Every storm season, people wonder if they should have gotten flood insurance. They see the devastation others have suffered and do not wish to go through the same thing. In Bourbonnais, IL, the George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc can offer you some friendly advice regarding floods and who should have flood insurance.

What is a Flood?

According to National Geographic, a flood can happen anywhere water overwhelms a naturally dry area. Although some flooding you can prepare for when you hear broadcasts of excessive rain during a thunderstorm or a hurricane, there are other times you will not be able to prepare beforehand. In certain cases, flash floods can be more dangerous than a regular flood.

Who Needs Flood Insurance?

Even though you may not live in a floodplain, you should consider purchasing flood insurance. If your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), you can contact your local independent insurance representative to gain coverage. Whether you are renting or you own your own home, you can get a policy.

Why Do You Need Flood Insurance?

Floods are one of the most dangerous and destructive natural disasters. It can leave thousands of dollars worth of damages throughout your home and yard. Neither renters nor homeowners insurance typically covers flood damage.

Floods can Cause Lots of Damages

Flood damage can result in your baseboards and walls developing mold. You’d have to remove and replace the carpet or wood flooring. The electrical work may need to be rewired. Your appliances could be damaged as well and need to be repaired or replaced.

Contact the George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc in Bourbonnais, IL to get information concerning flood insurance for your home.

If you own a condominium and it is the only place where you can stay, what happens if it gets seriously damaged and repairs need to be made? The experts at George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc serving Bourbonnais, IL, and the nearby communities, have dealt with this many times.

Neighbor’s Simple Mistake Causes a Nightmare

In a condominium building, your neighbors are as close as the walls and floors that separate you from them. Noisy neighbors may be annoying but that is not a danger.

Imagine if your neighbor put something on the stove and then forgets about it. It causes a fire that burns through their place and causes severe damage to your condo. Nobody is hurt; however, your condo is wrecked. You have replacement-cost insurance coverage that is adequate to cover the claim and to make the repairs. That was a smart move.

You quickly choose a qualified contractor to do the work. Everything is OK so far because you are staying in a nearby hotel. Then, the contractors tell you the local building permit department is back-logged and it will take six weeks to get a building permit approved for your repair job! That’s six weeks before the work can start.

You do a quick calculation of the cost of staying in the hotel for six+ weeks. There is no way you can afford it. You are overwhelmed and do not know what to do.

Living Expenses Coverage

The causes of this problem may differ; however, this nightmare scenario is very common. Many people insure the obvious things, yet forget about the expenses that arise when an unexpected calamity happens. Fortunately, it is possible to cover this risk.

Call 815-936-0075 to speak with your agent at George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc in Bourbonnais, IL. Find out if your condo insurance has a provision for living expenses incurred while repairs are made for a covered disaster. This is the kind of fine-tuning of insurance coverage that is a good idea and comes in handy if you need it.

Although Bourbonnais, IL isn’t in a major earthquake zone, these incidents may still happen in this area from time to time. Therefore, we at George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc suggest seriously considering the benefits of high-quality earthquake insurance as a landlord.

Landlords May Need to Buy Insurance in Earthquake Zones

Areas in earthquake zones typically require landlords to purchase insurance policies to protect their investment. These specific sectors are defined by state and federal officials and provide landlords and insurance companies with a better understanding of the risk of this danger.

However, other states allow landlords to choose whether or not they want to buy insurance, even in earthquake zones. Generally speaking, a policy is a good choice because of how devastating and earthquake can be to a home or apartment complex.

How Earthquake Coverage Helps

Adding earthquake coverage to an insurance policy will help protect you in three major ways. First of all, it will protect a rental home from serious damage that occurs during an earthquake. Secondly, it will protect personal property – such as vehicles and more – during these destructive incidents. This coverage does NOT extend to renters, who need to pay for their own policies.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, these policies also help to cover additional living expenses. Typically, these expenses fall under the heading of resettlement expenses and repairs on a home. Make sure to get a home valued properly when setting limits on what these policies cover.

Let Us Help You Find a Policy

So if you live in Bourbonnais, IL and are worried about earthquakes affecting the area, please don’t hesitate to contact us at George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc to learn more. Our experts will take the proper steps to ensure that your rental home is properly covered by this danger.

When it comes to renters insurance, it is good to know the meaning of some terms you will hear when buying a policy. Replacement cost and actual cash value are two big ones, and there is the idea of agreed to value.  The George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc in Bourbonnais, IL wants you to understand the differences and can help you find the insurance you need.

Actual cash value is what an item is worth today. Replacement cost is what it would cost to replace the item, meaning a new one. An $800 couch, for instance, would be worth much less if it was three years old. If you have a loss, you would have to get a new couch and the actual cash value would leave you having to pay the difference. For some items, like antiques, you may have an agreed to value in your policy, which is something you agree on when you get the policy.

You need to have receipts and lists of your possessions that would have some value. Renters insurance covers those items, but if you cannot prove you had them, you may not get as much from a claim. Sometimes insurance companies give you a set amount, or a portion, and the rest after you make the purchases to replace what was lost. Often you have to prove you replaced the item to get the final payment, but there are policies that do not have that requirement.

Contact the George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc in Bourbonnais, IL to find the best renters policy for your situation. You may visit in person, or call, or find us online and use our website tool to get information about costs. Existing customers should also contact us when their situation changes to update their policy.

 

Starting one’s own family is a rite of passage that creates a lot of love and joy in your life! As your family grows, it is important to remember to increase your life insurance coverage accordingly. If you are in the Bourbonnais, IL area and have not updated your life insurance policy as your family has grown, the team at George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc is here to help. With the right level of life insurance, you can rest assured that your family’s financial needs will be taken care of in the event of your unexpected death.

Important Coverage for the Important People in Your Life

Life with young children can bet pretty hectic, and it is easy for a lot of advance planning to fall by the wayside. If you are the sole breadwinner for your spouse and children it is imperative that you plan for their future in the event of your unexpected death. With the appropriate level of life insurance coverage, your death benefit can ensure that they are able to remain in the family home and your children will be able to pursue their educational and career goals. 

When you have additional children it makes sense to increase your coverage limits because of the added expense that will be incurred by your surviving spouse. We all know that raising children in today’s modern environment is financially challenging, and will be even more so on the earnings of just one spouse. Proper coverage is an effective way to take care of all of your family’s needs.

Ready to begin planning for your family’s future security? If you are in the greater Bourbonnais IL area contact the George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc today to set up a consultation. 

Anyone who uses the healthcare exchange or needs to in 2019 is probably wondering what’s changed in federal healthcare policy. You can consult your George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc in Bourbonnais, IL to walk you through the changes that have passed and what’s still coming. In the meantime, here’s what’s going on.

The Affordable Care Act in 2019

The Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA) had open enrollment for the 2019 calendar year, and this means the ACA will still be around at least that long. Just because the open enrollment period has ended doesn’t mean you can’t receive coverage. If you experience major changes in your life, you might still be able to enroll after the turn of the year.

The agents at George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc in Bourbonnais, IL are ready to walk you through the changes and what’s available to you. 

2019 Health Insurance Exemptions

The individual mandate is no longer in effect as of January 1st, so Americans who health insurance no longer have to pay a penalty on their taxes. The new rules include exemptions for residents in foreign countries with no insurance available.

No penalty will apply to those with no health insurance in 2019.

Verification of Premium Tax Credits

The new rule improves the Advanced Premium Tax Credits, or (APTC) program to verify the income for those applying for the tax break. The new rule improves the Advanced Premium Tax Credits, or (APTC) program to verify the income for those applying for the tax break.

Consumers seeking a stable insurer unaffected by the Obamacare or Trumpcare policies may need to go with a private insurer until the dust settles on the healthcare debate.

Contact the George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc in Bourbonnais, IL, for more information on your 2019 healthcare options.

 

 

Running a successful business is difficult. There are so many risks to deal with and if you are not adequately prepared, you’ll end up with a failed business. Someone could get injured on the site, a natural disaster can occur and ruin things, or a client can decide to file a lawsuit. The occurrence of any of these risks can lead to financial devastation and ultimately make your business go under. But with commercial insurance, you don’t have to worry about any of that.

Commercial insurance helps you protect your business from some of these risks which significantly reduces the number of worries you have to carry. As a business owner, you don’t have a choice when it comes to some types of commercial insurance such as unemployment and disability coverage, workers comp, etc. It all depends on the laws of the state where your business is based. If your business operates in Bourbonnais, IL, George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc can help you get commercial insurance and enjoy all the benefits that come with it.

You Can’t See the Future

Commercial insurance protects your business against unforeseen events. If you don’t have a crystal ball hidden somewhere in the office, you’d better get commercial insurance to protect your business against unprecedented events. That’s one of the major benefits of this type of insurance. Commercial insurance doesn’t just protect your business from unfortunate events and natural disasters, it also helps you attract and retain employees.

With a comprehensive commercial insurance from George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc. in Bourbonnais, IL, you will not only be able to protect your business from the doom and gloom but also offer perks such as life and health insurance. You will be able to protect your employees and keep your business running at all times. Contact us via a call for more information about commercial insurance in Illinois.

 

 

There are a lot of ways that you can lower your healthcare deductible these days but before you do too much, you want to make sure that you do not leave yourself in a position where you cannot afford to use your insurance. One of the ways that people lower their insurance premiums in Bourbonnais, IL is by increasing their healthcare deductible. However, here at George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc we want to make sure that you can afford the deductible that you choose. 

In order to determine how much of a healthcare deductible you can afford, you need to take a good look at your finances. If you have a good amount in savings that you can pull from if needed, then you may want to start with that number. If you do not have any savings, the next thing you want to look at is how much income you are bringing in. You do not want to get a deductible that you cannot afford to pay with your savings or with your regular income. If you choose one that is higher than you can pay with your savings or income, you may run into an issue of not being able to use your insurance at all. This is the last thing that you want because insurance is not useful if you cannot use it. 

If you are still not sure how much you can afford, be sure to reach out to us here at George Ryan Jr. Insurance Group Inc, serving Bourbonnais, IL. We can help you determine how much you can afford and then help you find the right healthcare plan that takes this into account but is still in your budget. Contact us today to get started finding your plan.