Hey, guys. This is Joe Kennedy with the Kennedy Agency in Gilbert, Arizona. I wanted to take a minute to discuss car rental reimbursement coverage. Now, whether or not you need that coverage really depends on your household. I personally do not carry car rental reimbursement on my car insurance because if my car was involved in a claim and it had to go to the shop, me and my wife would carpool and we’d be just fine. However, if that’s not the case and carpooling isn’t an option, you want to make sure that you have car rental reimbursement so if you do have a car insurance claim you do get some money to cover a rental vehicle while your car is in the shop. Now, the reason that I wanted to touch on this today is because, depending on the market that you’re in, you may see that there is a little bit of a shortage in terms of availability. Here, in the Phoenix area, a lot of car rental places are low on their inventory and we’re seeing that, that is causing the cost of the rental vehicles to increase. Now, the way that your policy is typically going to work is that if you do carry rental reimbursement, it’s going to be a dollar amount per day. Usually, that dollar amount of is anywhere from $30 to $60. So that’s not a coverage that increases automatically in these times where the inventory is low and car rental places are increasing their cost. So just something to be mindful of. I would definitely only encourage you to contact your agency and make sure that you do have the proper coverage and it might be worth considering an increase on that particular coverage, just because supply and demand happens and right now we are seeing a shortage in rental vehicles, which is causing the cost of those rental vehicles to increase, so you want to make sure you have the right coverage. Hope that’s helpful. For anybody that’s out there, feel free to reach out to my agency if you have any questions. If you’re not in the state of Arizona, get with your local agent and they’ll be able to help you out. Have a great day. -==

Hey, guys. This is Joe Kennedy with the Kennedy Agency in Gilbert, Arizona. I wanted to take a minute to discuss car rental reimbursement coverage. Now, whether or not you need that coverage really depends on your household. I personally do not carry car rental reimbursement on my car insurance because if my car was involved in a claim and it had to go to the shop, me and my wife would carpool and we’d be just fine. However, if that’s not the case and carpooling isn’t an option, you want to make sure that you have car rental reimbursement so if you do have a car insurance claim you do get some money to cover a rental vehicle while your car is in the shop. Now, the reason that I wanted to touch on this today is because, depending on the market that you’re in, you may see that there is a little bit of a shortage in terms of availability. Here, in the Phoenix area, a lot of car rental places are low on their inventory and we’re seeing that, that is causing the cost of the rental vehicles to increase. Now, the way that your policy is typically going to work is that if you do carry rental reimbursement, it’s going to be a dollar amount per day. Usually, that dollar amount of is anywhere from $30 to $60. So that’s not a coverage that increases automatically in these times where the inventory is low and car rental places are increasing their cost. So just something to be mindful of. I would definitely only encourage you to contact your agency and make sure that you do have the proper coverage and it might be worth considering an increase on that particular coverage, just because supply and demand happens and right now we are seeing a shortage in rental vehicles, which is causing the cost of those rental vehicles to increase, so you want to make sure you have the right coverage. Hope that’s helpful. For anybody that’s out there, feel free to reach out to my agency if you have any questions. If you’re not in the state of Arizona, get with your local agent and they’ll be able to help you out. Have a great day. -==

All right, this is Joe Kennedy with The Kennedy Agency in Gilbert, Arizona. Question came up and somebody broadly asked, “What auto insurance limits should I have?” So, what car insurance limits should I have? I think the better question is what do those limits pay towards and how much do those things cost? Okay, now in Arizona, the state minimum limit is 25,000/50,000 for liability coverage. So that means that if somebody has that policy and they cause an accident, their policy will pay out a maximum of $25,000 per person in the other vehicle or $50,000 to all of the passengers, total in the other vehicle, if they are at fault. Now, the next question would be how much do things cost? I had a client years ago who was involved in a motorcycle accident and had to have a back surgery and had to have a helicopter transport him to the hospital. The back surgery cost $60,000, approximately. At the time, the helicopter was about $29,000 to get airlifted to the hospital. So right there, you’re at $89,000. So if the person that hit my client only had state minimum of 25/50, that person would only have $25,000 of coverage towards my client’s $89,000. We haven’t even… There’s a lot of other expenses involved with that as well. Now there’s a process called subrogation. That client could file a claim on his policy with me and our company would pay the difference, but then you have our company going after the person to get repaid for that 25,000. So if you don’t have good limits, and knock on wood, but you find yourself at fault for an accident, you could have an insurance company coming to get their money back and I wouldn’t want a big insurance company coming after me. So the answer to what limits you have is going to depend on your circumstances and your budget, but liability insurance is something you can never have enough of. We are in the land of the ambulance chasers. So you want to protect yourself and your finances and your future finances at all times. Any specific questions, give me a call. Joe Kennedy, The Kennedy Agency, Gilbert AZ. Have a great day.

Oh, Ms. Johnson. I’m sure you tell everybody they have the best service and lowest premiums in the city. Well, hey, it was a pleasure, and let me know if you need anything. Have a great night. Oh, hey, just talking to Ms. Johnson. She asked a good question that I think is very important for everybody. And she asked, “When should you cancel car insurance?” And I told her, “Never. Never cancel your car insurance,” unless you have a policy that’s already put in place. So if you are going to switch providers, do not keep cancel your current insurance until you get a new policy put in place. Not a single day lapse. If you got a new policy that starts April 1st, tomorrow, Friday, April 1st do not cancel your current policy until tomorrow, April 1st. If your car breaks down and you’re not going to be driving for a couple months, call your insurance company, get your policy suspended. A lapse in your insurance history is almost like having a collection on your credit. It’s the worst thing that you can do. There are options where you can suspend coverage on your policy. So you keep the policy active and keep that insurance history active, and that’ll go a long way in getting you lower premiums. When somebody turns 16 and they get their license and they get their own insurance, their insurance is sky high, and that’s because they don’t have any insurance history or driving history. So continuous coverage on your insurance history is key to driving your premiums down with time. Hopefully, that’s helpful. Have a great day. Feel free to give us a call directly at my agency if you have any questions. And if you’re not in Arizona, definitely get with a local agent to do a review. Have a good one.

Hey, what’s up? My name’s Joe Kennedy. I am Joe Kennedy of the Kennedy Agency in Gilbert, Arizona. I did want to touch on two things that can cause your home insurance to increase. Pretty simple. If the cost to rebuild your house goes up, you might see an increase on your premium. So over the last year, we’ve seen quite a bit of inflation. That has had an impact on people’s premiums. A lot of times, we can do a review and figure out ways to restructure it to offset that increase. The other thing would be claim activity. If there’s a lot of claims in your area or if you have a lot of claims, that also can drive your premiums up. So my best advice would be to contact your local agent to do a policy review. Before you call a claims department, get with your agent, make sure it’s something that’s going to make sense, and make sure it’s something that’s covered. Also over the last year there, like I said, there’s some inflation that has caused the cost to rebuild a house to increase, so you want to make sure your current policy has the proper coverage as well. Hopefully that helps you out. Feel free to give us a shout here at my agency. If you’re not in Arizona, hit your local agent up and do a policy review. Have a great day.

Hey, this is Joe Kennedy with the Kennedy Agency in Gilbert, Arizona. Had a client call in asking about gap insurance, so I figured that was worth sharing. Gap insurance is not actually a car insurance coverage. It’s an option you can add when you purchase your vehicle. So it’s a financing option. And as you probably know, if you lose your car to an accident, if it’s totaled, or if it’s stolen, and you owe more than what the vehicle is valued at, gap insurance will pay the difference. We do have an option called new car replacement that is very similar. New car replacement will pay out the value of your car if it were a year newer and had 20,000 less miles than your car, new car replacement will pay that value. So for example, if you have a 2020 vehicle with 30,000 miles, and you have new car replacement, and that car is totaled, the payout on the value of it will be for a 2021 with 10,000 miles. So instead of a 2020 with 30,000 miles, you’d get the value of a 2021 with 10,000 miles. If you have any questions or would like any clarification on any of that stuff, feel free to reach out. We’d be more than happy to help you out with any questions that you might have out there. Again, Joe Kennedy with the Kennedy Agency in Gilbert, Arizona. Have a great day.

Key elements to Commercial Auto Insurance coverage with The Kennedy Agency.

The final segment in our video series about what insurance a small business actually needs. Bad Luck Case #5 We review the need for Employment Practices Liability Insurance . Bad Luck Case #6 A Key Man Life Insurance Policy would have been very helpful, giving the business valuable time to recover from the loss.

As we continue our series of business insurance examples… See how Bad Luck Case #3 might have been improved with a Property Insurance Policy that included Debris Removal Coverage , along with Business Income Insurance . Bad Luck Case #4 reveals a very real need for Cyber Liability Insurance with Data Ransom Coverage

What insurance does a small business actually need? Much of a business’s success depends on how well it can overcome obstacles. The Kennedy Agency is here to help guide you through the perils that you likely don’t anticipate. Bad Luck Case #1 In this example, the hefty legal and judgement costs would have been covered by Hired and Non-Owned Auto Liability Insurance, up to purchased policy limits. Bad Luck Case #2 ACME had Worker’s Compensation Insurance that covered Julie’s expenses, but not Colleen’s. The state identified that ACME had misclassified Colleen, which led to hefty penalties and judgements for medical costs and damages.

Hi, my name is Amanda. I’m from the Kennedy Agency here in Gilbert. So today’s question is, “Will homeowners insurance cover your windows?” So actually, yes and no. There’s a couple of different options. It just kind of depends on what’s going on. So if you just want to update your windows to new energy-efficient windows or something like that, your house just needs an upgrade or remodeled, that’s not something that necessarily homeowners insurance is going to cover. But if a tree were to, there’s a storm, tree falls down, busts through your window, that could be covered by your homeowners insurance. What we always suggest is give us a call at the agency or call your agent before you do contact the claims department, because you just want to make sure that the expense that you’re paying out for your deductible is less than …

Hey, it’s Joe Kennedy with the Kennedy Agency. Today’s question is when do I need home insurance? Hopefully the answer is not when you don’t have it. That does happen with some people. They don’t think to make sure they are covered properly until something actually comes up. For review, definitely call your agent or call my agency and we’d be happy to walk through your options for you. But the real answer to this is anytime you own a home, you should have home insurance. Most people think about insurance the same way they might think about insuring their phone. You carry insurance on your cell phone in case it’s lost, or stolen, or damaged. With a home, a lot of people have the same type of mindset. However, as a homeowner, you can be liable. Sometimes your actual home, the actual physical property that you’re insuring, could be the least of your worries. If somebody is injured, and they hire an attorney and they go after you, you want to make sure that you have the right insurance coverage with the right company that’s going to be there when you need it. If you own a home, even if you don’t have a mortgage on it I strongly encourage you to make sure that you’re covered properly, and you don’t get caught up in worrying about your small money and putting your big money at risk. Small money meaning the premiums that you pay for your insurance coverage to protect your assets. Hopefully that makes sense. For any clarification or any more detailed questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can email me at joekennedy@allstate.com, or you can call the office at (480) 526-8277, and one of my licensed professionals would be more than happy to answer any questions that you might have in further detail. Thank you. Have a great day.

Don’t let what happened to the Mackey Family happen to yours.

Do you have any questions about homeowners insurance coverages? We’d be happy to help!

Hey, it’s Joe Kennedy with the Kennedy Agency in Gilbert, Arizona. This week’s question is, can you have a car insurance claim denied by your insurance provider? And the answer is absolutely. Anybody can go online or call a fly-by-night insurance company and get an insurance policy and that might prevent you from getting a ticket. Doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to actually protect you or your financial future or your belongings if you’re not insured properly. So it’s key to make sure that you’re insured properly. A perfect example, we had a client, a woman added her son to her insurance policy. It was her policy, she added her son and she added her son’s vehicle. Her son ended up totalling the vehicle. She was not on the title of her son’s vehicle and the claim ended up getting denied. So, what I recommend is calling your agent or our agency. If you have any questions regarding your policy and doing an insurance review. Make sure you’re insured properly. Make sure you understand what your limits are and what is covered and what’s not covered. It’s never a bad idea to be proactive with this stuff. If you have any questions, please call us. The number here is (480) 526-8277. You can call or text or you can email me@joekennedyatallstate.com if you need anything at all. So be safe out there. Make good choices, and have a great day.

Hey, it’s Joe Kennedy with The Kennedy Agency in Chandler, Arizona, also in Gilbert, Arizona. Today’s question is, can homeowners insurance be paid monthly? The answer is absolutely. I do have a couple of clients living the American dream, have their homes paid off, no mortgage. What they do, generally, is they get a discount for having the payment pulled from their checking account, and they pay monthly. You can also pay in one lump sum. I have clients, the majority of the clients that I have pay through their mortgage payment with an escrow payment, so they don’t really see their home insurance payment, and because of that, a lot of people are hesitant to shop for new home insurance. When, in reality, it’s easier to change your home insurance than it is to change your car insurance, in most instances. We take care of everything, get it set up with the mortgage company so it’s pulled just the same. So, but you can make monthly payments on your home insurance if you don’t have it paid with your escrow payment with your mortgage payment. So hope that helps. If you have any other questions, give us a call, 480-526-8277. If there’s any questions at all that you need regarding your home insurance policy, we’d love to help you out. Have a great day.

Hey, it’s Joe Kennedy with the Kennedy Agency in Gilbert, Arizona. I just got off the phone with one of my outstanding clients and they were being really responsible, being proactive, doing some shopping for an air conditioner unit. Here in Arizona in January, you get some really good deals this time of year. They had some issues with their air conditioner over the summer and that question comes up pretty frequently as far as does the home insurance cover your air conditioner? Usually it does come up in the summer months. The answer is yes and no. You want to be mindful of the difference between a warranty and an insurance issue. So if the AC in your car goes out, you’re not going to file a car insurance claim for that. If something happens and there’s an accident and the AC needs to be repaired and you file a claim, then something’s going to happen there. Same thing with your home insurance. If your AC goes out because it’s leaking freon, it’s not going to be something that your home insurance covers. However, if you have a unit that’s outside and there’s a storm and the tree falls on the air conditioner unit, then you might have a claim there. So if it’s something that is a maintenance issue or wear and tear or age issue, it’s not going to be covered. If there’s a specific incident that does happen, then there is a good chance you’d be able to have it covered under your home insurance. And that’s pretty much the same with anything in your house. So any specific questions out there, we would love to help out and answer any questions that you may have. You can reach my agency at 4805268277. Shoot us a text, give us a call. Email me at joekennedy@allstate.com. These videos are unbearable for me. I saw one the other day that had a couple hundred views, nobody’s pressing the like button. Hook me up. Give me some questions. I’d love to field some questions for you. If you have anything that I can help with, please let me know. Have a good one.

Joe Kennedy: Hey, it’s Joe Kennedy with the Kennedy Agency in Gilbert, Arizona. One question that comes up quite often is are homeowner’s insurance and hazard insurance the same thing? And the answer is no. A home insurance policy consists of four key coverages. Hazard insurance happens to be only one of the four. Hazard insurance is going to cover your actual house, and it’s going to cover your personal property. So, if you have a iPhone, you probably have hazard insurance on that, so if it gets broken you can file a claim. When you own a home, however, you have other things that you need to take into consideration that are extremely important on your policy. You have additional living expense is the second coverage, and that is going to pay to put you in a comparable living situation if you file a home insurance claim, and you can’t occupy your house while the home’s being repaired. You have medical coverage… Medical payment, excuse me, which if somebody gets hurt on your property, that can go towards paying some of their medical expenses. Then you have liability, which is definitely the most important part of your home insurance policy, and this is going to protect your financial future. If somebody tries to sue you, and you have equity in your home, you could possibly have to take out an equity loan to take care of that lawsuit. If you have sufficient liability coverage, that’s what that’s going to cover. It’s going to protect your financial future. So, hope this makes sense. Hope it clears any confusion that’s out there. If you own a home in Arizona, you have to have a homeowner’s insurance policy. If you occupy that home, hazard insurance is just a portion of it. Have any other questions? Definitely give us a call. (480) 526-8277, call or texts. Email me, at joekennedy@allstate.com. Have a great week.

It’s Joe Kennedy with the Kennedy Agency in Gilbert, Arizona. I’ve got to say, recording a video while looking at myself on a computer screen is pretty unbearable, but I’m getting the hang of it. Anyway, had a important topic come up with one of my clients that I wanted to share, that my client’s purchasing a condo. The condo that they’re purchasing has a homeowners association, so there’s an HOA policy that they have to have to live in that development. Now, their HOA covers a lot of items within the condo, so they wanted to know if they still needed the coverage with us. The answer would be absolutely. The reason being, condo associations tend to have very high deductibles, anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 at times. So, example would be, let’s say you’re making breakfast one day, which, probably not the best idea because you know you don’t know what you’re doing in the kitchen, and a fire breaks out, you got $20,000 worth of damage in there. You go to file a claim to get that repaired, just to find out that your HOA has that $10,000 deductible. You have a policy with us, even if it’s covered, you’re required to go through the condo. Now, the nice thing with Allstate is that on your condo insurance, there is a coverage that we add to your policy that will go towards paying off that deductible on the condo policy. So, moral of the story, if you’re purchasing a condo or you live in the condo, you want to make sure you know what your HOA actually covers, and make sure you know what that deductible is, because the last time that you want to find out is if something goes wrong and you need to file a claim. So, hope this helps. If you have any further questions you can call or text my office at 480-526-8277. You can email me at joekennedy@allstate.com. Or, stop in anytime, we’d love to chat with you. So have a great weekend.

Hey, it’s Joe Kennedy with the Kennedy Agency in Gilbert, Arizona. We’re an exclusive Allstate agency. Just got off the phone with a current client and they had a very good question, and we get it pretty often so I thought I’d share it here with you. They wanted to know if they had water leaking in through their roof, is that something their home insurance would cover? The first thing that you always want to consider when it comes to this is, is the water leak a result of wear and tear? Meaning, if it’s an older roof or there’s loose shingles or it’s just a result of wear and tear or age, chances are that roof leak is not something that your home insurance is going to cover. If it is an incident, if there is a storm and wind causes the shingles to fly out of place or there’s hail damage or a tree falls on the roof, which in turn causes damage and water leaks through there, there’s a very strong possibility your home insurance policy will cover that. What I would encourage you to do is if you have a concern, contact your local agent. If you have any specific questions, we’d love to help you out in my office. Our phone number is 480-526-8277. You can visit our website at kennedyagencyaz.com, or you can email me at joekennedy@allstate.com. Hope this helps. Have a great day.

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