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 in Texas and the surrounding states. We represent insurance carriers who happily offer military discounts to active duty and veterans for various types of insurance.
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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, in which case you will have to check out a specialized insurance company.
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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 is a combination of workers’ compensation, bonds, and commercial general liability (CGL) insurance.
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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 it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
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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. Since then, more mass shootings and instances of domestic terrorism has affected local communities and businesses.
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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 a promising solution for both individuals and small businesses. For a low rate, individuals and businesses are purchasing cyber security insurance for protection. Read on for 5 reasons why you should consider this new category of coverage in the digital age.
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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 high risk of wildfire affecting Lubbock and surrounding communities during certain months of the year.
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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.
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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.
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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 recent weather extremes are affecting the insurance industry.
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