As most pet-owners are aware, they are liable for the actions of their animals.  Everyone knows that if your dog bites someone, you are liable for the resulting medical bills, which is where the personal liability insurance on your homeowners policy comes into play. And most farmers are aware that if the cows get out and wander into the road just as a car comes up over the rise, the farmer could be liable for the damage those cows caused, and they look to their farm policy for coverage.

So what happens when the chicken crosses the road?  Hopefully she makes it to the other side, but if she happens to cause an accident in the process, well, guess who is responsible for the damage!  But here’s the rub: that chicken, even if it lives in town and is a pet, is still a farm animal.  The owner needs farm liability to cover that exposure, and that is not on a standard homeowners policy.

Some people claim that chickens make marvelous pets, and others just like the idea of having fresh eggs from their own backyard.  There is new interest in allowing chickens to be raised in cities or villages, and even the Village of New Glarus has recently passed such an ordinance.  If you choose to raise chickens or any other animal, you assume the liability, which may not be covered by your standard homeowners policy.

If you own any kind of animal, please make sure that your insurance agent is aware!  Incidental farm liability can usually be added to your policy, or there may be other policies available to better cover your exposures.  Sometimes people “forget” to tell their agent about an exposure because they are concerned about increasing premiums or even losing coverage.  But when do you want to find out that you are missing coverage?  Before you pay the premiums or after you have a loss that the insurance company denies?

Remember, if the insurance company denies coverage, that does not mean that you aren’t liable for the damages; it just means that payment is coming out of your pocket instead of the company’s, and in today’s economy, those damages could be devastating to you and your family.  Speak to your agent today about your exposures and make sure that your financial future is properly protected.

The majority of survey respondents (68 percent) agreed that most funny car insurance ads were about saving money. While respondents ranked coverage as the most important consideration when shopping for car insurance, three-quarters (74 percent) admitted that the blitz of car insurance commercials focused on price have caused them to forget about coverage choices that affect how well they are protected.

“People are making very serious decisions about their financial well-being based on punch lines,” said Cody Cook, vice president and product manager at Erie Insurance. “Insurance is complex. Making a decision based on price alone and without the consultation of an insurance expert can have serious repercussions.”

Interestingly, more than half of survey respondents admitted that even after they bought car insurance, they still weren’t certain they had made the right decision. When asked to define basic insurance terms:

Forty-eight percent thought Liability or Comprehensive coverage paid for the damage they caused to their vehicle if it hit another object. Collision coverage pays for the damage to one’s vehicle if he/she is at fault in an accident; and

Fifty-four percent thought an Affirmation or Premium was the term for changes and/or additions to a policy. The correct term is an Endorsement. Affirmation isn’t an insurance term.

The Insurance Information Institute, a group dedicated to helping consumers better understand insurance, recently cautioned against selecting an insurance company based solely on price. Instead, it urged consumers to seek out companies with reputations for excellent customer service that will handle claims quickly and fairly.

“We think it’s time to get serious about car insurance,” said Cook. “To truly understand what you’re buying and ensure your family is protected, you’ll benefit most by having expert guidance from a local agent you know and trust.”

For more information, refer to the complete survey results. To get an auto insurance quote, contact Julie Ruegsegger at (608) 938-4317 or Julie@Tri-Insure.com.

The choice is yours.  Maybe you’ve been diligently saving money for many years and already have enough put away to guarantee a financially secure future for your loved ones. But if you’re like most people, you probably haven’t reached all of your long-term savings goals yet. That’s where life insurance comes in. When you’ve done the proper life insurance planning, you can rest easy knowing that your loved ones will be provided for after you’re gone.

Perhaps you have been putting off buying life insurance, thinking it’s something you can do … later. Watch the short online “Legacy of Love” video to find out how one woman’s decision – or lack of it – changed the course of her family’s life.

To find out more about how life insurance can help you leave a legacy of love and financial security, visit www.lifehappens.org, the website of the nonprofit LIFE Foundation. It explains who needs life insurance and provides tools to help you determine how much and what kind of life insurance might be right for you.

We have had an unusually warm Wisconsin winter, but that particular week of January brought our first bitter cold with temperatures dipping below zero. My husband is currently laid off from his landscaping job, so he agreed to go along with me and do some sightseeing in Green Bay (Lambeau Field, of course, and Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame!) while I was sitting in my classes.

Tuesday night we loaded our bags into the car, set the GPS and grabbed some snacks for the road. My husband did a final check to make sure the doors were locked, while I set the thermostat. We have a wonderful programmable thermostat that adjusts the temperature on a preset schedule and saves money on our heating bill. I lowered the temperature to 55 and hit the button to “Hold Temp,” plenty warm enough to keep our pipes from freezing and returning to a soggy mess.

When we returned Friday morning, I walked into the house and immediately knew something was wrong. It was shockingly cold! I quickly checked the thermostat and saw a flashing “Bat Low” message. Suddenly I realized what had happened: the batteries died, and the thermostat just shut down, taking the furnace with it! The thermostat instructions suggest that you change the batteries twice a year at daylight savings time: change your clocks, change your batteries on the thermostat and other alarms. I guess they mean it!

I never did figure out exactly how cold it got in the house. At one point, the thermostat registered 40 degrees, but I don’t know how accurate that was. I do know that at 7:00 p.m. that night, we were only up to 62 degrees – we used lots of sweaters and blankets that night! The good news is that there was no damage done and no frozen water pipes. Who knows how bad it would have been if we had been gone for a week or more? Yes, our homeowners insurance would have covered the damage, had it occurred, but I’m thinking they wouldn’t have been too happy with me, and I guarantee that the cost of new batteries is MUCH less than our $500 deductible!!

So, the moral of my story is this: Recognize that thermostats and alarms are important and batteries need to be replaced BEFORE they die. Prevention is always the best insurance there is!! 

Tri-Insure is based in Monticello, Wisconsin and serves the tri-state area of Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. We offer a wide range of products including auto, home, health, life, annuities, business and agriculture-related insurance.

Our goal is to provide comprehensive coverage at extremely competitive rates. We believe that insurance costs can be reasonable and strive to exceed our customer’s expectations. It has always been our philosophy that anyone can sell an insurance policy, but it’s the service after the sale that makes an agency earn its customer.

Our proactive approach to insurance costs and problems find new solutions to traditional policies. We begin this process by asking the simple question of “What if?” Then each and every “what if” is addressed through cost controlling risk management and insurance. A personalized, proactive approach to reducing losses and reducing insurance costs.

We’re confident you will be telling others about the value and service that you receive from