You work hard to be self-employed and if something happens to you even for a short amount of time, your business could suffer. The Martin Insurance Team in Evergreen Park, IL would like to give you some useful information that could help you better understand the need for disability insurance.

What is Disability Insurance?

If you are unable to work because of a major illness or accident, disability insurance may cover the cost of a portion of your income. This is helpful if you are counting on your profits to pay the mortgage, utilities, and grocery bills.

Types of Disability Insurance

• Short-term disability – covers a short amount of time, usually 2 to 5 years. If you are planning a major surgery or having a child, short-term disability is a great solution. This type of plan could cover you for the amount of time you will be out of work.
• Long-term disability – is a plan that involves a longer amount of time out of work. If you are suddenly unable to work for years, long-term disability is a good option to have. Because you never know when you will be disabled, it’s a good idea to look into long-term disability coverage.

What You Should Know

Before purchasing disability coverage, there a few questions you should consider.

• What percentage of your salary will you receive if you have to be out of work?
• How much money will you be able to live on and for how long?
• Which disabilities are covered? (Some plans only cover specific disabilities)

Make sure you are covered. Talk with one of the Evergreen Park, IL agents at the Martin Insurance Team to determine which disability insurance covered would be right for you and your business. You can also discuss various other insurance plans that you may need including auto, home, and business insurance.

When it comes to insuring your ride, be it a car or a motorcycle, it is always best to understand the limits of how much insurance you truly need. That being said, the amount of coverage needed is going to vary greatly between a car and a motorcycle and knowing the difference can make choosing your insurance far easier. For those in the Evergreen Park, IL area, the agents with Martin Insurance Team can help you to determine just how much insurance you need.

For those that ride a motorcycle, you might notice that the insurance is far cheaper than that for a car. There are a few reasons why this is. The first is that motorcycles are not a year round vehicle. This means you do not need to buy as much insurance for them as you would a car that you drive all year long even in inclement weather. Another reason that coverage is less expensive is that a motorcycle is going to do far less damage in a wreck than a car might.

For those that ride motorcycles instead of cars, you are going to need considerably less coverage than you would for a car. Another reason you might need less coverage is that your motorcycle is going to cost less to replace in the event of an accident than a car would. Overall, it is going to cost less to insure your motorcycle and you are going to need less coverage overall than you would for a car. Another thing you need to consider is the price of your motorcycle as well. The most expensive the cycle, the more expensive the coverage and the more coverage you need overall. For those in the Evergreen Park, IL area, the agents with Martin Insurance Team can get you the coverage you need.

Not many things in life are guaranteed. You never know what to expect. However, when you purchase life insurance from the Martin Insurance Team, which serves Evergreen Park, IL and the surrounding area, you receive not just one, but many guarantees. 

1. Guarantee There’s Money to Bury You 

You don’t want to leave your loved ones with the tab from your funeral. You don’t want to leave them wondering how they’re going to pay for your viewing, tombstone, funeral services, plot and other expenses. When you have a life insurance policy that adequately covers these expenses, you have a guarantee that your funeral expenses are covered.  

2. Guarantee Your Loved Can Pay Expenses 

You might leave your loved one with expenses such as unpaid loans and credit cards. If you have any type of debt, you don’t want to leave your loved ones with these expenses. If you have a mortgage that doesn’t have a clause that it’s paid off after you pass, you could leave your loved ones with an expense they can’t afford, and they could lose the house. You also want to leave your loved ones enough money to pay bills if you’re the breadwinner of the family. All of this will be guaranteed if you plan ahead and purchase insurance. 

3. Guarantee You Have a Legacy to Pass on 

Whether your family expects it or not, you want to leave them something to know you were thinking of them. Life instance is a guarantee your loved ones receive something after you pass. 

4. Guarantee Your Family Doesn’t Have to Worry 

After you pass, your loved ones have to worry about covering the cost of your funeral. They also have to worry about paying the bills and any other expenses you left behind. By having everything taken care of before you pass, you’re guaranteed your family won’t have any extra frets and will be able to grieve over your loss.  

5. Guarantee You Don’t Have to Worry  

Life insurance is also a guarantee you don’t have to worry about what happens when you’re gone while you’re still alive.  

To get a quote for a life insurance policy, so you have some guarantees in life, contact the Martin Insurance Team, serving Evergreen, Park IL, at 708-330-4404.

Documenting your personal property via a home inventory is the best way to keep track of what you own and its value. A home inventory can serve many purposes to include the following:

Documentation of Personal Effects

A home inventory is a great way of keeping track of your personal effects and their value. In addition to making a list of your goods, you should photograph expensive items such as heirlooms, costly paintings, and antiques, posh jewelry, furs, electronic equipment, etc. to document their value. Keep all receipts from the purchase of expensive goods as well as any documentation proving an item’s historical or cultural value. Your inventory should include a detailed description of personal effects that are important to you. In the event of theft, damage or loss, you will have a written account of your goods and a good idea of their intrinsic value.

Estate Planning

A home inventory can be extremely useful in estate planning as it provides you with an up to date current of your personal assets. You can use this inventory when making decisions on what items to bequeath to family or friends upon your demise or what to donate to a good cause. A home inventory can help streamline the estate planning process.

Insurance Claims

A home inventory can help simplify an insurance claim in the event of damage or loss of valuable goods due to fire, theft, flood, etc. Providing written (and photo) documentation of lost goods and their value to your Martin Insurance Team agent in Evergreen Park, IL will help facilitate your claim and enable you to receive a fair settlement.

Learn more about how a home inventory can aid in making an insurance claim by talking to a Martin Insurance Team representative in Evergreen Park, IL today. 

Though most homeowners insurances have standard policy coverage to protect the structure of your home, personal items in the home, and liability for those injured on your property, you are also able to include optional add-ons, in order to protect the things that are most valuable to you. At the Martin Insurance team, serving the needs of Evergreen Park, IL, we aim to construct a policy that suits your specific needs to a tee.

In understanding of the fundamentals of home insurance, you must first recognize the coverage of a standard policy. Speak to your agent at Martin Insurance Inc. to make sure that you are covered for the most basic things. The first, and arguably most important, is the dwelling (or home structure itself), which protects against damage done to the physical structure- the roof or walls for example- of your home. Other physical structures, like a shed or stand-alone garage, on the property should be covered as well. Possessions in your home may be stolen or damaged during extreme weather circumstances, so they must be protected by a standard insurance policy. Additionally, liability insurance covers the cost of another person’s suit or damages if he or she is injured on your property. The medical expenses for guests in your home who injure themselves there should also be covered under this liability insurance. Ask your agent if there are additional portions to your policy that cover the cost of things like hotel stays in the event that you must relocate during a period of time that your home is uninhabitable.

Additional coverage can be added onto this basic homeowner’s plan for things like identity theft protection, flood protection, and additional umbrella coverage. Consider the weather trends in Evergreen Park, IL, and determine what additional coverages, if any, suit your needs.

Homeowners insurance is designed to provide financial security in the event of a loss. It gives you peace of mind knowing that you have coverage when something goes wrong. In these difficult economic times, many people try to save money by bypassing professionals and tending to their own home improvements. Unfortunately, sometimes trying to save a few bucks can become a costly mistake. At Martin Insurance Team, our professionals are committed to helping members of the Evergreen Park, IL community remain properly insured. Please consider these common DIY upgrades that might put you at risk of having a claim denied.

Plumbing Upgrades

Fixing a leaky drain or replacing a dripping pipe are common homeowner chores. That’s why you have a tool box and list of tasks. But there’s a significant difference between small fixes and projects like installing a new bathroom or a major pipe replacement. If proper permits and building codes are not followed, you could risk a claim denial if something bursts. Keep in mind that water damage can also be accompanied by mold growth. Remediation costs are very expensive.

Electrical Work

Faulty electrical wiring is a major contributor to home fires. For this reason, building codes have evolved over the years to include specially designed outlets around high risk areas such as water. Even minor changes to your electrical work should be handled by a licensed professional. Trying to cut corners could cause a fire, putting you and your loved ones in harm’s way. If your untrained electrical work caused the blaze, you could be looking at a claim denial and a devastating financial and personal loss.

It’s imperative to work with licensed professionals on any significant home repair or improvement. If you have already made changes, it may be wise to have them inspected. At Martin Insurance Team, we are available to help members of the Evergreen Park, IL community with homeowners policies that provide security.

When purchasing homeowners insurance, many homeowners do a quick overview with their insurance agent and call it done. But taking the little bit of extra time it needs to understand the policy and what’s covered may save you precious dollars down the road.  

It is standard for policies to cover damage caused by fire, smoke, storms which include hail, windstorms, and lightning, and theft.

What’s Included:

• Personal property coverage which includes electrical devices, clothing, and furniture.
• If damage occurs from a storm, homeowners insurance will pay to make the necessary repairs on our home.  This also includes detached garages or sheds, fences, and landscaping.
• Liability insurance which is needed if someone gets injured on your property. 

What’s Not Included:

• Flooding.  If you live in a floodplain, make sure to buy flood insurance as an add-on.
• Earthquakes and Sinkholes.  Again, only buy this additional insurance this if living in an area that is prone to these natural disasters.
• Mold.  Mold usually occurs after there has been damage to the home such as flooding or if pipes burst.  If calling in a claim to get the damage repaired, address how to prevent the growth of mold with the repairman.
• Sewer pipes that burst.  If you have a sewer pipe that bursts in your home and causes damage to flooring, furniture and personal belongings will usually not be covered.  
• Sump pump failure.  Just as with sewer pipes, if you have a sump pump that runs through your yard and into your home, the damage is not covered.

To find out if you have the right policy for your home, call the Martin Insurance Team at 708-330-4404 or visit our website to learn more information.  We’re conveniently located in Evergreen Park, IL.