Three advantages you’ll enjoy by investing in umbrella insurance today

Taking out an umbrella insurance policy can benefit consumers in Astoria, OR in numerous ways. We provide umbrella insurance coverage at Linda Dugan Insurance. 

The following are three advantages you can enjoy by investing in umbrella insurance today.

Umbrella insurance offers greater financial security.

You face financial risks if you don’t carry umbrella coverage. You could face a liability lawsuit that could end up costing you a great deal.

Umbrella insurance provides you with financial security. With this type of coverage, you keep your finances more stable regardless of what happens down the road. 

Umbrella insurance protects your net worth.

Those who have a lot of assets to protect are especially at risk of being targets for lawsuits. Unfortunately, your net worth can be severely decreased or even wiped out quickly if you face a lawsuit.

With umbrella insurance coverage, you’re protecting your assets. If you do face a costly lawsuit, your umbrella insurance coverage will cover the costs. This way, you don’t have to pay out of your own pocket and lose your hard-earned assets as the result of a lawsuit. 

Umbrella insurance prevents unexpected financial setbacks.

It’s good to be able to plan for the future. Unfortunately, your plans for the future can fall apart quickly if you face a lawsuit and you don’t have umbrella insurance coverage.

With umbrella insurance coverage, you minimize the chances that you’ll face a severe financial setback. You have coverage to fall back on if an unexpected accident occurs for which you are held liable. 

We can provide you with more helpful information on the many advantages umbrella insurance coverage can offer you in Astoria, OR. Contact us at Linda Dugan Insurance to learn more. 

What type of life insurance should I get?

Anyone that lives in the Astoria, OR area will have many different types of insurance that they need to obtain. One very important form of insurance that anyone here needs to consider getting is life insurance. This form of insurance will provide protection to your dependents. There are two common forms of life insurance you should consider when picking your next policy.

Term Life Insurance

A very common form of life insurance that many people choose today is term life insurance. When you get a term life insurance policy, you will be able to build a policy based on your personal needs. This will include having a coverage amount for a defined period of time, which could range for over 25 years. Compared to other forms of coverage, this is the more affordable option in many cases. However, coverage will end once the term of the policy is over.

Whole Life Insurance

Another type of insurance that you can consider getting is whole life insurance. When you get this insurance, you will obtain coverage for the rest of your life if you want to have it. While premiums tend to be more than with term life, some of your payment will grow and accrue in an account that you could liquidate in the future. This can make it a good addition to any financial plan.

As you are shopping for life insurance in and around Astoria, OR, you should call Linda Dugan Insurance. Choosing a new policy is never easy and you are bound to have a lot of questions. If you do call Linda Dugan Insurance, you can learn a lot more about your different options. This could help to ensure that you choose a policy that is right for your situation. 

Commercial Insurance Requirements in Oregon

Owning a small business is not for the faint of heart with many people staking their livelihoods on the success of their company. Consequently, it is imperative that business owners protect their most important and likely largest investment by choosing a commercial insurance policy that best fits their needs and includes enough liability coverage to protect themselves against a worst-case scenario.

Specific to Oregon, business owners are required to carry commercial insurance to protect both their business, employees, and third parties. No matter whether you have full-time or part-time employees, you are required to have workers’ compensation insurance which helps pay the medical bills associated with an employee’s workplace injury or illness. Additionally, if your business owns any vehicles then you must have commercial auto insurance meeting at least Oregon state minimums for liability coverage. Although not required, if your employees utilize their personal vehicles for business use, then their auto insurance is unlikely to cover them while on the clock making it imperative that you purchase hired and non-owned auto insurance.

At Linda Dugan Insurance in Astoria, OR our friendly team of knowledgeable insurance experts will take the time to learn about your business so we can recommend a customized commercial insurance policy that exceeds your expectations. After hearing your needs, we can help make recommendations about additional policies like cyber liability insurance or malpractice coverage that may make sense for your business. Shopping for insurance does not have to be complicated and we strive to make it a simple process so give us a call today to learn about our commercial insurance policies and we promise to deliver exceptional service in a timely fashion.

What Are Toy Insurance Options?

When many people think of toy insurance, they think of the type of insurance policy that will cover collections of toys that are worth some amount of money but there is actually a more common and more widely used form of toy insurance that covers recreational vehicles that many people have purchased. Those types of toys include motorcycles, four-wheelers, all-terrain vehicles, and even boats. If you have invested money in one of these fun toys, you will definitely want to protect your investment by obtaining a toy insurance policy.

What Does It Cover?

For your recreational and fun toys, you can obtain liability coverage in the case of an accident happening. This type of policy will cover not only any bodily injuries sustained by others involved in the accident but also property damage that may be caused by a crash. You can also obtain collision insurance, which means if you hit an object, such as a pole or building, or another vehicle, this policy will cover the damages. A comprehensive policy will replace or repair your toy if it is damaged in a fire, by vandalism, or stolen in a theft incident. This type of policy also covers your boat, ATV, or other toys is it is damaged in a natural disaster, such as a hailstorm or tornado. It is also a good idea to obtain a policy, referred to as an underinsured or uninsured motorist policy, that will cover your toy if it is damaged by another driver who does not have an insurance policy at all or not enough coverage to replace or repair your toy when it is damaged.

The Need For Toy Insurance

You will want to obtain a toy insurance policy to cover the items you hold dear to you and have fun with. You have spent time and money to purchase your toy and you deserve the peace of mind that is provided when you have an insurance policy to cover it.

To create the best toy insurance policy for you and your situation, contact the toy insurance agents at Linda Dugan Insurance in Astoria, OR today for an appointment to set up your policy.

How to Implement Better Boat Safety in Astoria, OR

Getting out on the water in Astoria, OR is not exactly difficult. Your proximity makes it nearly impossible not to have some sort of watercraft available, so you can really make the most of your beautiful location. But water can be one of the most dangerous things on the planet if you’re not careful. Linda Dugan Insurance wants you to know more about how you can improve your boat safety long before you set out for an adventure. 

Think It Through 

Boat safety starts with really going through every scenario. From life preservers to escape routes to emergency services, you really need to think about the resources you have and how they can be applied in any given situation. Someone who can’t swim very well may need a very different plan than someone who was a former lifeguard. 

Repetition Works 

In an extreme situation, repetition is the best way to combat panic. The more people are afraid, the more likely they are to forget the plan. Going over the safety plan should be done regularly, ideally to the point where people can do it in their sleep. The more comfortable people feel with each scenario, the more likely it is that they’ll go into autopilot rather than overthinking every possible danger in front of them. 

Boat insurance can’t prevent every dangerous situation in Astoria, OR, but it can go a long way toward restoring your boat after something occurs. With the right help, you can get the repairs you need to keep your boat safe when it’s on the water. If you have questions about boat insurance, call Linda Dugan Insurance today to find out more about what kinds of policies are available to you and your watercraft. 

What Kind of RV Coverage Do You Need?

As an RV owner in Astoria OR, you know you need RV insurance to protect your valuable investment. You may not know, however, what kind of RV coverage to obtain. At Linda Dugan Insurance, we can guide you in making good RV insurance choices to suit your lifestyle. Here are a few tips for choosing the RV coverage you need.

Protection for Your RV

Whether you’ve taken out a loan for your RV or own it outright, you’ll want coverage to protect your investment. This is where collision, comprehensive, and uninsured motorist coverage comes into play.

Collision covers the cost of repairing your RV if it’s damaged in a crash. Comprehensive protects you against RV theft and covers damage caused by inclement weather, animal strikes, vandalism, and other non-collision events. Uninsured motorist protects you against uninsured and hit and run drivers.

Protection for Others

RV liability insurance covers damage to others in RV accidents that are your fault. It covers others’ medical injuries and property damage, so these funds don’t have to come from your own pocket. A serious RV accident could cause a lot of damage to others. That’s why it’s important not to skimp on liability coverage. Liability coverage is also the only type of RV insurance required by Oregon law.

Specialized Coverage

If you live in your RV year-round or travel extensively, you’re at greater risk of theft, damage, or loss. You may want extra coverage like:

  • Personal property & attachment to protect personal items in or attached to your RV
  • Vacation liability to cover accidents in or around your RV when you’re at a campground
  • Replacement cost coverage to cover the cost of replacing your RV if it’s totaled in a crash.

To purchase RV coverage in Astoria, OR, call or visit Linda Dugan Insurance today.

How to prepare your home for a flood

Everyone hopes that no storm will be so severe as to flood one’s home. However, hope is not a plan. Linda Dugan Insurance, serving Astoria, OR would like to give some helpful suggestions to at least mitigate the damage that a flood might cause.

You should check FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center to see how much at risk your neighborhood is for flooding.

You should be on the lookout for flooding threats, such as heavy storms, paying attention to media reports.

Check the elevation of your house from the street level. If you have the funds, consider elevating your home higher. Even an extra foot or two may make all the difference. Raise your electrical outlets higher from the floor. Apply sealants to parts of the house that might admit water, such as windows and doors. Make sure that your gutters and drains are clear of leaves and other obstructions so that water can flow through them freely.

Place all important documents in a waterproof container, and place the container in a secure part of the house.

If a flood is imminent, move valuables, especially electronics such as computers and televisions, to higher levels of the house. Unplug everything to avoid shorts and possible fire hazards. If floodwaters are about to enter the house, turn off the electricity at the breaker. Consider using sandbags to block the entry of floodwaters.

And, finally, make sure that your flood insurance is current. Remember, your regular home insurance does not cover damage from flooding. Flood damage can cost thousands of dollars to repair. 

For more answers to questions concerning flooding and flood insurance feel free to contact Linda Dugan Insurance, serving Astoria, OR.

What is Umbrella Insurance and How Can it Help Protect Your Business?

If you are a business owner in the greater Astoria, OR area, it’s time to find out more about umbrella insurance and how it can help protect your business. Linda Dugan Insurance is here to answer all of your questions and help you determine if an umbrella policy makes sense for your company. Owning a business takes a lot of hard work and dedication, and it’s important to protect all of your efforts. 

Umbrella Insurance Basics

Primary commercial policies have limits that once met render the coverage exhausted. If your company suffers a covered event that maxes out your policy maximums, you or your business can be held liable for any excess damage.

Depending on the ownership structure of your company, both your and business and your personal assets can be affected. It makes sense to have the necessary protection in place, should the primary policy be exhausted. This type of coverage is especially important for public-facing companies that may have to deal with slip and fall suits, or that have the potential for business-related liability. Don’t wait until it’s too late to find out that the policy limits on your property insurance policy are insufficient to meet all of your liability and coverage needs. 

Umbrella insurance is an effective tool to protect all of your hard work and to ensure that your company can weather the storms that come its way. Find out more about the benefits of commercial umbrella policies today, and rest easy knowing you have the protection you need.

Ready to learn more about umbrella insurance and how it can help protect your Astoria, OR area business? Give Linda Dugan Insurance a call today and set up a consultation to learn more. We are here to help!

Is Health Insurance Legally Required?

While the Affordable Care Act did a lot of good for a lot of people, the fees that we had to pay for not having health insurance, when health insurance wasn’t always affordable, was one of the less popular features of the Act. That fee has been removed at a federal level, but where does that leave mandatory health insurance in Astoria, OR?

Long story short: You’re not required to carry any health insurance whatsoever on an individual level. Mandatory health insurance was never mandatory in the same way as, say, auto insurance, where you’re simply not allowed out on the street without it. Rather, you had to pay an extra tax as an incentive to get covered. Many states still have some form of taxation in place for people who do not carry health insurance, but Oregon is not one of those states. If you live in Astoria, OR and you don’t want health insurance, you don’t have to buy it.

But, it’s a different story for employers.

With under fifty employees, you can offer health coverage to your employees at your discretion. With fifty employees or more, working full-time or equivalent hours, you are required to provide health insurance for your team.

In short: On an individual level, nobody in Oregon is going to be required to buy health insurance. But employers with fifty full-time staff members or more will need to get their team covered.

That said, it’s not a great idea to go without health insurance. Get in touch with us at Linda Dugan Insurance and we’ll compare quotes to get you the coverage that you need. You want to make sure that you’re covered if something happens, so call us or go to the Linda Dugan Insurance website and let’s see what we can do for you.

Will my Oregon business benefit from commercial insurance?

The state of Oregon continues to be known as one of the best places in the country to start a small business. One city in this state that offers a lot of opportunities in Astoria, OR. If you are going to start a business here, there are a lot of opportunities for success. However, it is still important that you take the right steps to protect your business. One way that you can protect your business is by getting commercial insurance as it could protect your company in several different ways.

Ensures Business Assets are Protected

One of the reasons to get a commercial insurance policy is that it can protect your business assets. Businesses today require a lot of assets to grow and succeed. This can include making sure that your inventory, office equipment, capital items, and other assets. When you have commercial insurance, you will have the ability to repair or replace these items if you incur a loss due to theft or damage.

Liability Protection

When you have a commercial insurance policy, you will also get coverage for liability. If your business causes an illness or injury to someone, you could be held liable for the damages. With a commercial insurance policy, it will ensure you have the liability protection you need. 

As you are looking for a new commercial insurance policy in the Astoria, OR area, taking all important factors into consideration is very important. To ensure that you are making the right choices for your company, you should reach out to the team at Linda Dugan Insurance. When you speak with the team at Linda Dugan Insurance, you can be assured that you are going to receive the guidance you need to pick the right policy to protect your company.