Whether personal insurance is just one of those monthly premiums that you pay without thinking about it or it is the cause of a stress migraine when you see how much it costs. Either way, it means something maybe just a little different to most of us.  If you find yourself in the second group, you may be asking yourself: “why am I even paying this when it costs so much, anyway?  Why not just pay out of pocket?”  It’s a totally normal question, and here’s what you need to know about risk management. Read the rest of this entry »

Most of us are looking for smart ways to save money these days.  One of the most popular categories to cut back your spending is on insurance premiums.  If you’re looking at your auto policy and wondering whether you should minimize your coverage or maybe even change insurance carriers, take a moment to look at what you’re actually going to be getting — or, rather, not getting. Read the rest of this entry »

Your home is precious to you in and of itself, but arguably the possessions in it are more valuable, right?  Well, to make sure that you can protect that value, a home inventory is going to be among the best ways that you can protect your investment. Why?  Because whether you like it or not, we can never predict when a disaster is going to strike. 

A home inventory is a master list noting what you have and how much it’s worth so that, in the event you should ever have to file a claim, all of the hard and sometimes impossible work is done ahead of time!  It saves you time, brainpower, and a whole lot of emotional and mental stress.  The good news is that it isn’t as hard to do as you might think. Read the rest of this entry »

The world is no longer the same as it was a year ago. However, life goes on and this includes students heading back to college. If you’re looking for some tips on how to make this transition as easy as possible, take a look at some of these tips to truly help make the transition as easy as possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone’s looking to save some money on insurance, right?  Well, why wouldn’t you when there are discounts just sitting out there waiting for you?  We get it, sometimes you just don’t know what you don’t know! When it comes to discounts and insurance, Farmers Insurance has a variety of available insurance discounts specifically for Texas customers.  Take a look for yourself and see if you can qualify for these to put more money back in your pocket while still enjoying full protection. Of course, if you aren’t sure, contact Paula Smith Insurance and we can help make sure you are maximizing your benefits. Read the rest of this entry »

It’d be nice to think that getting a standard homeowners’ insurance would simply protect you from everything all in one policy, but the reality is very different. Additional policies will cost you extra, but also offer you extra protection. Since even minor repairs or replacements tend to rack up huge bills, this is a very good thing. One of the extra policies you’ll want to have in place living in Texas, which is important to understand properly, is wind insurance. Actually, depending upon what area you live in, you are required to have it. Read the rest of this entry »

Being in business means making sure that you’ve got the proper insurance in place. That being said, many business owners who don’t always know what they should be looking for in coverage.  That’s why we’ve put together a list of business insurance basics so that you can take a look at what you absolutely should have.

Minimum business insurance options

There are a few protections that you should have in place at minimum.  These are as follows. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of year again – Hurricane season and in that comes preparation. With emergency evacuation, there seems to be not enough time to get all of the required supplies together.  If you want to stop the panicked dashing around the house trying to prepare everyone to evacuate, get ahead of it by putting together a bug out bag!  The good news is that it isn’t as hard as it may sound.

The essentials to include in your bug out bag

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There’s no question that the recent pandemic has made us all a little apprehensive about our finances. After all, most of us are living paycheck to paycheck or waiting on unemployment and/or government funding assistance.  This means that we don’t have much of an emergency fund that we can dip into when our income decreases or we stop being paid altogether. If you’re looking for some tips to help you save as much money as possible to make ends meet, here are some tips to help you out. Read the rest of this entry »

Very rarely does an emergency ever give us a heads up.  That’s why an “emergency” is, well, an emergency. When it comes to being prepared for an emergency of any kind, equipping your car with a well-stocked and properly planned out emergency kit will be crucial. Looking for advice on what to pack?  Here’s advice that will give you the power to create the right emergency kit. Read the rest of this entry »