Life Insurance Basics

Why Do I Need Life Insurance?

Life insurance is intended to help your loved ones if tragedy strikes. Most often, it is bought so that people know that their spouse and children will be taken care of in the event of the insured’s death. Those who care for sick, disabled, or elderly family members often also purchase life insurance so that the family member will still receive the care they need.

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

The amount of life insurance you should get really depends on your personal life. You may want to discuss it with a financial advisor, but some things to factor in are:

  • How much would a funeral cost my loved ones?
  • Do I have any debts that would be unpaid if I passed? If so, what is the total?
  • Is there a mortgage or college fund I need to worry about?
  • How much would my family need to continue living our current lifestyle?
  • Do I pay for the care of any family members? If so, how much would they need to continue receiving that care?

The answers to these questions can help Shelton, CT residents determine how much coverage they should consider.

Basic Types of Life Insurance

It is also important to have a basic understanding of the types of life insurance available. The two basic types are permanent and term life insurance. Permanent covers you for your whole life as long as you pay your premiums while term life insurance only covers your death during a set time period.

Term life insurance is something people consider when they only want coverage until they pay off a mortgage or perhaps until their children are grown. People who purchase permanent life insurance do so with the thought of leaving something behind for loved ones.

If you are considering life insurance, you want an agency at your side that will take the time to learn about you so they can help you choose the right coverage. If you live in Shelton, CT, Goodman Insurance Inc. can be the agency you need. For questions or a no-obligation quote, call or stop by Goodman Insurance Inc. today!

Why You Need to Insure Your Home in Shelton, CT

Your home is your sanctuary. It’s where you can kick off your shoes and be 100 percent your authentic self. It provides shelter from New England winters, and it’s where you make memories. For all these reasons, and more, protect your Shelton, CT home with a proper home insurance policy. The team at Goodman Insurance Inc. has put together a shortlist of three reasons why you need a home insurance policy.

1. Required for a Loan

There is no bank that exists in Shelton, CT that will give you a mortgage without home insurance. Having a loan on the house means that this asset belongs to the bank until you pay it off. Your home must be protected in order for the bank to legally issue you a mortgage.

2. Liability/Fire/Theft

Unforeseen events happen all the time. Fire, theft, injuries — all of these can happen on your property. With the right home insurance policy, and even added protection with an umbrella policy, you can rest assured knowing that you’re covered in the event of any disaster that should befall — small or large.

3. Peace of Mind

Having peace of mind is the opposite of constant worry. A stressed-out mind is bad for health and prosperity. Therefore, even if you own your home outright, protecting it with a home insurance policy is a small investment for peace of mind.

To learn more about purchasing home insurance in Shelton, CT, contact Goodman Insurance Inc. today. Friendly, reputable agents are standing by to answer all your questions, help you find the right home insurance policy for your needs, and help you save money in the process. 

Essential Tips for Easier Management of Your Commercial Fleet

Whether you’re providing delivery services to your customers, running a mobile operation, or need vehicles to move your employees around, your business vehicles are essential to your daily work. Goodman Insurance Inc. suggests setting up a maintenance program to ensure that your business vehicles are always working when you need them most. Well-maintained equipment, however, isn’t the only benefit of proper fleet management. These tips will help you maximize the cars, trucks, and other vehicles that keep your Shelton, CT business on the move.

  • Keep service records updated and easily accessible. Designate an employee to ensure that services like tune-ups, oil changes, and other routine maintenance are accurately documented. Using a spreadsheet program allows easy access and minimizes the chances of losing your logs.
  • Choose one mechanic for all of your work. Find a full-service mechanic who can do all of your maintenance and emergency work. Building a relationship with your mechanic helps you avoid problems with overcharging, shoddy work, and other potential problems. Some shops may offer discounts or contract rates for businesses with multiple vehicles.
  • If you have more than 5 vehicles, it may be worthwhile to hire a dedicated shop mechanic. This position would be responsible for keeping records, performing routine maintenance, and performing periodic inspections to prevent small problems from becoming big ones. Your mechanic can also train your employees on the proper use of equipment, safety procedures, and give you expert guidance when it’s time to purchase new vehicles.
  • Track fuel consumption. Knowing how much fuel each vehicle uses helps you budget properly. It can also provide helpful information on how your employees use the vehicle or provide clues that there is a mechanical problem.

A good commercial auto insurance policy is also important to a well-managed fleet. Talk to the experts at Goodman Insurance Inc. to find out how to protect your Shelton, CT business with customized auto insurance.

 

How much life insurance do I need

Connecticut has one of the highest life expectancies in the United States at 80.8 years. Residents of Shelton, CT are lucky to be living in this state but in spite of the high rating death is unavoidable and making sure that those you leave behind are provided for is important. No one likes to talk about death and life insurance but not talking about it doesn’t make it go away. Life insurance is an important part of estate planning and also life planning since not everyone gets to live a long life and if you are taken unexpectedly, provision needs to be made for your dependents. Goodman Insurance Inc. has a team of experienced agents who are looking forward to discussing your life insurance needs with you. 

Experts say that if you are married and have a family, ideally you should have 10 to 12 times your yearly income in life insurance. Especially if you have young children or a spouse who is not employed, this makes perfect sense. You would also want to have enough for a college education for your children. Obviously, the amount you need will be affected by the number and age of children and the needs of your spouse. Your outstanding debt including mortgage also has to be taken into consideration. 

How much life insurance you need is different at different times in your life. If you are helping to support your parents, you need to add that in. How many years of support you need to provide and clearing all your debt and final expenses are part of the things that figure into the total life insurance you need.

Talking to the knowledgeable staff at Goodman Insurance Inc. in Shelton, CT will help you to come up with that figure. Why not give us a call or stop by our office and let us come up with a plan that fits your needs and your wallet. 

Protecting Your Home from Winter Weather

Winter weather in the greater Shelton, CT area can be pretty brutal, and now is the time to start preparing. When you have a comprehensive homeowner’s policy you can rest assured that your home is protected no matter how severe the winter is. The team at Goodman Insurance Inc. is here to ensure that you have adequate coverage for this winter season. This is also a great time to do a pre-winter inspection and make sure that your home is ready for the ice, cold, and snow!

Protect Your Home Now Before Winter Weather Starts

It’s difficult to tell exactly what winter is going to bring beforehand, and that’s why it’s always a great idea to make sure you’re ready! In addition to meeting with your local agent to review your policy for completeness, there are a few steps you can take around the house to get prepared.

  • Trim back any branches near to your home or garage – high winds, ice, and heavy snow increase the chance of branches breaking and causing damage. Make sure that your trees are all properly trimmed before the cold weather starts.
  • Have your roof and gutters inspected. Remove loose shingles, clear out any clogs, and make sure gutters are secured.
  • Give your furnace a once-over, clear chimney of any debris, and make sure ventilation systems are ready to go.
  • Drain sprinkler systems and shut them down for the season to prevent frozen pipes and damage to the overall sprinkler system.

Let’s make sure that your home insurance has the protection you need before the winter weather starts! If you are in the greater Shelton, CT area, call or stop by Goodman Insurance Inc. today and find out how a comprehensive homeowner’s policy can protect your family home.

Can you Use Commercial Insurance to Cover the Cost of Inventory Damaged by Customers?

Owning a commercial business can be very rewarding but it can also end in plenty of issues when it comes to customer damages. For those that live in the Shelton, CT area, the agents with Goodman Insurance Inc. can help you to find the best insurance for your needs.

Commercial insurance is something that is very important and that does make a big difference in the way that you are able to run your business. Keeping this in mind, your commercial policy does help to keep you covered in cases where your inventory or your store is damaged by customers. Your commercial insurance policy will cover damages that are caused by customers if you are able to document the damage, show it to an insurance adjuster and that you can also show that the damage was caused by customers and not by yourself.

It is always best to speak with an insurance agent to see just what needs to be done and what you do need to do in order to get your store or business fully covered. There are some limits to what you can claim in terms of damages by customers and speaking with an agent is going to help you to determine what you can claim and what other coverage you might need to make sure your business is fully covered. You can claim damage to inventory, damage to the building itself or the store itself, damage to things like displays and other elements in the store.

For those that do live in the Shelton, CT area, the agents with Goodman Insurance Inc. can help you to find the best coverage for your business and can help you to determine what coverage you need.

Make life insurance a part of your financial portfolio

An investment portfolio should have diversity and different types of financial tools to help you meet your goals. Many investors in the greater Shelton, CT area are adding life insurance policies to their portfolios to provide greater diversity and reduce their exposure to market risk. The team at Goodman Insurance Inc. has the answers to your life insurance questions and is here to help you decide if this step makes sense for your financial portfolio.

Life insurance can provide many benefits to your financial portfolio

Term life provides the basic death benefit that you need to make sure that your final expenses are covered. And other types of life insurance such as variable, whole life, and universal can help to diversify your financial portfolio. These policies combine financial investment with a death benefit and offer other important features that can be useful during your life.

As your policy gains value you may also have the option to withdraw all or part of the growth for expenses such as college tuition for your children or to help fund your retirement. Your agent is able to advise you on the various types of policies and which one makes the most sense. Your financial goals become more important as you age and your working years become lower, why not find out about all of the options that are available to help you meet them? Life insurance policies have the potential to provide a lot more than just a death benefit for your family, they can also help make your life better. 

Ready to find out more about adding life insurance to your financial portfolio? Contact Goodman Insurance Inc. today and learn more about how life insurance is helpful for clients in the greater Shelton, CT area.

Do All Homes Need Insurance

Yes, absolutely all homes need insurance. Why? Because you never know when something could happen to your home. In some of life’s most vulnerable moments, knowing you have home insurance can provide an extreme amount of peace of mind. Here at Goodman Insurance Inc. serving the Shelton, CT area, we want to make sure that you understand the importance of having home insurance. To help you understand, we’ve put together a list of reasons why you need insurance on your house. 

Lender Requires It

In most cases, if you take out a mortgage on your house, then your lender is going to require that you have home insurance. This way, if something happens to the house, you will still have money to pay off your loan. You should always speak with your lender about your insurance requirements. Regardless if you have a loan on your house, though, it’s still a smart choice to keep yourself protected with insurance.

You Never Know What Could Happen

What would you do if a natural disaster occurred or if someone burglarized your home? Would you have the funds to repair your house? With insurance, you can rest easy knowing you are protected under certain circumstances. For a better understanding of what insurance does and does not cover, always speak with an insurance agent about the specifics of your policy.

To put it simply, yes all homes need insurance. Contact Goodman Insurance Inc. serving the Shelton, CT area today. You can speak with one of our professional insurance agents to learn more about the advantages of home insurance and about creating a policy that fully covers all of your needs.

Home Business? Why You Need Commercial Coverage

Home businesses need insurance protection just as much as other “brick and mortar” enterprises. Home or renter’s insurance won’t protect your business equipment or provide liability coverage to protect your business assets if a client has an accident and gets injured while visiting your home for business purposes. At Goodman Insurance Inc. we can guide you to the appropriate insurance coverage to protect your Shelton, CT home-based business. Here’s why you need commercial insurance if you’re running a business from home.

Protection for Your Business Equipment

If your home business requires the use of business equipment like computers, printer, fax machine, office furniture, etc., you need business property insurance to protect these assets. Home insurance isn’t designed to protect business equipment or products. If your business equipment gets damaged in a fire or flood due to faulty plumbing, commercial property insurance will cover repair or replacement costs.

Protection against Lawsuits

If you have clients coming to your home for business purposes, you need commercial liability insurance to protect you against accidental injuries clients may sustain while on your property. Accidents happen all the time. If you’re found liable for an accident, a client can sue you for damages. Liability insurance protects your business assets by covering the legal fees of prospective lawsuits.  

If your home business makes products or supplies products to the public, product liability coverage will protect you against damages your product may cause to customers due to faulty manufacturing or design.

Protection for Your Employees

If your home business employs one or more workers, you may need worker’s comp to protect your workers against injuries on the job. Worker’s comp also covers lost wages so your employees will have financial support while recuperating from their accident.

For more information on commercial insurance coverage and costs, contact Goodman Insurance Inc. in Shelton, CT.

3 Types of Commercial Insurance

Running a business requires that you protect this valuable asset with commercial insurance. Getting commercial insurance in Shelton, CT is easy when you use a reputable agent. Read on to learn about three types of commercial insurance your business may need.

1. Commercial Auto Insurance

A commercial auto insurance policy in Shelton, CT will protect both your business and your employees regarding any accident that may occur on company time using a company vehicle. For example, if an employee sustains and injury while using a company vehicle, the commercial auto insurance policy will cover the results of the accident, including any damage to the business property.

2. Terrorism Insurance

If you haven’t heard of terrorism insurance, now is the time to pay attention. This special addition insurance can be added to your standard commercial insurance policy, which does not cover any acts of terrorism against your establishment that may result in losses. In the event of a major terrorist attack, this policy will allow for the sharing of rebuilding your business by the insurance policy and the federal government. 

3. Commercial Property Insurance

This type of policy is used to cover any type of commercial property from fire, theft, and natural disasters. It’s important for any type of business to carry this type of policy. Whether your organization is a manufacturer, non-profit, or service business, protecting your commercial property is essential for the longevity of your business.

To learn more about different types of commercial insurance, contact the team at Goodman Insurance Inc. The friendly and knowledgeable agents will answer all your questions and concerns and help you purchase the right commercial insurance policies for your business. Contact Goodman Insurance Inc. serving Shelton, CT today at 203-924-2515.