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From Fender-Bender to Lawsuit: What Actually Happens After an Accident

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You’re driving home from work, thinking about dinner, when — bam — you feel that jolt. You’ve been rear-ended.
The other driver’s fine, you’re fine, but your heart’s racing and your mind’s spinning.

Most of us think, “Well, that’s what insurance is for.”
And yes, that’s true. But what happens between that moment of impact and the day your claim is closed isn’t always straightforward — and the wrong move can turn a simple fender-bender into a financial nightmare.

After years of helping clients through these situations, I can tell you there are two parts to every accident: the actual event, and what you do next.

Step 1: Safety First, Details Second

Your first job is making sure everyone’s okay. Pull to a safe spot if possible, call 911 if there are injuries, and turn on your hazards.

Pro tip: Even if the damage seems “minor,” get a police report if you can. That one piece of paper can save you a world of headaches later if stories start to change.

Step 2: Document Everything

Your phone is your best friend here.
Take pictures of:

  • The cars (all angles)
  • License plates and VIN numbers
  • Damage close-ups
  • The overall scene, including street signs and signals
  • Any visible injuries

Also, exchange names, phone numbers, insurance info, and note the time, date, and location.

Common mistake: Not getting witness contact info. People disappear fast after an accident, and a neutral third-party statement can make all the difference.

Step 3: Notify Your Insurance (Even If You’re Not at Fault)

A lot of people think, “I’ll just let the other person’s insurance handle it.”
That’s a gamble.
Your own insurance needs to be in the loop right away so they can protect your interests, explain your coverage (like rental cars and medical payments), and guide you through the claim process.

Step 4: Understand How Claims Actually Work

Once you’ve reported the accident, your adjuster will:

  1. Review your coverage and deductibles.
  2. Gather statements from all parties.
  3. Evaluate damage (sometimes sending an appraiser).
  4. Determine liability.

If there’s a dispute, this process can stretch out — which is why those early photos, police reports, and witness statements matter so much.

Step 5: Where Lawsuits Come In

Most accidents end with repairs and medical bills paid. But if injuries are serious or costs exceed coverage limits, that’s when attorneys get involved.

Imagine you’re found at fault and the injured party’s bills are $250,000, but your liability limit is $100,000. That $150,000 gap? That’s coming from you — your savings, assets, even future income.

This is why I harp on strong liability coverage and, for many, an umbrella policy. They’re not just for “rich people.” They’re for anyone who doesn’t want a split-second accident to derail decades of hard work.

Step 6: Avoid These Common Mistakes

  • Admitting fault at the scene. Let the investigation determine that.
  • Skipping medical checks because you “feel fine” — adrenaline hides injuries.
  • Delaying your claim — waiting too long can jeopardize coverage.
  • Assuming you’re fully covered without ever reviewing your policy.

The Bottom Line

A car accident is stressful enough without adding confusion, delays, or a lawsuit into the mix.
The best defense is a combination of calm, thorough actions in the moment and the right coverage in place before anything happens.

If you’re not 100% sure what your liability limits are or whether you’d be protected in a worst-case scenario, I’m happy to do a quick review — no cost, no pressure. You’ll walk away knowing exactly where you stand.

Drive safe out there.

For People Who Don’t Care That Much About Their Insurance

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Most people treat insurance and investments the way they treat rental cars.

You get to the counter, they hand you the keys, and you drive away. You don’t care if it’s a Camry or a Civic, as long as it gets you from Point A to Point B.

And that’s how many approach their insurance:

  • Pick the cheapest policy.
  • Click through the online form.
  • Assume “coverage is coverage” and that all investments/policies are interchangeable.

But here’s the fork in the road:

👉 If you only want convenience and the lowest price, there are plenty of “Hyatts and Marriotts” of insurance out there. Standard, safe, interchangeable. You’ll be covered… until you realize that coverage isn’t the same as protection.

👉 If you want something remarkable, tailored, and built for your actual life, that’s different. It means slowing down, asking better questions, and building a strategy that fits you. That’s not for everyone… and that’s the point.

The truth?
Most people don’t care that much. They’ll keep chasing cheap and convenient until a claim or crisis shows them why the differences mattered.

But for the people who do care, who want to protect their family, their business, their legacy… insurance and financial planning can be the opposite of generic. It can be precise, custom, and powerful.

As Seth Godin says, “This might not be for you.”

And that’s okay.

Because for the ones who want something worth more than it costs, that’s who we’re here for.

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Five “Creative” Ways To Save On Your Insurance

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It happens on a daily basis.  The reason why most people pick up the phone and call their insurance agency.  The bill came in the mail, a claim hasn’t been filed in several years (or if ever) and it just seems “way too expensive.” 

What’s the answer you commonly get?  “The price is what it is and there’s nothing we can do.”  While that’s SOMETIMES the case, other times your insurance people are doing you an injustice and there are things you can do.  I’m going to put on the cape and be your insurance hero today.  That’s right, I’m going to try and help you save some money.  Let’s get into it:

1: Change the way you pay.
The most cost-effective way to pay your premium is to pay in full.  Typically that’s every 6 months for auto insurance and every 12 months for home insurance.  Paying in full is always going to save you the most in the long run if you can.  Another thing to do is if you pay monthly, pay automatically with a bank account.  Our company waives the monthly service charges if you go on automatic payment.  Also, save those trees and go paperless.  Every time an insurance company sends you a bill, they use paper and postage so if you go paperless a lot of times fees are waived.  Also, paying automatically means you’re less likely to cancel due to missing a payment so most insurance companies will waive service charges by doing both things, paperless and automatic payments.  Review your statement next time you get it and check those fees.  If you see a $3 to $10 service charge there, call your agent, your company etc and ask about ways to save if you go paperless and/or automatic payment. 

2: Look at your deductibles.
Most people have super low deductibles.  The big one for auto insurance is collision, I’m shocked every time I see people with $100, $250 deductibles on collision.  Having a lower deductible for comprehensive is totally okay because that is a less expensive aspect of your auto policy, but collision is the big one that really moves the needle price wise.  I typically recommend $1000 deductibles because that’s a good middle ground and will save you money long term.  Ask yourself, will you really file a claim for any damage under $1000?  I ask my clients this a lot and when you really think about it, most won’t.  Remember at the end of the day insurance isn’t meant to help for something small that can ruin your day, it’s meant to help you for something big that can ruin your life.  Same with your house, we write most of our policies with $2500 deductibles.  Home claims are more rare and often times major so having a higher deductible will definitely save you money long term.

3: Review those discounts.
Insurance companies are introducing new discounts ALL THE TIME.  Some of the big ones include bundling multiple policies like your auto, home/renters, life insurance, even your toys like motorcycles, boats, ATVs etc.  Having everything in one place just makes it easier too because I’ve found it keeps one more organized.  Ask your agent or company

4: Review the “extra” coverages thrown in.
Review those things that you may not ever use.  For example, rental car reimbursement.  If you have multiple cars can you drop that coverage and just drive another one of your vehicles should something happen?  Take that rental car reimbursement off because you may not even need it.  On the home side, review those because a lot of things are thrown in that you may never use.  Maybe you needed it at one time but you don’t anymore.  Review your coverages periodically to make sure there isn’t anything on there that you don’t need that’s driving up the price.  Medical coverage is a big one, do you really need $10,000 or more if you have good health insurance?  Reduce that and all those things add up and save you overtime.  You never know what you’ll find when you really dive into your policies and look at the fine print.

5: Review the people in the household.
Make sure there aren’t any drivers on your auto insurance that don’t live there anymore.  If your kids don’t live there anymore and they have their own policy, they don’t need to be on your policy anymore.  Did you have a parent, in law, resident relative on your policies because they lived with you for a little while?  Make sure they aren’t on there anymore because that can drive up the price on auto AND home insurance policies. 

Bottom line: call your insurance agent, broker, or company directly and ask for a policy review.  Bring up these five items and have a good thorough conversation.  Your representative should be reaching out regularly to do this, if they aren’t then we’ll gladly do a free review of your current policies for you.  It’s a free service we provide.  So there you go, hopefully you’ll save some money from taking the time to read this and review your policies.  Thank you to our wonderful team and of course thank you to our amazing clients.

Home Warranties

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Believe it or not, your typical homeowners policy doesn’t cover EVERYTHING.  Crazy right?! I’m sure you all can read the sarcasm right now but it’s true.

A tool, or policy if you will, that you can purchase to fill in some gaps in coverage is a home warranty program.  There are several companies out there that sell these. A few of the big ones are American home shield, Fidelity, First American and a ton others.  If you google “home warranty companies” you’ll be able to find a ton and do some research to find what’s right for you. So, what is it and why do I need it?   A home warranty is a service contract designed to repair and/or replace what’s on their program. It all depends on the company and the product you select so do some research but I’ll give you some basic info.  They typically cover appliances, heating and A/C systems, garage door openers, even ice makers. Basically the wear and tear stuff that isn’t covered by your home insurance policy.

So how does it work??

Home warranty is typically come in three packages: appliances, systems and combo plans.  Let’s break these down a little bit.

Appliances: This covers (you guessed it) your appliances!  Stuff like your refrigerator, washer and dryer, your oven, dishwasher etc.  If something happens you typically pay a service fee, kind of like a deductible, to have somebody come out and look at it.  They’ll do a determination to see if it can be repaired or if it needs to be replaced.

Systems: When you think of systems think of the guts of your house.  Stuff like your electrical, plumbing, heating and AC systems and so forth.  Just like the appliances, do you pay a service fee for somebody to come out and take a look at what’s going on and make a determination of what needs to be done.

Combo Plans: these are actually really cool and this is what I personally have.  You have options of all appliances and systems and get to pick and choose what you want covered.  With the program I have, there are 16 choices and you get to pick 10 between appliances and systems.  You also get to pick the service fee amount, higher the service fee means lower the price and vice versa.  Just like an insurance deductible!

There you have it, a basic overview 101 course of what home warranties are and how they work.  Definitely take some time and do some research on your own for companies and pricing that’s right for you.   Also, ask questions and read the fine print. You don’t want any surprises like a non-renewal if you use the home warranty too much.  Just ask my mom, yep, she got non-renewed from her company. I think it’s a good idea to start thinking about something like this as your house gets older.  As your house gets older things start happening and little problems start occurring. A home warranty can definitely come in handy to fill in gaps that your home insurance doesn’t cover.  They’re usually around $500 a year or so depending on the product and company.

Check it out and have some more peace of mind.  Remember we’re always here to help and if something goes wrong… don’t sweat it!  

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Comp vs Collision: What’s the difference?!

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Auto insurance is the item I get asked about the most in my day to day operation.  You hear about auto insurance ALL the time and it seems like it’s the majority of commercials you see on a regular basis.  It’s either auto insurance or food right?  You get car manufacturers too so throw that in there.  My point being that auto insurance is a hot topic and you get a lot of information from carriers and commercials.  There also seems to be a ton of new companies coming out almost daily.  Did you know Tesla just came out with their own auto insurance company??  It’s crazy right?! 

Let’s dive into an aspect of auto insurance a little bit because this is a question I get to a lot.  What are my deductibles and when do I have to pay them?  There are a lot of layers to auto insurance and I break it down to three sections when I talk to clients and prospects.  There is coverage for other people, you and your family, and your car.  You pay a deductible for part 3 only, coverage for your car.  When you hear “liability only” that simply means you aren’t getting coverage for part 3, your car.  That’s typical if your car is older and isn’t worth a whole lot.  I wrote another blog post about auto insurance in general and it explains all three parts, so check that out for more information.  The purpose of this post is to simply break down the differences that you see in part 3, coverage for your car itself.  There are two main components of part 3 and that’s comprehensive and collision coverage.  Let’s dive in!

Let’s start with a hypothetical claim.  Note, this actually did happen and it blew my mind when I got the answer and I’m an insurance professional. 

You’re sitting in your garage and just get home from a long day at work.  You aren’t quite paying attention and shut your garage door.  You hear a loud crash and think to yourself “oh no!”  You shut your garage door on your car and didn’t pull in all the way.  Ah, I better call my insurance company.  Would this claim be a comprehensive, collision, or covered under your homeowners policy?  Ding ding, if you guessed collision then you’re right!  Why though?

COLLISION

Collision coverage is defined as your vehicle colliding with another person or object.  You typically think of you getting into a car accident and having damage after hitting another car, a fence, object etc.  The important thing to note here is that your vehicle doesn’t necessarily have to be in motion.  It can be parked and collided with.  Another great example of this is a shopping cart getting out of control and hitting your car in a parking lot.  That’s a collision technically.  Also a child riding his bike and hitting your car or even a football getting out of control and hitting your car.  All collision according to auto insurance.  Your rate also typically will have a surcharge if it’s considered at fault.  So if you rear end someone for example or hit someone’s fence, a light pole etc.  You can have a not at fault or fault free collision and your rate is typically not affected.  Talk to your carrier about that of course but that’s from my experience.  So this garage door shutting on your car, that’s a collision.  It has a mechanism and technically collided with your vehicle. 

COMPREHENSIVE

Comprehensive coverage is damage to your car other than from a collision.  Some auto policies even show it as “other than collision” coverage.  Vandalism and getting your car stolen are the two big examples of this.  If someone keys your car or maliciously hits it with an object.  That would be considered comprehensive coverage.  Your car being damaged from a falling object is another big example of comprehensive.  A paint can falling down or a ladder falling on your car would be examples of that.  So let’s say your garage door breaks and just falls down on top of your car in the middle of the night.  That’s considered comprehensive in that case.  You don’t get any sort of surcharge or rate increase from comprehensive claims.

What if your house catches on fire and your car is in the garage and burns?  What if you have a flood or hurricane and your car is damaged?  That is considered comprehensive.  Remember, anything auto related is not covered under a home insurance.  It’s covered under your auto insurance so that’s an important distinction too.

You can go nuts with all the different scenarios and distinctions and hypotheticals with things happening to your car.  Is it comp or collision?!  Ah it can drive you crazy and getting into the weeds and fine print of your auto policy is not fun.  The bottom line is you should talk to your carrier, agent, broker etc and ask.  Most of this stuff will be taken on a claims by claims basis depending on the specific thing that happened.  These are the general differences but talk to your professional or give us a call and we can discuss and see.  Cheers and thank you for the love and support!

Remember we’re always here to help!

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When Should I File a Claim?

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Insurance is a funny thing.  I say that as a professional insurance agent too.  It is a thing that brings about a lot of different emotions for people.  I’d say for a majority of people it’s frustrating and can be kind of a big pain in the butt.  Just another bill to pay without seeing any real value in it.  That can especially be the case if you’ve never had something horrible happen to you.  If you’ve never had to use it, it’s easy to see why it can be mainly annoying.  Does that sound familiar

For other people, those who have been through something catastrophic, insurance is something you see real value in.  Especially if the insurance company you use has come through for you.  Someone that has been in a devastating fire or horrific car accident, insurance can bring about a whole different set of emotions.

The bottom line is that insurance is you definitely need, but never want to have to use.  So that brings about another question, when should I use it??  Let’s dive into that question and break it down into home and then auto.

Home Insurance

Your home insurance is designed for big things.  When you have that “oh shit” moment in your house.  It is not designed for the small stuff, like a hole in your wall or a small leak with minimal damage.  The harsh truth is that those small things come with the territory of being a homeowner.  Things creep up and happen over time, especially wear and tear.  You need to be prepared for that.

Insurance is meant for the wall falling.  For the devastating fire that takes out a huge chunk or your entire house.  When you come home from running errands to find your ceiling split open and water and debris cover your entire home (this seriously happened to my in laws).  A good rule of thumb is that insurance is meant for the things that can ruin your life.  It’s not meant for things that can just ruin your day.

Some people have the attitude of “well I pay for my home insurance so I  might as well use it.”  Okay, I get your point and I can definitely understand that mindset.  However, that’s a dangerous attitude to have.  Remember that at the end of the day, insurance is a business.  Insurance companies aren’t non-profits.  They don’t have any sort of obligation to cover your house, your car etc.  You’ve seen those signs on businesses, mainly restaurants, that say “we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.”  Well, the same holds true with insurance companies.  If you file too many claims in a short period of time, you can bet that they will non-renew you and decide they don’t want your business anymore.  Every company is different, but a good rule of thumb is you start to get looked at pretty closely if you file more than 2 in a 3 year period.  Sometimes things happen and happen often, however at some point an insurance company will say it’s time to cut our losses and move on from this insurer/insured relationship.  Not only that, but it could be really tough to get coverage with another company and it’ll probably be pretty expensive.

So when should I file a claim if it’s bad to use it?  Well, it all comes down to math.  My first recommendation is that if something happens, you need to find out how much it’s going to cost to fix whatever happened.  Get an estimate or call your insurance company to get an adjustor out there to evaluate it.  Next, look at your deductible.  That’s a huge thing to take into consideration too.  Your deductible is basically the amount you pay out of pocket before the insurance kicks in.  Lastly, you want to find out if your insurance is going to go up as a result, and if so by how much.  Contact your agent, or if you’re with a company without an agent, give the 800 number a call and try to get details.  For example, let’s say come home and find some damage in your home.  You get an estimate and it’s going to cost $2000 to fix it.  You have a $1000 deductible so that means you’re going to get $1000 from your insurance company.  Next, you call your insurance company and find out you’re going to have a 25% premium surcharge for 3 years by filing the claim.  To use round numbers, let’s say you’re currently paying $1000 per year.  That means it’ll go up $250 per year for 3 years, which totals $750.  You’d still be coming out ahead by filing the claim, but it’s pretty close.  Could be a judgement call and a conversation to have with your agent/insurance provider.

Auto Insurance

We’ve got home down, let’s take a look at when you should file a car insurance claim.  Statistically, a car claim happens when more frequently and is way more likely than a home insurance claim.  In reality, it actually works the exact same way.  If something happens on the auto insurance side, you want to follow those same three steps.  Get an estimate of damages, consider your deductible, and find out if your rate is going to go up and by how much.

Auto insurance is something you definitely want to talk to your agent and insurance provider about.  There are a few more moving parts.  For example, your rate usually doesn’t go up if it’s something that falls under comprehensive coverage.  That means vandalism, glass, damage from a fire etc.  Basically anything other than from an accident.  Some companies have accident forgiveness, although that’s NOT AVAILABLE FROM ANY COMPANY IN CA.  Ask about that if you aren’t in CA because then yes file that first claim.

In summary, you want to take three steps to figure out if you should file a claim and if it’ll be worth it.

1: Get an estimate for overall damages

2: Consider your deductible

3: Find out if your rates will go up, if so by how much

Remember, insurance is meant for the things that can ruin your life, not ruin your day.

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Making Your Home Invincible

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As I sit here writing this, fall is upon us.  We just had the first official day of fall last week and today there is a slight bite in the air.  We did have some crazy California weather earlier this week and had a major heat wave here in the Bay Area.  It was upper 90s and didn’t seem to cool off even at night.  You know those hot summer nights that are just awful to the point where you can’t sleep?  It was like that at the end of September and officially in fall.  The cooler weather today was beyond welcomed.  Anyway, I’m rambling, my point is that fall is upon us.  It’s also what we fondly call here in CA as wildfire season.  We’ve had horrible wildfires the past several years throughout the entire state.  From Santa Rosa, to Paradise, to Malibu, they seem to get worse each year with no end in sight.  It has insurance companies and state legislators alike scrambling to come up with solutions to try and at least do the best they can to prevent this from happening as badly as it has the past couple of years.  One thing I will say, it’s time to do some fall cleaning and fall maintenance around your house.  My wife Laurel and I have started and I just want to share some tips to keep your home safe.  While this won’t eliminate your chance of getting caught in a wild fire, it’ll at least keep you home on the safer side.

1: Check windows and doors.
Take a lap or two around your house and check out your windows and doors.  Look for anything that may not look secure.  This can be cracks, leaks, chipped paint, anything that can cause air to come in through your window sills and door frames.  Get those sealed up ASAP and it could also help you save on your electricity bill!  That’s an added bonus.

2: Clean Heating and A/C Units
This is something you should do periodically throughout the year.  If you haven’t, now is a great time do it.  Get a professional out to your house and have them inspect and do a thorough cleaning of your heating and A/C units.  This will help you and your family remain safe from anything toxic and it’ll also improve the longestivty of your heating and A/C units.  They’ll also function better, so when you have those horribly hot nights you can sleep peacefully in the comfort of your 65 degree home.

3: Check out the fireplace
As fall comes into full swing and the nights cool off, snuggling up next to the fireplace can be heaven on earth.  Especially on a rainy day with a hot cup of coffee or cocoa and a good book.  Give it a test run and make sure it’s functioning properly, and have it cleaned periodically too.  It’s a controlled fire in your house after all.

4: Clean your water heater
This is something that a lot of people don’t do, and you’d be shocked at how many clients I have call me on a regular basis because of a water heater leak or even worse a water heater bursting.  You can clean your water heater by simply draining it.  It’s easy and now is the good time to do it.

5: The dreaded task- cleaning out the garage
I know I know, it’s the worst chore of them all.  The dreaded cleaning out the garage.  Your spouse nags you about it and what happens?  You put it off and it just gets worse and worse until it becomes an insurmountable mountain of who knows what.  When I used to complain about a huge overwhelming project my dad used to say, how do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.  Just knock it out little by little and get that garage organized.  Clutter can be a major fire hazard, especially if you have gas unused lawn equipment in there.  Make sure that is all stored properly because not only can it potentially ruin the equipment, it can be a major hazard.

6: Check that roof (before the Christmas lights go up)
Time seems to fly by faster and faster each year.  Before we know it, winter is going to be here (cue up winter is coming line in best Game of Thrones voice).  In all seriousness, as winter approaches, your roof is exposed to risks.  Take a look at your roof, even if it’s from the ground and give it a good inspection.  Check for any missing shingles, holes, cracks etc.  Also get the gloves out and clean out those gutters!  Get rid of leaves, sticks, and any other debris because that can lead to clogs and some major water damage.  That’s no fun especially as your family visits during the holidays.

7: Protect the hose
This may not be as much of a concern in the Bay Area but can definitely be relevant to those of you living in places where it gets super cold during the winter.  To keep your garden hose from freezing, cracking or exploding, empty it completely and disconnect it from the faucet when you aren’t using it.  Moving it inside to a garage or shed is a bonus.  Make sure it’s prime and ready to go when spring comes around.

So, there you have it, seven simple steps to make your home (as close to) invincible.  Make a game out of it, throw on some music and make it a family project or activity.  I always have the best feeling of accomplishment and pride when I knock out a home project of some kind.  Even if it’s something small.  Don’t put it off and you’ll be in better shape than most if something were to happen.  Happy fall everyone!

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Dealing with the Person at the Rental Car Counter

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Hey everyone.  Hope all is going well with everyone.  I wanted to write about this topic because it’s a question I get asked by people almost on a daily basis.  It’s one of the most frequently asked questions we get here at our agency.  When you go on a trip, whether it be a vacation, trip for work, etc a lot of you probably rent a car so you can get around easier.  What happens when you get to the rental car counter?  The guy or gal is 100% going to ask you if you want their insurance coverage.  I’ve worked closely with a lot of rental car companies and have a lot of friends that either used to or still work for rental car companies.  Every company’s employees are trained to ask every customer and sometimes it can be pretty confusing.  The choices they give you can be confusing, even for me and I’m in the insurance business!  So what do you do?  Which option do you go with?  Do you even need it??  The quick answer is yes and no.  Maybe you do and maybe you don’t.

Now that you’ve rolled your eyes and are about to close this window, before you do, please just hear me out.  It isn’t as cut and dry as you may think.  It’s largely going to depend on your situation and the auto insurance coverage you have.  Let me spell it out for you.

If you have full coverage on your car insurance, which means you have both comprehensive and collision coverage, then you don’t necessarily need it.  That will transfer over to the car you are renting as long as it is in the United States and Canada.  If you’re in another country GET THEIR COVERAGE.  Your car insurance will only extend in the United States and Canada.  That said, the only downside to not purchasing their coverage is it’ll hit your driving record if something happens and you’ll have to pay your deductible.  Just like you would with your own car.  The other item that isn’t covered is what’s called “down time” or “loss of use.”  Let’s say you get in an accident and the car has to go into the shop for a week.  The rental car company will still charge you for that week as if the car is still being rented by you.  Those are the big things but everything else is covered through your auto insurance if you have full coverage.

If you have liability only, get their coverage.  At least get the collision damage waiver that they offer.  In fact some rental car companies may make you purchase it to protect themselves if you have liability only.  One tip and a little thing you can do to get around it, is call up your insurance company beforehand and put full coverage on your car.  You can always take it off after you’ve gotten back and that could save you some money overall.

When is it a good idea to get the rental car companies coverage?  Well, great question and there are actually a few scenarios where I’d recommend it:

  1. If you’re going on a short trip.  Rental car companies charge you by the day for their coverage.  So if it is a short trip of only 2 or 3 days, it could be worth it so you can just walk away and let them deal with it if something happens.
  2. If you’re in high traffic/congested city where an accident is more likely to happen.  For example, New York City, LA, or where I’m at in the San Francisco Bay Area.  If it’s a place that has a lot of people, a lot of traffic, and can be confusing to navigate/you’re not familiar with it, it could be a good idea just to take their coverage.
  3. Horrible weather.  My wife and I just went to Utah to visit some family and the weather was absolutely horrendous.  I’m talking below 10 degrees with snow falling.  I purchased their coverage because I’m not used to driving in those conditions and figured I’d rather make it the rental car company’s problem if an accident occured.
  4. If you’re traveling for work.  If you’re renting a car for work I’d ask your company how they want to handle this.  It’s a work expense, so I’d recommend just purchasing the rental car company’s coverage since it’s not out of your pocket and that way if something happens it doesn’t have to go as an incident on your personal driving record.

Always remember, the coverage a rental car company offers you means you can just throw them the keys and walk away and make it their problem if something happens.  Hopefully this gives you some direction, but it’s all about what you’re comfortable with.  I typically don’t purchase it because I have full coverage unless it’s with one of the four scenarios I outlined above.  If you have additional questions, ask your insurance professional or shoot us a message.  Thank you all for your continued support and love!

Cheers -Ryan Bravo

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Understand Your Auto Insurance

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Alright so here we go.  Let’s dive right in with the first, well second, post from the Bravo Team blog and talk about the big thing you think about when it comes to insurance.  That’s your car insurance.  You see and hear the ads all the time on the TV and radio about saving money and helping you with this and that.  You see the advertisements online and you’ve probably shopped for car insurance online too.  It’s something you probably look at every few years and shopped around and it’s probably something you’ve had to use at least once (hopefully not for anything major).  It’s always a pain point when you get the bill in the mail especially if you’ve had no accidents or tickets.  The price has also probably gone up for you over the years too.

So, how much do you REALLY know about your car insurance?  It’s one of those things that you know “a ton” about but probably at the same time know nothing about.  It’s an easy concept yet an enigma that most people don’t know the in’s and out’s of.  Do you know how much liability coverage you have?  Do you know what medical coverage is?  How did you select your limits?  What does full coverage actually mean?  All great stuff to know but you probably don’t know in detail.

What do you know about your car insurance?  Two things probably: how much you’re paying and the deductibles.  That’s pretty common and since a majority of people only use their car insurance for minor things, it’s understandable.  I’m going to dive into the basics of it and chat about a little car insurance 101.  We’ll get into more specifics of it with future blog posts but for now, let’s start with the basics.

Your car insurance comes in three simple parts.  #1: protection for others.  #2: protection for you and your family.  #3: coverage for your car itself.  Parts 1 and 2 make up your “liability coverage.”

Part 1 is protection for other people.  That’s your bodily injury and property damage coverage. In CA, the limits required by law and stupidly low.  It should be a crime to have coverage this low and most people just don’t know what they have when they get the state minimum.  It’s only $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident.  If you cause an accident, let’s say you rear end someone, this coverage covers you for their medical bills.  Let’s say you have the state minimum at $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident.  You’re responding to a text on your cell phone and don’t realize the light turned red.  You slam on your brakes and hit the car in front of you.  Sally and Joe are in the car and both of them get out holding their necks.  “Uh oh” you immediately think, this doesn’t look good.  They both go to the doctors and both of them have some neck injuries.  They have to miss some time from work.  They have x-rays, MRI’s, doctors bills add up.  What happens if all of those expenses, that you’re responsible for by the way, exceed $15,000 per person?  What if it exceeds a total of $30,000?  What if they had a child in the car or another passenger?  You’d come out of pocket for ALL OF IT that exceeds those limits.  Hopefully you have that money in savings or Sally and Joe’s attorney is going to start taking a look at your house, investments, savings and even your future paychecks from your job.  That’s right, you can have future wages taken from you for up to 10 years!  That’s a long time to be working and giving your paycheck to someone else.  Talk about alimony on steroids.  You want to make sure you have AT LEAST $250,000 per person and $500,000 per accident.  That’ll at least make sure you can sleep at night if something bad happens.  The other piece of this is property damage coverage.  The state minimum in CA is $5000.  $5000, are you serious?!  Take a look around next time you hit the road and count how many vehicles exceed $5000 on the road.  What happens if you hit a Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Ferrari?!  Any damage beyond $5000, you guessed it, is coming out of your pocket.  We recommend at least $100,000 and you probably need more.

You’re probably reading what I’m recommending and saying to yourself, Ryan… I get it, we need to be covered but I can’t afford those limits!  That has to be crazy expensive and I’m already concerned with how much I’m paying!  In reality, it isn’t that much more expensive. Most insurance companies use the “Costco pricing method.”  You know when you go to Costco and buy in bulk basically anything it seems to get cheaper?  That’s how liability limits work.  The more you buy per $1000 in coverage, the cheaper it gets per $1000 in liability coverage. Increasing those limits from 15/30/5 to 250/500/100 can sometimes be only an additional $10 to $20 per month.  Worth it right?!

Part 2 of your auto insurance covers you and your family.  This is called “uninsured motorist” and “medical coverage.”  Did you know 1 in 5 drivers in CA doesn’t have insurance at all?  Even though it’s required by law.  Insane right??  They should be thrown in jail in my opinion.  This is going to make sure if you’re hit by someone without insurance, or if they have those stupid state minimum limits at 15/30, and it’s not enough to take care of your medical bills, that your policy steps in and covers it.  We recommend 250/500 for that as well.  “Medical coverage” covers your medical expenses after an accident.  We usually recommend setting the limit to whatever your health insurance deductible is, usually $5000 or $10,000.  That way it’ll fill in the out of pocket gaps from your health insurance.  These two parts of auto insurance are the MOST important and make up the liability portion of your auto insurance policy.

Part 3 is for your car itself.  This is where your deductibles come into play.  You have two deductibles, comprehensive and collision.

Comprehensive covers you for damage to your car other than from an accident of some sort.  It includes fire, theft, hail, vandalism, and when weird stuff happens.  Let’s say your neighbor’s Dennis the Menace son fires a baseball into your window or the neighborhood hoodlums key your car.  You pay the deductible and insurance covers the rest up to the value of your car. This would also include if you have a fire and your car is in the garage and destroyed.  You may think your home policy would cover the car, nope.  The car insurance covers it under comprehensive.  Comprehensive coverage has no effect on your rates either.  Stuff happens, file as many of those claims as you want.

Collision covers you for damage to your car after an accident of some sort.  Let’s say you hit someone else’s car, or drive your car into a light pole.  Whatever the case may be, you pay the collision deductible and the insurance kicks in after up to the value of your car.  The higher your deductibles, the less you pay and vice versa.  $1000 deductibles is usually a good middle ground.  I’m personally a fan of higher deductibles because there’s never the guarantee you’ll use it.  I’d rather pay out of pocket for the things that ruin your day and have the best limits available for the things that could potentially ruin your life.  Minor fender benders aren’t what auto insurance was designed for.  It’s designed to take care of the major accidents that could be life altering.  Part 3 also includes the bell and whistle optional coverages usually like towing, rental car reimbursement, and auto loan gap coverage.  More on those things later or check with your insurance professional about details for those.

So that’s your car insurance in a nutshell.  Hopefully now you’re a little bit smarter than you were a few paragraphs ago.  One thing I want you to think about, is what was the last major/crazy accident that you saw on the road?  I’m sure it was something nasty and it’s burned into your mind.  You see them on the news every day.  Think about this… if that happens to you, do you want the focus to be on your insurance company, or on those things you’ve worked SO hard for throughout your life like your house, investments, savings, and future paychecks. Insurance is not meant for the things that could ruin your day, but the things that could ruin your life.  Why pay for something that isn’t going to do anything for you when something catastrophic happens?  Educate yourself and pay for something that is going to protect you in the event that major accident happens to you.

Thanks so much for reading.  Drive safely and remember we’re always here to help!

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Who We Are

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Hey everyone, and welcome to The Bravo Team’s page!  We really appreciate you taking the time to check us out and give us a read.

I’m going to keep this real simple and sweet and get right to the point.  Who are we?  What do we do?  What’s in it for me to read this??  Well, all good questions…  Insurance is the answer. Insurance?!  You’re probably saying, not something I want to read about.  Not something I’m fond of and it’s just another GIANT bill to pay and a big pain in the butt.

Well, you’re not wrong.  Insurance is a giant bill to pay.  In fact, most people spend more on insurance then all other services combined in their lives.  It’s a fact, and most states (especially CA where we are located) require that you have it, at least auto insurance.  If you own a home, your lender requires it.  Now the US government requires you have health insurance.  It’s just one of those things you must have and pay.

But… and a big but… when are we glad we have it?  When we need it right?!  When that bad thing happens that we didn’t anticipate and you ask ahhh why did this happen to me??  That’s when you want your insurance company to come in like a knight in shining armor and ease your pain, calm your mind and help you from financial devastation.  That’s when it’s time for the insurance company to put their money where their mouth is and make sure you’re protected and help you out.  I’m not talking about the things that happen that are minor like a parking lot fender bender at 2 mph.  Those things may ruin your day, but tomorrow you’ll forget about it and move on.  I’m talking about the things that happen that ruin lives.  Like hitting a child in a parking lot, having your house burn down to the ground, losing a loved one unexpectedly.  That’s when you need your insurance to do what you pay it to do, help you at your darkest hour.

So, that’s great and all.  What’s the point of all this?  Are we just another blue suede shoes group of insurance people trying to get you to buy from us?  Definitely not.  Who are we then? We are a family owned agency that’s been in business since 1979.  We represent Farmers

Insurance who is celebrating their 90th anniversary this year.  Our agency was started by Ralph Bravo in 1979 and is recognized as one of the top insurance agencies in the country.  Ralph was also the very first inductee into the Farmers Insurance Hall of Fame (yes there is such a thing).  Now we’re owned and operated by Ryan Bravo (the guy typing all of this) and my brother Michael Bravo.  We’ve got team members who you can read about on our site who have been here helping families for decades.  We’re one of the tops and not because we sell so many of x and a whole bunch of y, it’s because we do one thing extremely well and that’s the point of this blog… we educate.  We teach people what you’re actually buying and why it makes sense to get this, drop that, do this etc.

When you go online to buy insurance you basically randomly pick from a whole bunch of different things and if you’re like most people, you ask yourself, what in the hell am I actually buying?  Then you go with the cheapest option.  The online companies of the world have turned insurance into a commodity and that’s dangerous.  It’s dangerous because unless you’re a professional, you’re not going to know what you’re buying and you could be seriously in financial trouble if something major happens.  I’ve seen it so many times and it’s sickening.  Even if you do all of your homework, know it inside and out, make an educated buying decision, are you going to remember all of it 5 years down the road?  Probably not, because the industry is constantly changing.  We need to legally do continuing education on a constant basis so we can keep up with it all, and this is what we do every day!  How are you going to do the same when you have bills to pay, a family to feed, and your own career to work on?  That’s why having an agent is valuable and that’s why we’re doing this blog.  We are going to do at least one post a week on a variety of topics ranging from a wide spectrum of insurance items.  From auto insurance, to life insurance, to business insurance, to long term care, you get the idea.  We’re here to help you know the skinny on insurance and to help you make informed decisions.  Of course, reach out to us if you want more detail on anything or have specific questions, we have a team here to set up appointments with you and help with anything you need.  Just cruise around our site and reach out via phone, email, text, fax, carrier pigeon, whatever works for you! We also love getting out from behind our desks and meeting new people so you’re always welcome to swing on by too!

For now, a huge thank you for checking out the site and blog.  I hope you enjoy and get something out of it.  We’re here to protect what you’ve worked so hard for and always here to help!

Cheers,

-Ryan Bravo