What is a Business Owners Policy (BOP)?

Understanding the fundamentals of a business owner’s policy is essential if you are an entrepreneur based in Rochester, MN. Safechoice Insurance Agency has made a reputable name in the region, offering business owners excellent insurance services. The policy covers several liabilities under one umbrella. Among them, they include commercial property coverage and business revenue insurance, among several others.

Perhaps you are opening a new business, and you do not have a clue about a BOP. It is advisable to learn the primary features and know if you need them according to your business setup. Here are factors that can educate you on matters related to a business owner’s policy.

An introduction to BOP

The policy safeguards your business from misfortunes that may occur. It extends to specific limits in varying situations. It features a general liability policy and commercial property insurance. 

The general liability policy takes care of several claims from varying industries. It covers issues like marketing liability, copyright matters, third-party injuries, and third-party destruction, to mention a few. It is fit for your business if you intend to engage advertisement agencies.

Commercial property policy safeguards your company from physical destruction triggered by natural calamities such as explosions, fire, floods, and lightning, to mention a few. The insurance covers your building, business equipment, signage, landscaping, and inventory, among others. However, the coverage does not include wealth located away from your business premises.

Who Needs to Purchase BOP Insurance?

The policy is decent for small startups in most cases. If your company hosts less than 100 workers, then BOP is the way to go. However, the annual revenue should not exceed $5 million if you chose the option. Your insurance agency should advise you on the best approach when purchasing BOP insurance for your new business.

Contact Safechoice Insurance Agency today by visiting our website to get the deal of a lifetime in Rochester, MN.

How Often Should You Update Your Home Insurance Policy?

Most homeowners in Rochester, MN, and other parts of America take home insurance when buying their home with a mortgage. However, once they get their policy in place, they never give it a second thought until disaster strikes. 

Home insurance isn’t a “buy and forget” investment. You should update it to cover your current situation. Otherwise, you might find yourself incurring significant out-of-pocket expenses when disaster strikes. Are you unsure when you should be updating your home insurance policy? Hang on as Safechoice Insurance Agency shares tips. 

When you make significant improvements

Insurance experts advise that you should adjust your home insurance plan every time you make significant additions to your house. An added kitchen? An enhanced bathroom? Your home insurance should reflect these changes since they add to the value of your home. In case of a disaster, your house would be expensive to rebuild due to these additions. Without adequate home insurance, you may have to fork out the repairs of your additions from your pocket.

When your home value increases

If you insured your home when it cost, let say, $550,000, and now it’s valued at $1M, it’s a smart choice to adjust your home insurance plan since the cost of rebuilding your house today will have increased. While you won’t use the $1M figure, you should adjust your home’s value to what it would cost if it were rebuilt from scratch today. 

When you make alterations that increase your liability

Have you added an in-ground swimming pool? Have you added a second floor to your home? These home improvements increase the chances of a guest in your home suffering injuries. And because you might be liable for injuries they suffer when they are in your house, you need to boost your liability coverage to cover medical expenses and possible legal suits.

Need more information on home insurance? Would you like to know whether your home insurance covers you sufficiently? Please contact Safechoice Insurance Agency of Rochester, MN, for more home insurance tips. 

Minnesota Car Insurance: What to Do After Car Theft

When your vehicle has been stolen, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed or feel like you don’t know what you need to do. The most obvious responses are to first call the police and then call your insurance company. If it hasn’t happened yet, you can prepare yourself with your car insurance ahead of time. 

At Safechoice Insurance Agency, we want Rochester, MN to feel secure with their car insurance no matter what happens. 

Report the Stolen Vehicle

The first thing to do when you have a high-value asset stolen is to call the police. Do this before you call the insurance company because we will want to know the results of this call. When you can, get the police report number, and take as much information as you can for your next call, the insurance company.

After you have reported the stolen car to the police, call the insurance company. A claim advisor will help you with your claim. In many cases, you may need to wait 5 to 7 days for your claim to be processed. We will want to see if the police recover your vehicle or not.

Will Insurance Cover a Stolen Car?

Your car insurance will cover a stolen car if you have comprehensive insurance. It will replace stolen vehicles, stolen parts from vehicles, and damage to your vehicle after vandalism or other crime.

If you have personal belongings in the car, that will be covered by renters insurance or home insurance. This is one reason it is always easier to bundle your insurance policies with the same company.

Get a Quote

When your car gets stolen, this is a major crisis in your life. Safechoice Insurance Agency wants the people of Rochester, MN to feel secure before that happens, and when it happens. Call us for a free quote or to update your comprehensive coverage today.

Should I get a Rochester toy insurance plan?

Those that are in the Rochester, MN area are going to find that there are a lot of great places to use recreational vehicles and toys. If you are in the market for a new recreational vehicle, it could provide you with a lot of opportunities for fun and excitement. Along with the toy, you also need to get a proper insurance plan for it. There are several reasons that people here should get a recreational toy. 

Insurance Protects Asset

A key reason to get insurance for your toy is so you can protect your valuable asset. If you choose to purchase one of these assets, you will want to enjoy it for a long time. With the right insurance plan in place, you will get the protection that is needed to repair or replace the toy if it is stolen or damaged in some form of accident.

Liability Coverage

Those that have a recreational toy should also consider their liability risk. If you make a mistake while operating the recreational toy, there is a risk that a collision could occur with another user. When this happens, it will be your responsibility to pay for damages that are caused. As these damages can be expensive, you will want to have a liability plan to mitigate this risk. 

When you live in the Rochester, MN area and own a recreational toy, you will want to have the right insurance for it. As you are looking for a new policy, calling the Safechoice Insurance Agency is a great option to consider. The team with the Safechoice Insurance Agency can offer all the support and guidance that is needed to build and choose an insurance plan. This will help to keep your recreational toy properly covered. 

Is Health Insurance Legally Required?

You might have heard about health insurance, but understanding its nitty-gritty can be a tall order. Health insurance is a complicated subject but can be broken down into digestible chunks with a knowledgeable insurance agent. At Safechoice Insurance Agency of Rochester, MN, we handle the difficult bits of health insurance to help you get the proper coverage.  

Today, we navigate one of the most asked questions by our clients: Is health insurance legally required in Minnesota? If you want to find out, keep scrolling.

Is health insurance mandatory in Minnesota?

As of 2019, the Obamacare act required citizens to carry health insurance. Failure to have health insurance would attract penalties at the federal level, but this was no longer the case as of 2019. 

However, a handful of states passed laws requiring an individual mandate at the state level. These states include New Jersey, Vermont, California, Massachusetts, and Rhodes Island. As you can see, Minnesota isn’t one of the states requiring Obamacare individual mandate.

Why you need health insurance

Whether health insurance is mandatory or not, you need this insurance for the below reasons:

  • Rising health costs: No one plans to get sick or get hurt, but you may find yourself requiring medical care at some point. With the rising healthcare costs in the US, securing yourself with insurance saves you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in treatment costs. 
  • Preventing illnesses: When you carry health insurance, preventive healthcare like blood tests, vaccines, screens and scans, and some checkups are covered, helping diagnose diseases early.
  • Care of ongoing health conditions: Management of diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer can take a toll on your finances. As a result, many poor Americans risk missing out on chronic disease management care because they can’t afford the treatment. This action puts them at risk of further health complications and even death.

Are you looking for the right health insurance plan in Rochester, MN? Contact Safechoice Insurance Agency, and we will help you get proper health insurance without overpaying.

The Basics of Life Insurance

The Basics of Life Insurance

A life insurance policy provides a contractual agreement between the insurance company and the policyholder that provides a lump sum payment to the beneficiary of the policy when the policyholder dies as long as the policyholder pays the premiums in a timely manner. 

Safechoice Insurance Agency serving Rochester MN wants you to understand that not all life insurance works the same. You can find two main types of life insurance. These include:

  • Term life: a policy that remains in force for a specific number of years.
  • Permanent life: a policy that remains in force as long as the insured pays the premiums, surrenders the policy, or dies.

Within those two main types, you will find much variety. Term policies may charge premiums at a level term. That means the premiums remain the same annually or at an increasing term which charges lower premiums at a younger age, but which increase as the individual ages.

Permanent policies provide a much wider diversity. A single premium policy charges only one up-front premium, a balloon payment that funds the policy for life. A whole policy can accumulate cash value, while a universal life policy amasses an interest-earning cash value that charges premiums similar to term life insurance. It allows the death benefit and premiums to get adjusted over time. A variable universal policy amasses a cash value that the policyholder can choose to invest. An indexed universal policy lets the policyholder amass a cash value account and earn interest or invest the money according to an equity-indexed rate of return or a fixed rate.

Some perm policies do not amass cash value. The guaranteed universal policy type does not and charges lower premiums than a whole life policy. A person with a pre-existing medical condition can obtain a guaranteed issue policy to provide a death benefit to their beneficiary. In the first two years of issuance, the policy only pays for accidental death. After that period, death from any cause except self-infliction receives coverage. A burial or final expense policy provides a small death benefit, typically enough to cover a funeral or cremation.

Contact Safechoice Insurance Agency serving Rochester, MN to learn more about life insurance and determine which policy works best for you.

Commercial Insurance Requirements in Rochester, MN

If you live in Rochester, MN and are interested in learning more about how commercial insurance requirements apply to you, you should consider learning more about Safechoice Insurance Agency and what they can offer you.

Commercial insurance is very important for those who run businesses. For example, you do need liability insurance when you are running a business, in order to protect yourself in the event of a mishap. For example, if someone falls down on the premises or one of your customers ends up getting injured by one of your products, you can be held liable and lose a lot of money if you don’t have the appropriate insurance.

Liability insurance is also known as Commercial General Liability. It covers four categories of different events that could end up bankrupting your business if you don’t have insurance. These include bodily injury, personal injury (including libel or slander), damage to other people’s property, and false or misleading advertising. If the injured party incurs medical expenses, this insurance coverage will pay for those expenses. There are a few types of legal damages for which you may be sued that could typically be covered by this kind of policy. These include compensatory damages, which are financial losses incurred by the injured party. General damages are also generally covered; these include any nonmonetary losses that the injured party has to deal with, such as mental anguish. Punitive damages are also covered; these include additional charges and penalties that the defendant is going to have to pay.

If you are a resident of Rochester, MN and want to learn more about commercial insurance, you should consider contacting Safechoice Insurance Agency. The professionals here will be able to tell you more about how Commercial Insurance works in the state of Minnesota and how it can work to your advantage.

Who needs a Rochester home insurance plan?

In the Rochester, MN area the strong economy and local amenities can make it a great place to buy a home. When you are going to purchase a home in this area of Minnesota you will want to know that your home is properly covered with insurance. There continue to be many situations when people will need to have a home insurance plan in place at all times. 

Those that are Required to Have It

A common situation when you will need home insurance is when you are required to have it. Most people that live in the Rochester area are going to have home insurance requirements. Anyone that has taken out a mortgage or live in a condo association are going to have specific insurance requirements. It is important to comply with these requirements so you can stay in good standing at all times. 

Those that Want to Have Protection

Even if you are in a situation where you are not obligated to carry insurance, having home coverage still is a good option. Those that have home insurance are going to receive coverage for their property, their personal assets, and personal liability protection. In an event that there is an accident that leads to a loss or liability claim, having the insurance plan in place will prove to be very valuable and helpful. 

If you would like to get a home insurance plan and you are in the Rochester, MN area, it would be wise for you to speak with the team at the Safechoice Insurance Agency. It can be hard to choose a home insurance plan and Safechoice Insurance Agency can help you make a wise decision. The team is able to do this by carefully assessing all of your needs and giving support to help you build a new policy. 

Who needs auto insurance in Rochester?

In the Rochester, MN area having access to a car is very important. When you have access to a vehicle, you will be able to quickly get around town and complete your tasks and errands efficiently. Along with picking a car, another important task that you need to complete is to pick an auto insurance plan. This insurance coverage is necessary for many different situations. 

Those that Want to Drive Legally

A situation when someone will need to have auto insurance in the Rochester area is when they would like to drive a vehicle legally. Anyone that is going to drive a car in this area of Minnesota needs to follow the state laws around liability insurance. All drivers that want to use a public road are obligated to carry vehicle liability insurance at all times. 

Those that Want to Protect Vehicle

You will also want to get an auto insurance plan if you want to protect your vehicle. When you are going to buy any type of car you are making a big investment. To ensure that your investment pays off over the long run, you need to get proper insurance for it. A full collision and comprehensive plan will give you the coverage needed to ensure you can repair or replace your vehicle if you are involved in an accident or other incident. 

If you need to get auto insurance when you are in the Rochester, MN area, it would be a good idea for you to call Safechoice Insurance Agency. The team that is with Safechoice Insurance Agency understands the value that this insurance protection provides. They can help someone to better assess all of their options and needs when it comes to coverage. They can then help you build a plan that is ideal for your situation.

What is included with a motorcycle insurance in Rochester?

In the Rochester, MN area there are many months of warm weather and sun. The beautiful scenery and nice weather can make it a great place to enjoy your very own motorcycle. If you would like to buy a motorcycle when you are in this area of Minnesota, it is necessary that you get proper insurance for it. A motorcycle insurance plan will include several forms of insurance coverage. 

Coverage to Protect Asset

One type of coverage that you can receive with your motorcycle insurance plan is to protect your asset. If you buy a motorcycle, you will want to know that you can enjoy it for years to come. When you get a full motorcycle insurance policy, it will include the coverage that is needed to repair or replace it if you invest in a collision and comprehensive coverage.

Liability Insurance Protection

With motorcycle insurance, you will also get liability coverage. Those who drive a motorcycle run the risk of causing an accident. If this happens for you, you will have to cover the damages. When you have a full motorcycle insurance plan you will receive the liability coverage that is necessary to offset this risk while also staying in legal compliance. 

Those that are moving to the Rochester, MN area and want to get a motorcycle will benefit from the coverage that is provided in a full insurance plan. If you are in the market for a new motorcycle insurance policy and you are in this area, it would be a good idea to call the Safechoice Insurance Agency. The team with the Safechoice Insurance Agency can help you better understand what your insurance needs and options are. They can then help by building you a policy that will offer ideal coverage and protection.