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DePaulo Agency

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Scotia, NY 12302

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Insurance

Tips to Stay Safe on a Cross Country Road Trip

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Even if summer is closing, there are still plenty of reasons to take an epic road trip. Scotia, NY, is as good a starting point as anywhere, so DePaulo Agency is here to give you a few safety tips before you leave.

Supply for Emergencies

Rule number one on any trip is to have a plan in case of emergencies. When taming the open road, the basic supplies you should consider are flash lights, bottled water, a first aid kit, blankets, phone chargers and jumper cables. Another nice item to have stashed is an old blanket that can keep things clean if you have to get under the hood unexpectedly. You can add whatever else you might deem important to your emergency cash (snacks never hurt), but these are the essentials.

Drive Safely

Obviously. But, there are steps you can take to be safer behind the wheel. First and foremost, manage your distractions. Set up the GPS while you’re parked, and leave screen time for when you aren’t driving. Passengers can also be distracting, so make sure they access to everything they need. If you are driving alone, make sure everything important (food, drinks, music changer etc) is well within reach before you put the vehicle in gear. The next big safety tip is to manage your fatigue. You’re planning on lots of driving, so never push yourself when you’re tired. Pulling off and catching a few z’s can be the difference between life and death. Road trips are supposed to be enjoyable, so there’s no need to keep to a grueling pace. Finally, take care of the vehicle. You should go through a basic inspection at the start of every trip and at least every 10,000 miles. You should be checking fluids, tires, brakes, lights and wipers.

Stay in Touch

It’s always a good idea to update someone who isn’t on the trip. A simple text or call every time you get to a new checkpoint will ensure someone knows where to direct a rescue effort if you find yourself in need. This can be as fun as it is safe, giving you an excuse to send pictures and keep friends or family back home involved.

Of course, the ultimate protection comes in the form of proper insurance. If you travel in style, you can make sure your RV is covered with a quick conversation with Depaulo Agency. We handle accounts across Scotia, NY, and we’ll be happy to help any way we can.

 

Do All Insurance Policy Holders Need Umbrella Insurance?

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Umbrella insurance is something that many policy holders could benefit from but that not all policy holders are in particular need of. There are some key points you can consider to help you determine if umbrella insurance is right for you or not. For those that live in the Scotia, NY area, the agents with DePaulo Agency can help you learn all you need to know about umbrella insurance.

Umbrella insurance is a policy that you can take out that adds supplemental coverage to your everyday life. You can add it to nearly any type of policy and can use it to help cover a wide range of instances. Umbrella insurance is best for those that feel their current policies are not covering what they are currently in need of. Say you have a teenager that is driving for instance and you feel that you are in need of a larger policy than you currently have in regards to your current auto policy, umbrella insurance can help extend and expand this type of insurance coverage.

Not all policy holders are in need of umbrella insurance. It does not necessarily benefit everyone when you look at how much it costs as opposed to how often it is going to be used. Taking the time to look at the different options and to decide which type of policy is going to do you the best is the fastest way to decide if umbrella insurance is right for you or not.

For those that live in Scotia, NY area, the agents with DePaulo Agency can help you to find the right umbrella coverage that you need and to help you decide if you really need umbrella coverage or if another type of policy might better suit your needs.  

How To Choose The Right Life Insurance In Scotia, NY

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Most people may not know everything there is to know about life insurance. However, the residents of Scotia NY can be sure of two things; that choosing the right type of life insurance can be a confusing ordeal, and that getting life insurance is a very important decision that every adult needs to make.

So, what do you consider when choosing the right life insurance? The first thing you want to do is get the right agency. You don’t want to go with an agency that will bully or intimidate you or one that cannot fully explain why you should go for a certain insurance cover over another. The DePaulo Agency is an excellent choice for those who reside in Scotia, NY.

The next thing you want to consider is the type of life insurance. You can go for either “term” life insurance or a permanent life insurance.

If you only need the insurance for a specific period, then getting a term life insurance is the way to go. It allows you to match the length of the term policy to the length of the need. In simpler terms, it simply means, you can purchase a 20-year life insurance if you have kids and you want to ensure there is money for college.

If on the other hand, you need a life insurance for the duration of your life, then you’re better off getting a permanent life insurance policy. With permanent life insurance, your death benefit gets paid whether you live to be a 100 or die tomorrow.

You should keep in mind that the premium for permanent life insurance is typically higher than that of term insurance. However, with term insurance, the premium increases the older you get while with permanent life insurance, it remains the same always.

With the help of The DePaulo Agency, those in Scotia, NY can easily get across to an agency that can help them in deciding the type of life insurance they want.

 

 

Cyber Insurance

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Most business transactions take place over the Internet, whether if it’s reaching out to prospective customers to gain their interest or completing a purchase. Thus, an avenue has been created for cyber attacks to occur.

The biggest insurance secret in the Scotia, NY business community is cyber liability, which has been in existence for approximately ten years. Often, companies of all sizes fail to ever realize that their data has been breached before it’s too late. The results are financial losses for small and large businesses.

Data breaches have become part of the marketplace every day life; companies must better manage for this potential risk by having cyber insurance offered by the DePaulo Agency that can significantly reduce the loss from a cyber attack.

What is Cyber Insurance?

Cyber insurance is designed to lower the threat of a breach with different coverages that range from data, product and service security. Businesses receive protection on the expenses associated with an investigation of a data breach attack. Cyber insurance allows websites to protect themselves from third party damage done by a writer’s reckless post that has brought a liable charge against them. All threats from hackers to extort money are protected while legal attempts to recover the data that was stolen in a breach are simultaneously taking place.

How to Acquire Cyber Insurance

Keep in mind that cyber insurance is still evolving, so the risk from a breach attack hasn’t been completely understood at this time. Small and large commercial businesses are still gathering information on the cost to protect themselves from data breaches and other cyber attacks. Its important for business leaders to identify what type of insurance is best to combat the different cyber attacks that occur within their industry. A standard needs to be set before another breach occurs.

With an excellent cyber insurance policy, Scotia, NY businesses can protect themselves from losing their market after a cyber attack. It’s important to speak with the DePaulo Agency and get the answers you need today.

The Basics of Filing Storm Damage Claims

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When it comes to storm damage, there are certain things that every claimant should know. Though it might seem like a simple and straightforward claim, storm claims have the potential to be much more difficult than you might imagine. If you live in the Scotia, NY area, the agents with DePaulo Agency can help you get your claim approved.

The first step to any storm claim is to document the damage. Common storm damage for vehicles might be dents, broken lights, broken windows, etc. An adjuster is going to be looking to see if the damage could, in fact, have been caused by the storm, what the extent of the damage is, and how much it will take to fix. If you have hail damage, for example, you want to take pictures of all the damage so that you can start to get your car back in shape.

Another thing to consider is that you should make sure you have your time frame exact. An insurance company is going to look to see if there was a storm when you claimed it, what type of storm it was, and what potential for damage there was with the storm that you are filing a claim about. They are also going to ask what type of shelter there was for your car, and what type of warning you had.

You want to make sure you answer all questions thoroughly and truthfully so that your claim will not be sent back. Your storm damage claim does not have to be complex and difficult to file. With the help of the agents at DePaulo Agency, those living in the Scotia, NY area can get fast and efficient help that they need to get their storm damage claims filed and ready to pay out. Storm damage is awful, getting it fixed is not impossible.

Reasons to have insurance in Scotia, NY

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Scotia, NY residents will need insurance for a number of different reasons. Insurance protects you from the unexpected and the chances of something unexpected happening goes up a lot in when you live in a big city, or in a place that has inclement weather a good portion of the year. Scotia, NY has both of these things, making insurance a real necessity. Below are some good reasons to have insurance in Scotia, NY through a broker like DePaulo Agency who serves the greater Scotia area, so that you, your family and your livelihood are properly protected and insured.

PROTECTING YOUR HOME

If you own a home in Scotia you are going to need a good comprehensive homeowners policy to protect against a variety of things, like fire, storm damage or burglary. If any of the aforementioned things happen, or something freakish like a car driving into your living room or a pipe freezing, bursting and flooding the house, your home insurance policy will cover it and keep you from having to pay more than your deductible, so you can have your home back without breaking the bank. Without home insurance in Scotia, NY an unexpected event could literally leave you homeless.

PROTECTING YOURSELF IN THE CAR

Driving is the one way most people are incredibly vulnerable to the unexpected on a regular basis and the same goes in Scotia. Car accidents are the norm in a big city like Scotia, especially because they have bad weather through a good portion of the year, causing cars to skid and slide unpredictably. With a good auto insurance policy, you can protect yourself from ending up in an accident where you won’t have enough money to pay for physical damages, medical care for those involved or protect yourself against a lawsuit due to the accident itself. Talk to your broker about what is best for you! 

Business Income Losses and Commercial Insurance

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Something that many an entrepreneur has wondered: To what extent can commercial insurance help you with business income losses, what kind of business losses are covered, and under what circumstances can we collect?

What we’re talking about when we ask these questions is business interruption insurance. Business interruption is a type of commercial insurance that can help to bridge the gaps where a standard policy might not.

For instance, under a business interruption policy, also known as business income insurance, a beneficiary can collect on lost revenue resulting from, for instance, a fire, flood or windstorm.

Here are the costs that a business interruption policy might cover:

  • Rent and lease.
  • Revenue lost due to temporary closure of a business.
  • The expenses involved with operating from a temporary location.
  • Advertising (specifically, advertising to direct customers to your new location).

The circumstances under which you are able to collect on your business interruption policy aren’t so difficult to understand: If your commercial policy covers whatever type of damage it is that your physical location has suffered, then you can file a claim on your business interruption policy.

Note that this type of policy does not cover, for instance, revenue lost due to a failed product launch. For the most part, the risks that we take in business are ours alone to take. However, a business interruption policy from someone like DePaulo Agency can help to ensure that, should something happen to our offices, our restaurant, our convenience store, that we live another day to keep taking those risks, keep innovating, and keep pushing ourselves to greater heights within our chosen industries.

Professional and General Liability Claims to Protect Yourself

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General liability insurance from DePaulo Agency, a commercial insurer covering the Scotia, NY area, covers the basics of commercial insurance. Generally, these policies include the minimum requirements to comply with state law. It’s possible to add on additional coverage to these basic ones.

Bodily Injury and Property Damage

Bodily injury and property damage coverage is part of general liability insurance. This protects a business against claims regarding bodily injury or property damage stemming from the business’ products or services. General liability insurance protects businesses against false claims and arrests, libel and violations against a person’s privacy. It also protects against a malicious prosecution.

Medical Bills

Sometimes, a client, employee or another person may get hurt on the premise. If it’s at any fault of the business, the person may sue, and the company becomes responsible for medical expenses. General liability insurance covers the business in case any medical expenses would accrue as the result of a lawsuit.

Rental Properties

General liability insurance covers any damage done to properties a business rents. This includes any damage that occurred as a result of an explosion or fire. It’s important for a company to protect themselves in the event something happens to a location that doesn’t belong to them.

Copyright and False Advertising

A business is responsible for any false advertising, whether it was to the company’s knowledge or not. In particular, this includes any copyright infringement done by a company. For instance, this means if products, goods or services are advertised the same as another business, whether the company knew or not, the business is responsible, and a lawsuit from the other business may occur.

To learn more about general liability insurance or to open up a policy, contact the DePaulo Agency today.

Do You Really Need Renters Insurance in Scotia, NY?

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As a renter, you may think that you do not need to have renters insurance to protect yourself. While many landlords will not require you to get renters insurance, some will. Even if you are not required to, you may want to consider it for a variety of reasons. One of the best parts of renters insurance is that it is relatively inexpensive so it is not something that will set you back. it can, however, save you in a variety of circumstance. Continue reading to see you may want to consider getting renters insurance.

  • Your belongings are not covered by the insurance your landlord has. If you rent a home or a condo, your landlord likely has some kind of homeowners insurance or condo insurance on the structure. However, if you want your personal belongings to be protected, you will be out of luck with their policies. Only renters insurance can cover you. 
  • It can also provide you with liability coverage. That means that you will be covered if someone injures themselves on the property. It takes the liability out of the equation for you.
  • It may help you in case of a disaster. If a flood happens at the property while you are renting it and you cannot reside there while it is being repaired, you may have to pay for those additional living expenses out of pocket without renters insurance. With renters insurance, though, it will help pay for that so you are not paying rent and the cost of a hotel room.
  • It is affordable. Like previously mentioned, renters insurance is very affordable so there is no reason not to protect yourself and your belongings with a policy.

To get a quote for renters insurance or to explore your options, feel free to contact us today at DePaulo Agency in Scotia, NY.

ATV Owner Tips

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Living in Scotia, New York can be one of the best locations to drive in ATV. If you are going to own one of these vehicles, there are some tips that you should follow that will help you to get the most out of the overall driving experience.

Safety First

Safety should be your first focus, and this includes having the necessary protection. You may want to invest in shin pads and knee guards. You should never got on your ATV without having a motorcycle helmet, gloves, goggles, and over the ankle boots.

Drive What You’re Comfortable With

You should only drive an ATV that you are comfortable with. If the engine is too strong, it could easily overpower you – and this is when accidents can happen.

Work Your Way Up

Work your way up to the more advanced paths. Start with flat surfaces and as you get more experienced on the vehicle, graduate to some of the more complex trails.

File the Paperwork

File the paperwork with the state and make sure that you have an insurance policy so that your ATV is covered in every possible way.

Choose a Safe Parking Place

Where you choose the park your ATV when it isn’t being driven is important. Theft is common with these vehicles because it is so easy to simply push it off of the property. Ideally, you should be locking it up inside of a garage or shed. If it has to be left outdoors, cover it with a tarp and use heavy-duty chains to secure it in place.

At the DePaulo Agency, we can talk to about how to be safe with your ATV throughout New York. Call and talk to one of our agents today where we can help you to get a good policy and answer any questions that you may have along the way.