Keep these items in your car in case of emergency

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In Lafayette, IN you never know when you’ll be faced with an emergency in your car. At Blevins Insurance Agency, we want to make sure you’re safe on the road regardless of what situation you might find yourself in. That’s why we created a list of things to keep in your car in case of an emergency. 

Emergency items include things to sustain you, such as food; things to keep you safe, such as a blanket; things to use in case of a medical emergency, such as bandages; and things to help your car in an emergency, such as jumper cables.

Include the following in your car emergency kit: 

Items for you and your family:

  • Nonperishable food
  • Water 
  • Blankets
  • A change of clothes for each member of your family
  • Diapers, wipes, formula, and baby food (if you have young children) 
  • A pocket knife 
  • A car phone charger
  • Spare cash
  • A map of the area you typically travel 
  • A flashlight
  • Batteries
  • A whistle 
  • Garbage bags
  • Food for any pets that regularly travel with you 
  • A fire extinguisher
  • Personal hygiene items, such as toothbrushes and menstrual pads 
  • A paper and pencil 
  • Toys, books, and other items to keep kids occupied 

Medical items

  • Band-aids
  • Gauze
  • Medical tape
  • First aid kit
  • Any prescription medications for members of your family 
  • Pain relievers

Items for your car 

  • Jumper cables
  • Flares
  • Reflective triangles
  • A spare tire
  • Your car’s manual 
  • Ice scraper 
  • Cat litter or sand for traction in slippery conditions 

It might seem like a hassle to prepare an emergency kit for your car, but you’ll be thanking yourself in the event you or your family face an emergency on the road near Lafayette, IN. If you have questions about how to prepare your car for an emergency or how to make sure your auto insurance is up-to-date, contact Blevins Insurance Agency today.

Is It Too Early To Get Life Insurance?

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When thinking about life insurance, most people don’t think about it until they are older and getting closer to death. When they are younger, they may feel invisible. As they age, they are faced with a mortgage and raising a family. They may not have enough extra money to put toward life insurance. So, that being said, is it ever too early to get life insurance? 

Blevins Insurance Agency in Lafayette, IN recommends you consider life insurance

The truth is that it is never too early to get life insurance. In fact, some parents will buy insurance for their young children, just in case. These policies are often very affordable due to the fact that death is unlikely at this age.  

As you start to go out and live your own life, you may also feel like you are too young to get insurance. However, you may want to think about getting a policy. Your premium will be much more affordable when you are in your twenties and thirties, instead of your forties and fifties. In fact, it could double in just a few years!  

You also need to think about your health. As you age, you may develop health problems that could make your insurance cost even more. You might even have a disease that prevents you from getting insurance. That wouldn’t have been a problem if you had gotten it earlier, and you should have been covered.

Though you may feel like you are too young to worry about life insurance, the truth is that you should consider it. It will be much cheaper now than later. You may also become ineligible for insurance if you develop a health condition. 

If you want to make sure that you have the right life insurance policy, you should contact us today at Blevins Insurance Agency in Lafayette, IN. 

What every homeowner needs to know about insurance

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If you need home insurance, Blevins Insurance Agency is here to help! Having the proper homeowner’s policy is an integral part of responsible homeownership. We can help you find the policy that’s right for you. The Lafayette, IN community can count on us!

Protect your home with a comprehensive homeowner’s policy

When you find the home of your dreams, it only makes sense to have adequate protection in place. A robust insurance policy is an effective way to ensure that your home and your belongings will be covered in a catastrophe.

We also advise all of our clients to review their policies regularly. As your home value increases, so too will your insurance needs. This is especially true if you make any substantial changes or upgrades to your home. We can help you ensure that you have the right coverage in place. When it comes to insurance, you always want to have the right coverage ready to go well before you need it!

A home is likely to be the most significant investment a person will make in their lifetime. It only makes sense to have a comprehensive policy to protect it! Review your policy today for completeness and ensure you have the coverage you need.

We are here to help you with all of your insurance needs

Blevins Insurance Agency is here to help the greater Lafayette, IN community with all of its insurance needs. If you wonder if your current homeowner’s policy provides the coverage you need, call or stop by our office today.

Who should invest in auto insurance in Indiana?

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Those that move to the Lafayette, IN area can find that owning a car is a practical necessity. With a reliable car, you will have an easier time getting around and enjoying all that the community has to offer. If you are going to buy a car, you also need to get the right insurance for it. There are various situations in which someone will need to have this insurance support.

When Driving on a Public Road

A situation in which you will want to have an auto insurance plan is when you want to drive on a public road. People that are going to drive a car here need to meet the standards and laws set by the state. This includes a requirement that all drivers carry liability auto insurance when on a public road. If you do not meet the minimum standards, you can face various penalties. 

When Trying to Protect Car

Your vehicle is likely one of the most valuable assets that you will ever own. Due to the importance and value of a car, you should always make sure that you get the proper insurance for it. When you get an auto insurance plan that includes comprehensive coverage, it will protect you against many scenarios that could otherwise result in a loss for you. 

Anyone that is a vehicle owner in the Lafayette, IN area will want to ensure they have the right insurance. As there are a lot of choices to make when you are looking for an auto insurance plan, the Blevins Insurance Agency is always a great company to start with when looking for support. The team with the Blevins Insurance Agency will give you any support that you need to build your next plan and ensure that you remain appropriately covered with insurance. 

Do I Need Commercial Insurance in IN?

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If you own a business then it is likely that you have made a sizable investment so ensuring its success is the top priority. One of the best ways to safeguard your business is to purchase adequate commercial insurance. In Indiana, business owners are required to maintain two different types of insurance. First, workers’ compensation insurance is required for any business that employs one or more people and helps pay for medical-related expenses due to work-related injuries and illnesses. The second, commercial auto insurance, is needed for any business-owned vehicles and you must maintain at least the following minimum coverage:

  • $25,000 bodily injury liability per person
  • $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident
  • $25,000 property damage liability per accident

Keep in mind that these are just the minimum liability figures and many businesses will want to increase the limit to protect themselves further. Not having either of these insurances will open you to liability in the form of fines from the state of Indiana and from being sued by employees that are injured while at work. 

Although not required, Indiana business owners should also consider coverage for other incidents such as cyber liability insurance to help pay for damages associated with cyber attacks such as notifications to customers, litigation, and fines. Other popular coverage includes professional liability insurance, which protects businesses that offer services to their customers. 

At Blevins Insurance Agency in Lafayette, IN, we know commercial insurance like the back of our hands. Whether you have just opened a business and are buying a policy for the first time or are looking to change insurance providers, we want to help. Give us a call today to learn more. 

3 Tips for First-Time Home and Home Insurance Buyers

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Unlike auto insurance, state law doesn’t necessarily require you to have this type of coverage. However, this does not mean you shouldn’t. As a first-time homebuyer in Lafayette, IN, here is some information Blevins Insurance Agency wants to ensure you’re equipped with.

Your Lender Likely Requires It

Although some states don’t mandate home insurance, you are likely required to have it if you are financing your home through a mortgage lender or bank. Home insurance is one of those things that protects the financial institution’s interests in the event of a calamity. Make sure that you purchase more than the outstanding loan amount, which ensures you are able to recover built-up equity after a disaster.

It Offers Personal Liability Protection

Most people only know home insurance as protection for their home and belongings; however, it is more than that. It also offers coverage when someone is injured while at your home. It covers the medical and or legal costs as well as repair costs to their property if damage occurs to it.

Focus on Value Instead of Price

As with many things in life, you may want to try to save money where you can and opt for the cheapest home insurance policy. However, you should focus on the best value policy. In other words, look for the best bang for your buck. Take a close look at the policy limits, deductible amounts, what is and isn’t covered, etc. Ideally, you want to invest in a home insurance policy that has the fewest exclusions, offers more coverage for your losses, and requires less of a deductible when filing a claim.

If you need help figuring out the best home insurance policy for you and your individual situation, reach out to the professionals at Blevins Insurance Agency, an insurance agency that serves the Lafayette, IN area.

Life insurance FAQs

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Most people don’t know a lot about most kinds of insurance and life insurance is no exception. . If you have lots of questions, you have company. At Blevins Insurance Agency in Lafayette, IN, we have been helping residents in the area since 1998. As independent agents, we are able to work for our customers to find the right life insurance to meet their needs. We also get to know them well enough to know what those needs are. 

When is the optimal time to buy life insurance?

When you are healthy and young, life insurance will be at its most affordable.  But that is not the only time that it makes sense. When you are getting married, having a child, or have just bought a home, these are all times when buying life insurance may be a good decision. You want to buy it before you need it. 

Should I buy whole life or term insurance?

You should probably have both types of life insurance. Term life insurance only lasts for the term of the policy, which can be anywhere from 5 to 30 years. At the end of the term, there is no longer any coverage. Whole life insurance stays with you for your entire life and the premium won’t go up. 

Do I need my own life insurance if I get some from my employer?

If you could guarantee that you will never leave this employer, you might not need your own insurance, but no one has that assurance. Your employer could lay you off or close their doors and then what would happen to your life insurance coverage? Who knows? It is always best to be in control of the decisions that affect your life insurance. 

Contact Blevins Insurance Agency in Lafayette, IN if you have questions about life insurance. 

Auto Insurance and Your Teen Driver: What You Should Know

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So, it’s finally time for your teen to start driving. It is a relief that you won’t have to drive them around everywhere they want to go any longer, but at the same time, it is stressful because you know you have to add them to your auto insurance policy—not to mention the fact that they’ll be out on their own for you to worry about constantly.

While our team at Blevins Insurance Agency can’t help you with the worry, we are dedicated to helping families in Lafayette, IN navigate difficult auto insurance issues like adding a teenager to an existing insurance policy. Here are a few things you should know before your teen gets behind the wheel.

Make Sure to Choose the Right Vehicle

The vehicle that you choose for your teenager will have a significant impact on the premiums that you pay. While your teen may want a sports car, it is going to cost a lot more to insure than a four-door sedan. This is because a sedan is seen as safer in the eyes of the insurance company. Appearance is not everything, despite what your teen may believe.

Get Your Teen Insured ASAP

It is important that you add your teen to your auto insurance policy as soon as possible. Failing to do so could result in even higher premiums, especially if your teen gets into an accident before they’re properly insured. While your teen could get their own policy, it is generally more affordable and easier to simply add your teen to your existing policy.

Look into Discounts

Since insuring a teen driver can be costly at times, you will want to check into any discounts that your insurance company may offer. You may be able to get a discount based on your teenager’s grades. You may be able to get a discount for having your teen sign up and take a defensive driving course. In the end, your teen may start studying more and driving better while also helping you get better rates!

When you need to ensure that you and your teen driver have the proper auto insurance, contact us at Blevins Insurance Agency. We have been keeping Lafayette, IN families properly insured since 1998.

Required Commercial Insurance in Indiana

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If you own a business in Indiana, make sure that you have any commercial insurance policies that are required for your business. To find out more about what is expected of your business, and what is recommended, give us a call today at Blevins Insurance Agency in Lafayette, IN.

Commercial Auto Coverage

If your Indiana business owns a vehicle, it is responsible for having a commercial auto policy on that vehicle. In addition, there are specific minimum amounts of coverage that you have to have within your commercial auto policy. These include a specific amount for bodily injury liability for a single person who is injured in an accident with your vehicle. Another amount has to be available for everyone in the accident who is injured. There is another amount required for your property damage liability. All of these required amounts are for liability, but you don’t have to stay with the minimum required coverage. You can add coverage such as collision insurance and comprehensive insurance. Both of these protect your vehicle in an accident that is your fault. 

If you have a vehicle that you use for work, but your business doesn’t own it, that vehicle should have a policy called hired and non-owned. This is important for protecting you financially if it has an accident. It’s likely that a personal auto policy would not pay out if you had an accident while doing work tasks. 

Workers’ Compensation Coverage

This type of insurance coverage is required for every business that has any number of employees- even just one. This coverage protects workers by having money available if they are injured while at work. It protects your business by paying for employee injuries so that the employee doesn’t need to sue your company. 

Get Your Business Covered

To find out more, call us at Blevins Insurance Agency in Lafayette, IN.

How Home Insurance Protects You

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Home insurance is an extremely important type of coverage that should be kept by every homeowner. The consequences of not having this insurance can be disastrously expensive. To protect your home and future, you need home insurance. To find out more, contact us at Blevins Insurance Agency in Lafayette, IN.

Your Possessions

One way that home insurance protects you is by covering your possessions. When you add up what all of your possessions cost, the number can be surprisingly large. If you didn’t have home insurance and had to try to replace it all after a disaster or accident, you might not be able to do so. A home insurance policy pays for you to begin replacing the items that were lost so that you can get back to normal life more quickly and easily. 

Your Dwelling

The dwelling itself is also an enormous expense. To protect your investment in the house, you need this coverage. If something, such as a disaster, were to affect your house, your home insurance can pay for the damages by getting them repaired or the house rebuilt. These expenses can be substantial, and the damages can get so expensive that you wouldn’t be able to afford repairs without a home policy. 

Your Liability

Accidents can happen in the home that can leave you liable for enormous bills. If you were to have someone in your home who gets injured or sick there, you can be found at fault and ordered to pay the medical bills. With a home insurance policy, those bills are taken care of. 

Cover Your Home

To keep your home covered for all of these situations and more, you need to have a home insurance policy for as long as you own the house. Give us a call at Blevins Insurance Agency in Lafayette, IN.