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If you are a person that has other people depending on you for their financial security, whether it be friends or family, then you likely need life insurance! If something were to happen to you, it is best to make sure there is something in place for those who depend on you! Parents of children, key employees of businesses, people who are in a committed relationship and have intertwined finances!

Life Insurance is important because if you were to be covered and pass away, then your loved ones would be taken care of through your policy! And this type of security can be given to others, and this would make sure that their loved ones would be taken care of if they were to pass too!

If you have a family that would have a hard time paying for your funeral or other final expenses—it might be best to have a life insurance policy since you do not want to saddle them with that kind of a burden! There are different kinds of Life Insurance, and many vary in cost and length of coverage, but one thing is certain with them all—your loved ones will be happy that you had the foresight to have it if something were to happen to you!

This Valentine’s Day, instead of typical cards and candy that everyone in the last 100 years has done, you should try some new ideas that can help make Valentine’s Day a fun holiday to celebrate with those that you love!

Valentine’s Day Themed Brunch!

While Valentine’s Day this year doesn’t fall on the weekend, it still can be a great opportunity to make a Valentine’s Day Themed brunch! From heart-shaped pancakes, heart-shaped banana slices, heart-shaped marshmallows floating in hot cocoa, and even heart-shaped eggs—the list is endless! It’s a great way to start the morning and can be a part of an even bigger day!

Paint and Sip Party

Paint and sips parties can be a great Valentine’s Day party activity if you have friends or family over to celebrate! If you are a fan of Bob Ross you can even put on an episode and copy what happens on screen! Painting can be a very fun and relaxing activity to do even as a couple!

Secret Cupid Swap

You can do this anonymously to give it some mystery, but take a few names, put them into a hat and have people pick out a name. Whichever name they pull out is who they have to buy a small Valentine’s Day gift for! If you are having a party where everyone is meeting each other for the first time this can be a fun icebreaker if you plan ahead!

Trying to decide which life insurance policy to choose is a lot like trying to decide what to eat, while these both sound so simple on the surface—there are so many choices with both that it can make just about anyone’s head spin! If you find yourself looking to purchase life insurance, do not let yourself get overwhelmed, or confused! Because getting confused is a huge reason so many myths go around as fact when talking about Life Insurance!

Myth #1: “I’m single/married with no kids, so I don’t need life insurance!”

Truth: Your family can use your life insurance policy to pay off your debts, including mortgages, car loans, student loans, and even burial expenses!

Myth #2: “My student loans will be forgiven when I die, so no Life Insurance for me!”

Truth: If you have federal student loans this is true, but private student loans are a whole different ballgame! The policies surrounding death are different depending on the lender, but some private lenders will not forgive student loan debt after death.

Myth #3: “I cannot afford Life Insurance”

Truth: Consumers of all groups often overestimate the cost of having a life insurance policy as well as if they can continue with the premiums! But did you know that a policy for a young and healthy individual can run for just a couple dollars a day?

Think about how much time and effort that goes into shopping for an item that is considered an investment. Items like a car, a house, or even a computer—it’s a tough road to go down each time, but in the end it’s almost always worth it! When you find yourself shopping for Homeowner’s Insurance, remember that you will need to treat it with the same kind of effort! But in order to help make it an easier process, we compiled a short list of tips to help you get through the process without as much confusion!

Tip #1: There are different kinds of Home insurance policies! If you have a mortgage company they usually will require that you have a “Replacement Cost Policy”, which will pay to repair you home in case of damage! The costs of repair are usually based on current construction costs and are aimed to repair or rebuild your home since the lending bank will want you to keep paying for your mortgage! But there are also other kinds of policies that are actual Cash Value policies and will pay to repair your home, while subtracting depreciation from that amount!

Tip #2: Get as many prices of Homeowner’s Insurance policies that you can, as well as look into each company that you are considering buying a policy from! You will want to pick a company that you know has a great reputation, and is able to cover the costs of repair if the time comes! When getting your price quotes, be sure to always pick an amount that can replace your home and personal property if it is destroyed!

Tip #3: When looking for coverage do not be shy to ask about discounts to your premium! Discounts that are usually offered by Homeowner’s Insurance companies include having a fire alarm system, fire sprinklers, or even a burglar alarm system! Being claim free is another way to get a discount from your company, but this usually only comes after a few years of paying your policy on time!

Your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy protects your home against different kinds of risks and perils that can occur to your home! Risks and perils are usually thought of as things that can damage your property when they do happen—things like fires, hail, or hurricanes. We have compiled a list of things that are covered, and what is not covered to help you differentiate between the two categories!

What is covered by most Homeowner’s Policies:

-Risks like fire and lightning are usually covered since they go hand in hand, and can be largely prevented with good homeownership! This would also include smoke damage caused by fire too!

-Theft, vandalism, civil commotion, explosions

-Damage caused by aircraft and other vehicles

-Windstorms, hurricanes, and other weather events such as hail, unless you live in a geographic zone this part of coverage is not offered! (Like the Gulf Coast)

What is not covered by most Homeowner’s Policies:

-Flooding

-Continuous water leaks in your home

-Mold or mold removal unless it is part of the repair damage of a home

-Normal wear and tear on a home

-Earthquakes or shifting of the earth below your home

-Damage to trees and shrubs due to hail or wind

While some of these that are not covered may come as a surprise, some of them can be covered using add-ons to your policy—which are referred to as a “Rider”! If you live in an area that is prone to flooding, or next to an old water dam, you can add-on a policy rider to cover you if your house were to flood! Just be sure to ask your agent what is on your policy, and if you have any gaps you needed to cover!

Did you know that as a buyer of Homeowner’s Insurance you have rights that protect you during the process of buying, as well as during the process of maintaining your policy’s coverage? Just like many other areas of life, we as Americans have rights when searching and shopping for Homeowner’s Insurance—as well as just about any other insurance coverage types too!

An insurance company cannot turn you down or decide to charge you more due to your race, color, religion, or national origin. And if a company does discriminate based on these differences they will face repercussions from their state’s department of insurance! These traits cannot be used at all in the decision making process!

An Insurance company cannot turn you down for coverage or attempt to charge you more because of your age, gender, marital status, where you live, or a disability, unless the company can show that you are at a higher risk to insure against loss compared to others the company is willing to insure!

They also cannot charge you more, turn you down, or treat you differently than other people in your rate or risk class—that is unless the insurance company can prove why you’re a greater risk to insure too! You also cannot be turned down or charged more solely based on your credit score either!