Thursday, November 17, 2011

Texas Auto Insurance - What Is The Right Policy For You?

Auto insurance can be confusing anywhere in the country and Texas is no exception. Finding the right Texas auto insurance can seem like a daunting task. Many people have had the same coverage and insurance company since they bought their first car. That is not always the best decision. Taking a step back and looking at your options may save you money and get you better coverage. Ask yourself a few questions: What kind of policy do I have? What is my deductible? What is my premium? Does my policy offer any benefits? If you know the answer to all of those questions then at least you have some sense of your coverage. Now it’s time to analyze your answers.


There are two extremely different types of policies: full coverage and liability (minimum coverage). Most people can distinguish between the two but not know exactly what is right for them. Full coverage protects you and your car from damages even if the accident is your fault. Liability only insures the other vehicle or person involved in the incident. Determining what is right for you comes down to your budget and the type of vehicle you are driving. If you can afford the higher premium and your car holds a decent amount of value, than full coverage would be the option for you. If your car holds very little value and you have a tight budget, than minimum coverage is all you need. Determining your deductible is the next logical question to ask. Basically the lower your deductible is, the higher your premium will be. A good way to determine what you want to do here is base it off your previous driving history. If you are prone to accidents than a lower deductible will save you some up-front costs at the time of an incident. If you are a safe or less frequent driver you may want to consider carrying a higher deductible. This will lower your premium and only affect you in the case of an accident. So what else can your Texas auto insurance cover? Some add-ons include incidental damage like vandalism or incidental accidents. Typically the only reason to carry this coverage is if you have a very valuable car or you are a stickler with keeping it pristine.
Answering all of these questions and researching your current policy can prove to be beneficial in the end. It may be a hassle to dig up all of this information, but it could end up saving you hundreds of dollars on your Texas auto insurance.

Charter Bus To The Big Game!

Have you ever thought of an alternative means of travel for a group trip? Coordinating a large group of people is never easy and adding travel to the mix only makes it harder. Let’s say that it’s a local trip for instance; all of your friends want to go to the big sporting event in the city. How is everyone going to get to the game? How will everyone get home? Is there a designated driver and if so, how many DD’s will you need? All these are typical questions among many others that need to be answered by the coordinator of the outing. Typically most people would probably just whittle down the group until there are enough volunteer drivers to accommodate, but there is another solution, a bus charter! This option is often overlooked or forgot about. The fact is it may be the easiest and most fun means of transportation. Chartering a bus is a great solution that gets your whole group of friends together in one place safely. Just set a date and time for both a pick-up and a return trip and let everyone know. I have even entertained the idea of utilizing the bus for tailgating (depending on price of course). Last year we decided to use a charter to go to a football game in Chicago. Most of the attendees were local from the suburbs but some were from out of state. It made for a great time with some old friends. The charter bus really turned the game into more of an event then a typical Sunday. It really helped get the interest of my out-of-state friends and was probably the sole reason they decided to make the trip and visit.



After that experience, I started thinking on a bigger level. If it was that much fun to travel on a charter bus for an hour or so to a game, imagine an entire trip. This got me thinking and researching. I also do a snowboarding trip every winter, but some people get left behind due to space. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to have enough room to accommodate everyone? My thoughts exactly! I decided to look into chartering a bus for a trip up north to Wisconsin. I brought the idea up to a group of my friends and everyone seemed on board. I thought this might take a little more planning then just going on a day trip to a Bears game, but it was surprisingly easy; granted I haven’t booked it yet. The plan is to take the charter to a ski mountain for a weekend. This way everyone can travel together and there is plenty of room for all our gear. Depending on home many people we get, the charter bus could actually be relatively economical as well! I still have to look into lodging but I am really hoping this trip happens! The first bus charter trip went so well, I can only imagine this one being just as much fun!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Finding The Right Chicago Auto Insurance

Traveling for any occasion should be a fun and interesting experience. I have traveled using many different means of transportation in the past. Obviously I have previously spoken about using a charter bus for group transportation, but not every trip is planned with a group large enough to support a bus. In that case, many trips are taken in a care, aka “a road trip.” I feel that if I were to take a survey about enjoyment levels of a road trip it would come back as either love it  or hate it. Regardless, it is the most economical means of transportation for small groups to travel. But there are a few things to think about before you hit the road.
Most importantly, what if something happens? Will you have the right insurance to cover damage? Say you are in Chicago, is your policy considered Chicago auto insurance?  Auto insurance, in my opinion, is becoming a major expense in every budget of an American that owns a car. This is for good reason because its purpose is to protect one of the most expensive purchases a consumer can make. The problem is most people do not understand their policy and find out the hard way after an incident. There are a few major questions to address when determining what kind of coverage you need. Factoring into your decision should be previous driving record, type of vehicle you are purchasing, and how of often you drive. Using these determining factors will get you the coverage you need.
Some insurance companies will do anything to get your business. They can manipulate plans to appear budget friendly when in fact, they may end up costing more if a claim was ever filed. This is because of the main types of auto insurance that is offered, full coverage and liability. It is fairly easy to understand that full coverage covers damages to your car but at what cost to you. That’s when your deductible plays in. Some plans that are cheaper monthly may have high deductible making it hard to get your car repaired. Others are low, but you will pay higher monthly. Either way if you drive extensively or your car has a decent value, than full coverage may be best. Liability insurance only covers damages to other vehicles. This type is often referred to as minimum coverage. You can end up in a mess with this type of insurance if you happen to get in an accident and your car is totaled. There are also add-ons such as incidental coverage that covers vandalism and other incidental damage. In the end, it is important to choose the right coverage for your vehicle and lifestyle. This is something that consumers may not spend a lot of time researching until something bad happens. My suggestion is to take a look into your insurance before a long trip. It can really come in handy even if it’s just something small that happens and you just need a tow!