodles of school supplies. I remember going out my first year as a teacher and spending hundreds of dollars of my own money to be sure that I had the materials I thought I needed to adequately teach the students in my class. The materials that had been provided were not sufficient, in my opinion, for the anticipated quality, thinking, level of learning, and product I wanted to have in my classroom, and I was convinced that if I had the right school supplies I would inevitably achieve that level of greatness I so desired of myself as a teacher and of my students as learners. More simply stated, I believed the more I filled their desk, the more of their mind I was filling as well.
And, the same was true when I became a mother and sent my children to their first days of school! I eagerly filled their backpacks with the supplies I had bought with joy, and dreamed of the great things their minds would soak up because of them.
Yet, what I failed to realize was that it was not the supplies with which I was filling their backpacks that supported their learning, spurred their thinking, and provided an avenue for creativity, it was the love with which I packed them that did these things…and more.
I have also come a long way as an educator. I have been known to still purchase massive amounts of markers and scissors for my classroom, but I know that it is not the color of the paper on which I print the assignment or the sticker I place on their paper that builds a relationship, makes learning meaningful, or encourages originality. Rather, it is the heart with which I do these things that will ultimately enhance the classroom environment and promote the authentic learning I seek as a teacher.
You see, no matter how many colored pencils or folders I purchase, the involvement, time, dedication, support, encouragement, passion, and heart I give my students and children is ultimately what will make the difference in their learning.
My husband recalls a story of his childhood schooling where his mother helped him glue pictures, tables and headings to a project: “I think that project is why I love the smell of glue,” he says. (I know, he is weird like me!) “But, it is not the glue that has stuck with me for so long, “ he goes on, “it is my mom’s help and support.”
I know you are going to be shocked, but I did not buy the obscene amount of school supplies this year. I resisted the urge! I fought the temptation! There have been no $.10 spirals and only minimal amounts of $.25 crayons…I still love them, and I still have a strangely weird obsession for them; however, as we started school this year I made that bigger investment that will assuredly inspire my students and children to greatness…I gave them more of me…and that is the greatest thing I could do!
I love school supplies. I mean, I really love school supplies. I love markers, pencils, tape, folders, dividers, crayons (Oh, there is nothing like new crayons), index cards, sticky notes, binders, colored paper (Oh, I especially like colored paper), Sharpies, calendars, spirals glue, highlighters, scissors…I love it all!
I have always loved school supplies. In fact, school supplies are the one thing that that drove me to make truly bad decisions as a child. It is true! I would have never dreamt of stealing anything, hoarding anything, or hiding anything from my parents; however, when it came to school supplies, I am guilty of all three! And, I will be honest, while I have learned to restrain myself around school supplies these days, I will admit that they present a true area of weakness.
You might think I am slightly crazy (and I am), but I know there are many of there out there like myself who have the same sort of sick fascination with school supplies. Yes, I have seen you in the stores trying to get to the school supplies before me!
For so long school supplies were – to me – a symbol and foundation for all that can be learned. I related the opening of a box of school supplies to opening a door to innovation. With those tools (school supplies), I believed my own self was the only limit to the creativity that could be expressed, and there was nothing that excited me more than being engaged in thought and producing a product with pride.
Somebody told me the other day that I probably decided to go into teaching because of my love/obsession for school supplies. While I would deny that wholeheartedly if you asked me in person, I will admit as I write that there could be more than an ounce of truth to this statement.
Thus, it would not surprise you that I also once believed to be a good educator that I had to have oodles of school supplies. I remember going out my first year as a teacher and spending hundreds of dollars of my own money to be sure that I had the materials I thought I needed to adequately teach the students in my class. The materials that had been provided were not sufficient, in my opinion, for the anticipated quality, thinking, level of learning, and product I wanted to have in my classroom, and I was convinced that if I had the right school supplies I would inevitably achieve that level of greatness I so desired of myself as a teacher and of my students as learners. More simply stated, I believed the more I filled their desk, the more of their mind I was filling as well.
And, the same was true when I became a mother and sent my children to their first days of school! I eagerly filled their backpacks with the supplies I had bought with joy, and dreamed of the great things their minds would soak up because of them.
Yet, what I failed to realize was that it was not the supplies with which I was filling their backpacks that supported their learning, spurred their thinking, and provided an avenue for creativity, it was the love with which I packed them that did these things…and more.
I have also come a long way as an educator. I have been known to still purchase massive amounts of markers and scissors for my classroom, but I know that it is not the color of the paper on which I print the assignment or the sticker I place on their paper that builds a relationship, makes learning meaningful, or encourages originality. Rather, it is the heart with which I do these things that will ultimately enhance the classroom environment and promote the authentic learning I seek as a teacher.
You see, no matter how many colored pencils or folders I purchase, the involvement, time, dedication, support, encouragement, passion, and heart I give my students and children is ultimately what will make the difference in their learning.
My husband recalls a story of his childhood schooling where his mother helped him glue pictures, tables and headings to a project: “I think that project is why I love the smell of glue,” he says. (I know, he is weird like me!) “But, it is not the glue that has stuck with me for so long, “ he goes on, “it is my mom’s help and support.”
I know you are going to be shocked, but I did not buy the obscene amount of school supplies this year. I resisted the urge! I fought the temptation! There have been no $.10 spirals and only minimal amounts of $.25 crayons…I still love them, and I still have a strangely weird obsession for them; however, as we started school this year I made that bigger investment that will assuredly inspire my students and children to greatness…I gave them more of me…and that is the greatest thing I could do!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Welcome to September!
Can you believe that it is already September? Where is 2009 going and why is it in such a hurry? As I walked into Hobby Lobby last week, I wiped the sweat off my brow and turned to see Christmas decorations! I could hardly believe it, but I guess it is true. Although it certainly doesn’t feel like it outside, Summer is coming to a quick close and Fall will soon be here. September brings yearly events that make the weeks fly by even quicker. Area students of all ages are now back in school, football season is starting, baseball pennant races are tightening, and retail stores are preparing for holiday rushes. Everywhere we go people are preparing and looking ahead; it seems that nothing is slowing down and to say that life moves fast is a severe understatement. For this letter, I would like to mention this quick pace of life that we live in and encourage you to slow down, even for just a minute.
Preparing for tomorrow is vitally important and I am not one to downplay its importance. With all the responsibilities that we each have every day, there is an understandable peace of mind to be found if you put things in place and have a little something to fall back on – whatever that may be. However, in the fevered pursuit of this goal, we often overlook things that may not seem as important, but we may not get a chance to do again. One of my favorite commercials currently on television asks…”When was the last time you went to the Aquarium with your daughter….on a Tuesday?” The reason I like this spot is not because I like the Aquarium, or the credit card they are advertising, or even the fact that I have a young daughter, but it’s the message I take from it. It reminds me that simply slowing things down once in a while and spending time with those you cherish can be much more lasting that any meeting or deal you may be working on. I was recently looking through pictures at my grandmother’s house and I didn’t see a single one of business events that my Grandfather was involved in. What I did see were pictures of family and friends, events and vacations, many of which involved people that are no longer with us and deeply missed, making that time in the photos that much more valuable. Although the pictures ranged in age, some did not seem that long ago, another testament that life moves quickly and can change at any moment.
I am not making a soapbox stand, the simple message that I am trying to drop here in my little corner is to enjoy each day you have with those that you enjoy, love, and cherish. Work hard, set goals, provide, plan, and prepare…but I encourage you not to get lost in only that. It’s easy to do, especially in this time. Don’t miss out on the window of time that we all have to make memories and develop relationships. Balance your time, spend a little extra with friends and family. If you take care of it, work will be there, people may not. We never know what is going to happen tomorrow. If and when it is your turn to share pictures of yesteryear, make you aren’t looking for yourself in all of them and wondering where you were, because you sure won’t remember which meeting you were at!
Family, friends, and community are gifts, they are not givens. We are lucky if we have them and as time continues to fly, by take a moment to share a little appreciation. What you get back might just be the “something to fall back on” that we are all looking for! Until next month….
Geoff Spahr
Publisher, Active Youth and Community Magazine
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