New Car Replacement Coverage now available. If you recently purchased a new vehicle, read on. Many auto insurers now have a new vehicle replacement option available for owners of newly purchased vehicles.

For an extra premium you could receive a brand new vehicle rather than the standard Actual Cash Value (ACV) when your vehicle is destroyed in a collision.

To find our more about this new coverage contact us at 952-469-0414 or send us an email at bmeyer@millerhartwig.com

Medical Insurance Full time college students can now continue under their parents medical coverage until age 25.

However, if this is not an option you should check with the college as they may offer optional coverage for their full time students. If you have questions or need assistance call us at 952-469-0414. If immediate coverage is required now, consider purchasing up to (6 months) coverage by purchasing a low cost Short Term Medical Policy.

Personal Property Coverage. Most college students just starting out on their own aren't homeowners but they have belongings that need to be protected. A student living at home or in a college dorm usually has their personal possessions, including a computer, TV, clothing, etc. covered by the family's homeowner policy. A student living off campus may not be covered by the family's policy and perhaps should purchase a renter's insurance policy.

Motorcycles, ATV's, even bicycles present exposures at colleges. Today, low cost transportation options are popular. Thus many students and their parents are exposed to potential liability and property losses.

Call us with your insurance questions. We have answers and the protection you need! 952- 469-0414

Homeowners' insurance isn't a fun topic to discuss. You may not want to think about what could happen to your home in a natural disaster or other catastrophic event. Denial doesn't make these tragedies any less likely to occur, but it does make them potentially more devastating than they might otherwise be. Proper planning can make it a little easier to get through tough times.

Insurance is designed to protect you against risks that you face, and since these risks change over time, so should your insurance. Because many people are uncomfortable with insurance, they often retain policies and types of coverage that they no longer need, but fail to obtain new policies and types of coverage that they may need for the first time.

What to check for: With hurricanes, mudslides, wildfires, earthquakes, and other natural disastors posing a threat, insuring your home is essential for most people. When you first get your policy, figuring out what it should look like is relatively easy. Since you know what you spent to buy your home, you can be reasonably assured that your policy will insure you at least up to what you paid. However, since real estate values rose so dramatically for such a long period, many insurance policies' coverage limits have not kept pace. In other cases where homes were purchased recently they may in fact have too much coverage on their homes.

For example, if you paid $200,000 for your home 15 years ago, and it's worth $600,000 now, your homeowners' policy may still have coverage limits that are a lot closer to $200,000 than $600,000. Indeed, many insurance companies have made changes to policies that eliminated unlimited payments for replacing your home and replaced them with provisions that put a cap on such payments -- often 125% of the current policy limit. That might sound sufficient, but if the policy limit doesn't reflect current conditions, then you still may be dangerously unprotected without even knowing it.

Fortunately, this problem is relatively easy to fix. Just look at your policy and get in touch with your Insurance Agent or call us at 952-469-0414. We will make sure your coverage does what you need it to do.

Umbrella liability insurance is so named because it acts like an umbrella, sitting on top of your auto and homeowners liability policies to provide extra protection. (Even if you don't own a home, remember that you still need renters insurance to cover both your liability and your personal property). Umbrella liability is relatively affordable, can be easily coordinated with your existing insurance policies and by no means is it just for the well-to-do.

Home Insurance policies specifically exluded damages due to a flood, but they do cover other kinds of water damage. For example, they would generally pay for damage from rain coming through a hole in the roof or a broken window if the hole was caused by strong storm winds. On the other hand, if you have a hidden pipe leaking in your house and over time water damage occurs, that may not be covered. It pretty much boils down to whether the water damage was caused by a covered peril such as a storm... if the water damage was due to you not keeping your house maintained and repaired then your insurance would not cover the loss. If you are unsure what water damage is covered, review your home insurance policy or check with your home insurance Agent before damage occurs.

Clean Up Your Water Damage to Avoid Mold Regardless of how the water damage happened, it is important to take similar steps to remedy it. Never ignore indications of an obvious water problem in your home. You should immediately attempt to find and stop leaks at their source. When water leaks into your property, moisture can collect, allowing mold to develop. Mold can cause further damage to your property and can potentially cause health problems. The adverse health effects from mold exposure can range from runny noses, coughs, nosebleeds, congestion, and sinusitis to more serious upper respiratory ailments such as asthma or bronchitis. A lot of insurance companies are restricting mold damage, but some mold damage may be covered if it was caused by a covered peril. You should immediately report any water damage to your insurance agent.

When a Storm Causes Water Damage If sudden water damage occurs to your property, such as with a storm, it is important to dry all wet areas and provide air circulation to aid in the drying process. Also, cover any areas with a tarp to prevent more water damage. Covering, drying, and dehumidifying wet areas can help minimize the possibility that mold will accompany water damage. Always contact your insurance agent immediately to start the home owners insurance claims process.

Gradual Water Damage What do you do if you find water damage that indicates leakage over a period of time? Unfortunately, mold may have already developed and more than likely your claim may not be covered. But call your Insurance Agent anyway for advice and assistance. Attempting to clean up the mold may spread the mold spores, causing greater property damage or health problems. Mold can be dangerous to your health, therefore it is important that mold testing and cleanup be conducted by professionals as soon as mold is detected. Contact a professional mold cleaning company.