Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan offers discounts for having more than one policy like others do. However, they’ve extended it to include different types of business policies.

If you have a Workers Compensation Insurance policy and a Business Auto Insurance policy you can receive a discount on both.

If you have a Homeowners Insurance Policy and an Auto Insurance policy you normally get a discount. Now either or both of them will get you a discount on your business policy. These discounts, in the right combination can save you up to 15% on some of your business insurance policies.

Give me a call to schedule a review of your current Business Insurance policies and we’ll see which discounts you are qualified to receive.

I can be reached at (231) 744-9099 or you may start with a look at www.muskegoninsuranceagent.com

To help my insurance business grow I recently accecpted a position as the President of Muskegon Business Network chapter of BNI.

BNI is the largest business networking organization in the world. We offer members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts and most importantly, business referrals.

Started in January 1985 by Dr. Ivan R. Misner, Founder & CEO of Business Network Int’l., BNI provides a positive, supportive, and structured environment for men and women to further their business through word-of-mouth marketing.

Belonging to BNI is like having dozens of sales people working for you because all of them carry several copies of your business cards around with them. When they meet someone who could use your products or services, they hand out your card and recommend you. It’s as simple as that! It’s simple because it’s based on a proven concept by BNI Founder, Dr Ivan Misner, called “givers gain.” If I give you business you’ll give me business and we’ll both benefit as a result.

A network committed to the promotion and success of Enterprising Businesspeople.

Last year, members of BUSINESS NETWORK INT’L. (BNI) passed thousands of referrals which generated millions of dollars worth of business for each other! BNI is a business and professional networking organization that allows only one person per profession to join a chapter.

BNI provides a structured and supportive system of giving and receiving business. It does so by providing an environment in which you develop personal relationships with dozens of other qualified business professionals. By establishing this “formal” relationship with other people, you will have the opportunity to substantially increase your business.

Who do YOU know that wants their business to grow? Who do YOU know that would like to see a 10, 15, 25, 30% increase in business?

Learn how to lock your competitors out of this great business networking tool. ALL are Welcome to apply.

We’re currently looking to pass referrals to people in these areas…

Auto Sales – New, Used

Caterer / Restaurant

Carpet Cleaner

Massage Therapist

Dentist

Mortgage Banker/Broker

Florist / Gifts

Pest Control

Sign Shop

Plumber / HVAC / Electrician

Cleaning Service

other owners & entrepreneurs…

If you know a business owner who needs more business, has a positive attitude and likes to meet people have them give me a call at (231) 744-9099 or check out my web site at www.muskegoninsuranceagent.com

Any driver who is looking for a new car insurance policy or a better price on their current policy should hopefully already know the Steve Bedgood Agency. By checking us out at www.muskegoninsuranceagent.com, drivers can get  in in touch with a fine company and an agent with over 19 years experience in the insurance business. Many times the prices of policies are within a few dollars of each other and the driver tries to find out if everything they are concerned about will be covered.  We only give out quotes after finding out what concerns our clients have but it would be a wise idea for the driver to check into Farm Bureau further to make sure they will be happy working with our company and our office.

Often, drivers may wonder what other types of things they can compare besides the price that is being offered. We will go over some other factors about insurance companies that can be looked at and compared to ensure the future policyholder will be satisfied with not only the price they are paying, but also with the insurer as a whole. It is important to experience satisfaction with an insurer because a policyholder who is frustrated with any aspect of their automobile insurance will most likely spend more time looking for another company’s coverage.

Customer Service
The first aspect of auto insurance companies we will discuss is their ability to provide excellent customer service. Customer service doesn’t just include polite manners used over the phone, but it involves more than that. Any time a policyholder needs to deal with their insurer, whether it be to ask a question, file a claim, or pay a bill, their experience interacting with a representative of the insurance company needs to be a positive one. The time when a policyholder contacts the insurer directly is more important than the time spent browsing the company’s website. Both instances should be informative, easy, and not intimidating. The policyholder should feel welcomed and valued, and when the experience is completed that policyholder shouldn’t feel the desire to avoid any more contact. You can start checking us out at www.muskegonautoinsurance.net

One way to evaluate an insurer’s customer service abilities is by asking trusted family and friends about who they have used in the past and who they are currently using. Find out about their experiences, both positive and negative, and what they would like to see changed, if anything. Asking a large number of people will help give the best findings, but keep in mind that other people’s opinions about what is and is not important may differ from each other and you. Another way to gather this type of information is by turning to a third party company that evaluates insurer’s customer service abilities. One such company that does an excellent job is the  Ward Group. They evaluate many aspects from bill pay options to overall customer service. They give star ratings to each company and annually they determine which company provides the best customer service. It’s a great way to compare insurers using an unbiased reference.

Financial Strength
The next aspect to consider when comparing car insurance providers is checking into their financial strength. Wouldn’t it be terrible if you went to file a claim, only to find the insurer doesn’t have any money to pay for the damages that were supposed to be covered according to your policy? You would be left paying for those repairs out of pocket even though you had every right to hand the costs over to your insurer. Knowing the financial strength of an insurer can help drivers choose the best insurer for them according to the insurer’s ability to pay for what they’ve claimed they will pay.

Much like the customer service review, there are other companies who review the financial status of insurance companies. It would be very time consuming if drivers spent their time watching the quarterly earnings of each insurer they are considering, evaluating how much free cash flow and debt each insurer has accrued. Instead, drivers can turn to companies like AM Best and Standard and Poor’s to find these professional ratings and opinions. They are willing to share their findings to the public for free, so every consumer should take advantage while searching for their optimal auto insurance provider. I encourage you to check out Farm Bureau through these companies.

AM Best (ambest.com) gives their ratings in the form of letter grades, with pluses and minuses for added levels. They recommend a company who has earned a grade of a B+ or better. AM Best feels these auto insurance companies are financially secure, while those who receive lower grades are vulnerable to financial mishaps. Standard and Poor’s works very similar, also distributing grades for their ratings. Both of these auto insurance companies can be relied on by any driver who is comparing auto  insurers and wants to know of their financial strength. After all, no one wants to be placed in the negative situation mentioned above when an auto insurer can’t provide their coverage.

Price Isn’t Always Everything
To emphasize once more, there is more to choosing an auto insurer besides the price they are asking. A smaller, local company may charge a little bit more money for the same policy offered by a national insurance chain, but that smaller company may provide much better customer service and give more care and attention to their policyholders than what the national chain can. On the flip side, the national chain may have stronger financial strength when compared to the smaller local companies. It all depends on what is important to the policyholder. Knowing what is important before looking for a new or evaluating a current auto insurance companies is key when trying to choose the best insurer.

Take into consideration these elements of an insurer when looking for top rated auto insurance companies.  In a matter of minutes we can provide you with a quote for insuring the things that matter most to you.

Visit us at www.SteveBedgoodAgency.com

Anyone who is curious about how an auto insurance company determines a driver’s rates can find answers here. With over 19 years in the insurance business, I’ve helped thousands of clients understand their coverage.
I’ll go over the generalized routine that is involved when different providers decide on what rates they are going to be charging. Sometimes the driver can influence the decrease or increase of the premium by their actions taken while driving. Other factors that are used cannot be so easily changed.

Insurers take information about the driver and determine a level of risk associated with that driver. This level of risk refers to the chance that driver will make a claim in the future. When a policyholder files a claim, the carrier must pay for the damages as promised, up to the purchased amount in the contract. Someone who is a high level of risk usually makes many claims, and the insurance company begins to lose money from insuring that individual, unless the insurer increases that person’s rates. Insurance providers have gathered statistical data to show them what groups of people are likely to be involved in accidents. Drivers who are placed in more than one of these groups will be paying higher premiums than drivers who are placed in zero to one high risk group.

Below are listed some of the aspects of a driver’s life that are taken into consideration by the car insurance company. I’ll tell you why these are looked at and what, if any, actions can be taken by the driver to decrease their premium.

Age: The age of the driver gives the insurance company a better idea as to how long this driver has been on the road. A 16 year old obviously hasn’t had much experience in driving, and therefore is classified as high risk. The risk begins to go down with each year that passes without having to file a claim or receiving a traffic ticket. Around the age of 25 years will the driver notice a drop in premium price compared to when they were 16 years old. There is not anything a driver can change about their age to decrease their premium, although the young driver can avoid being involved in traffic incidents and keep their record clean.

Address: The location where the driver resides is usually the same location that the car is stored. A driver living in a high crime area is one who will pay a higher premium because the chance of the vehicle being stolen or vandalized is increased when compared to vehicles stored in low crime areas. In addition, vehicles stored in a locked garage will be charged less for their insurance compared to vehicles parked outside on the street. The chances of a vehicle being stolen or vandalized while stored in a locked garage are less than when it’s unattended outside. A motorist has a little bit of choice as to where they live, but usually people who live in high crime areas or without a garage do so because that is what they can afford. So in reality, motorists don’t have too much of a way to decrease their premiums unless they move.

Driving History: The ticket from last year or the accident caused by the policyholder two years ago will come back to haunt them when it comes to determining rates. Insurers always look at the driver’s history to get another estimate of the level of risk. It should be obvious that a person who has a spotless driving record for a few years is less likely to be involved in any kind of traffic incident (ticket or accident) than a person who has three or more accidents or tickets within the last few years. Drivers with little to no negative marks on their driving history are classified as “good drivers” and quite often an insurer will give them the lowest rates. Anyone who is interested in decreasing their premiums should consider cleaning up their driving record and keeping it free from tickets and accidents.

Type of Vehicle: It makes sense that an expensive vehicle costs more to repair or to replace. Knowing this, there shouldn’t be any wonder as to why it costs more to insure an expensive vehicle. Insurers need to know the make, model, and year of the vehicle to be insured so they can get an idea as to how much that vehicle is worth. Then they can get an estimate about how much it would cost them to repair or replace up to it’s cash value amount. Drivers who have luxury or expensive vehicles have a choice to purchase another, less expensive vehicle and then they will see a decrease in their rates. If a driver is choosing between two cars, they should contact their insurer to find out which one would cost less to insure before the purchase.

Type of Coverage: Policyholders who carry the minimum amount of insurance will easily pay less than the policyholders who opt for full coverage. Insurers look at the types and amounts of insurance that are purchased for the policy and make the policyholder pay for it accordingly. One way to decrease premiums in this respect is to drop coverage from the policy, but this isn’t always recommended. Auto insurance is a way to pay for any future accident repairs and medical bills, and without that coverage the policyholder will be left to pay for those expenses out of pocket.

Adding Another Driver: When the time comes to add another driver to the policy – a new spouse or teenage driver – the policyholder will notice an increase in their rates. Insurers also use the number of drivers on the policy to figure out how much to charge the policyholder. It’s actually cheaper for the policyholder to add drivers to the existing policy compared to putting those drivers on their own, new policy. The best thing that can be done here is to reiterate to those new drivers how important it is to keep their driving record clean to get the lowest rates. However, make sure to ask your agent (or attorney) what increased liability risk you have by keeping 18-25 year old kids on your policy.

Knowing how insurers determine auto insurance rates can help policyholders learn how to save money on their policies. They can make the appropriate changes that are necessary to lower their premium rates instead of wonder why they are charged a certain amount. At my agency we have all the tools you need to make great decisions on your Auto Insurance. Please give me a call at (231) 744-9099 or check my website at muskegonautoinsurance.net to discuss your needs.