Do you own a small business / SMB? Your cost of offering health insurance is a huge cost of business for any company. And, it can be an even bigger hassle for small business company owners when securing business insurance. With the continued rise of premiums, many smaller businesses may have to force the extra expense onto their employees.

This week (Nov. 4th-8th), let’s take a moment to salute National Veterans Small Business Week. Every year for the past six years, the SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration) celebrates veteran-owned small businesses. Hettler Insurance Agency is part of the SMB sector (we’re not veteran-owned, but we do have one veteran employee). And, we’re proud to support other small business owners by helping with commercial insurance […]

Non-traditional (or inland marine insurance, as some policies are called) coverage is a custom-made sector of insurance coverage dealing with homes and items that would not typically fall under a typical residential, commercial property, or car insurance policy. Such items are: boats, snowmobiles, ATV’s and personal watercraft. You might discover that your existing insurance company does not even write policies for these types of goods, […]

Ever noticed that it seem like every facet of life is covered by some type of insurance?  Life insurance. Car insurance. Health insurance. Pet insurance. Workers’ compensation insurance. Renter’s insurance. Homeowner’s insurance.  Not to mention there are specific types of those insurances. Comprehensive. Liability. Flood. And, let’s not forget about general contractor insurance in Texas. According to the Texas Department of Insurance, general contractor insurance […]

An All Too Common Scenario Imagine the clouds turning black one day and a storm rolls in. Hail the size of softballs strikes your home or business, damaging the roof. This is unfortunately an all too common occurrence in Texas. Soon enough, a cadre of roofing repair representatives storm your neighborhood offering discounts marketed as “no deductible”, “zero deductible” and even “free roof repair”. If […]

Many people who don’t own commercial property would be surprised to learn that 60% of American commercial buildings are insured for terrorism. This means many ordinary building owners – not just high-profile targets – are purchasing coverage. In fact, while the country at large was shocked in 2015 by the 14 people killed in San Bernardino, the owner had the foresight to buy terrorism insurance. […]

Computer crimes and cyber breaches occur on a daily basis and affect individuals and corporations alike. In 2018, American companies like Facebook and Uber were hacked. For these two companies, the breach compromised the personal information for over 100 million people. Even the United States government has been hacked. Even with theft prevention software and procedures, breaches happen. The good news is that there is […]

Wildfire Risk & Getting Insurance Texas is second only to California as the state most at risk for wildfire, according to analytics company CoreLogic. At least 715,300 Texas residences are at high or extreme risk of wildfire. A dry environment goes hand in hand with wildfire. West Texas and the Panhandle are receiving less rainfall each year, earning long term drought status. There is a […]

All jobs have occupational hazards – even office workers get paper cuts or, more often these days, carpal tunnel syndrome. But some occupations are riskier than others, rodeo clowns? You bet. And those risks are reflected in insurance policies. Disability and life insurance policies are especially affected by dangerous jobs.

Now that the year is almost over, it’s time to evaluate 2016’s storm season in Lubbock and the greater south plains. We interviewed Joel Mowery, Co-Owner of SERVPRO of Southwest Lubbock. Together with Ron Hettler, President of Hettler Insurance, we have two experts on protecting property and restoring what is lost after a disaster.

All Texans know that we live in the greatest state on earth. As such, we don’t like to be bothered by problems that divert us from advancing our business, socializing or just relaxing with some Friday night football. So it’s no wonder that many folks don’t want to face the frightening and highly inconvenient problem of climate change. But it’s here, and a spate of […]

Most of the business owners around Lubbock, exclude coverage for themselves and other executives in their workers’ compensation policy. It seems that many owners don’t like the idea of getting hurt or don’t believe that an accident will befall them.

Open carry legislation went into effect in Texas on January 1, 2016. This means that ordinary citizens with an existing concealed handgun license, can openly carry their firearms in public. There are several exceptions, including college campuses, federal and state owned land and in businesses that overtly prohibit open carry. While Texas is by no means the first state to allow open carry, it’s the […]

If you start reading about all the types of insurance on the market for a business, you might become overwhelmed. It’s a rookie mistake to forgo insurance, thinking coverage for a new business is an unnecessary expense. Instead, let’s look at the minimum amount of insurance an entrepreneur should carry. Note the types and amount you should carry depend on your industry, location and the […]

As you surely know by now, small employers in Texas are facing a series of changes under the Affordable Care Act. Some of these changes center around the Adjusted Community Rating (ACR), which went into effect in January of 2014. So far, it’s affected small businesses with 1 to 50 employees. But starting in 2016, employers with 51 to 100 employees will also be subject […]