Laurel MD

How to Prep Your Car for Holiday Travels

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Whether you’re going out of town for the holidays or having relatives visit you, you’ll need reliable transportation. Prepping your vehicle for the holidays ensures it will be in good shape for your holiday travels. Start by reviewing your auto insurance to make sure you have the protection you need on the road. Here are a few other ideas from Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial in Laurel, MD on how to prep your vehicle for the holidays.

Service Your Vehicle

Have your vehicle serviced before hitting the road to make sure all systems are running smoothly. Your mechanic should check your fluids, belts, coolant system, wipers and tires to enhance your safety during long-distance travel.   

Assemble an Auto Emergency Kit

Winter driving in Maryland is hazardous enough without having to endure a breakdown by the side of the road. By stocking up on emergency supplies, you can be prepared for any eventuality. Your auto emergency kit should include jumper cables, flares, flashlight with fresh batteries, cell phone charger, ice scraper, first-aid kit, matches, blankets, water and healthy snacks for the kids.

Protect Your Interior

Winter road trips can take a toll on the interior of your car as passengers track in mud, slush and snow entering and exiting the vehicle, not to mention food crumbs on seats and flooring. Investing in all-weather floor mats and seat covers will protect the interior of your car during holiday travels. Make sure you have plenty of trash bags and paper towels on hand for wiping grubby hands and cleaning food and drink spills.

Holiday driving can be a challenge. By prepping your car in advance and acquiring comprehensive auto insurance, you can protect your vehicle and family during your winter road trip. Contact us at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial in Laurel, MD, today for all your auto insurance needs.

What Maryland Business Owners Need to Know about Comprehensive Commercial Insurance

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Business owners in the greater Laurel, MD area rely on the team at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial for their insurance needs. There are a lot of factors that go into choosing the right commercial insurance policy, and they appreciate having these professional agents on their team. Choosing a comprehensive commercial insurance policy involves a lot of thought and deliberation because being underinsured can have a catastrophic effect on the health of your business. 

Comprehensive Commercial Insurance

In addition to finding the right policy features, it can also become complicated determining the proper policy coverage levels. When you work with a professional agent who understands comprehensive commercial insurance you are more likely to get the protection your business needs. Coverage for your vehicles, employees who do work using personal vehicles, litigation liability, and business interruption are just a few of the important areas that carry risk. A comprehensive policy can protect you from those scenarios and a lot more. Business interruption coverage is another feature that can really make a difference if your company experiences a covered event that knocks your production offline. This coverage can allow a business to stay open as they recover from a natural disaster, fire, or other covered situation that has a significant effect on their ability to conduct business as usual. Minimizing risk is the foundation of any successful business!

Is it time to review your commercial insurance policy for completeness? Knowing that you have the protection that is right for your business needs can offer a lot of peace of mind! The team at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial invites the business owners in the greater Laurel, MD area to call or stop by today and find out more about the available policy options!

How to Choose the Right Life Insurance Policy

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Choosing the right life insurance policy in Laurel, MD can be overwhelming. There are some things you need to think of to discuss with your agent at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial in order to get the right one.

The Reasons You Need Life insurance

The need for life insurance can depend on your personal situation. If you don’t have dependents then you may not need life insurance. If your salary is important for supporting your family then you need to consider life insurance.

How Much Coverage You Need

How much coverage you need will depend on different factors, such as sources of income, the dependents you have, your lifestyle, and outstanding debts. A general guideline is to have five and 10 times worth your annual salary. You may also want to consult with a financial planner to determine how much coverage you need.

Types of Life Insurance

There are two types of life insurance in Laurel, MD. Term and permanent life insurance can both be beneficial for different parts of your life.

Consider term life insurance if you only need insurance for a certain period of time. You can also consider term insurance if you have a limited budget but still need a large amount of insurance. If you think your financial needs might change then look for a policy that is convertible. This will allow you to convert it to permanent insurance with the need for a medical exam. Premiums are the lowest when you are young and will increase when you try to renew.

Consider permanent life insurance if you need insurance coverage for as long as you live. You can also choose permanent life insurance if you want to have a cash saving element. On some policies, the savings element can be used to pay premiums to keep the life insurance active.

Contact Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial to get a quote on life insurance. 

Is a home inventory really necessary?

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Your home in Laurel, MD probably contains most of your possessions, if not all of them. The policy you obtained from Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial is meant to protect your home and what is contained in it. This includes but is not limited to:

  • The structure, including outbuildings.
  • Major and small appliances, like your stove, washer, dryer, toaster, and coffee maker.
  • Flooring and window treatments.
  • Electronics, movies, books, and games.
  • Personal items like clothing and make-up.

Limits and Deductibles

Your homeowner’s policy is really a contract, and it will have a maximum amount covered and deductible amount. Some items may even have their own maximums, such as jewelry or outbuildings. The policy doesn’t really describe the individual items covered.

Why the Inventory Is Important

If something happens to any of your possessions, you will need to file a claim with the insurance company. To do that, you will need to explain your specific loss. For instance, if your television is stolen, you will both call the police and make a claim. Without identifying information, like a serial number, the police won’t be able to say whether the property is yours if they recover it.

With a large event, like a fire, the problem is much worse. You will need to explain exactly what you lost, and without an inventory, you will need to create a list from memory.

Making an Inventory Is Easier Than You Think

Especially in the days of smartphones, making an inventory has gotten easier and easier. One trick is to do a video inventory where you go through the rooms in your house one at a time, recording the contents and noting identifiers.

If you want help making a home inventory in Laurel, MD, we at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial have experience helping our clients plan. Call us today for any questions or if you want to discuss a policy.

Summer Is Almost Over. Time To Review Your Auto Insurance

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Summer is almost over, which means it’s time to focus on your auto insurance policy. When you’re in Laurel, MD, it’s important to know that you have the coverage where it counts. Agents at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial can help you with building a policy that you can rely on, too.

Review Your Coverage

Now is the perfect time to review coverage. Particularly as you’re getting ready to head into the colder weather, you want to know that you have higher coverage limits to cover accidents due to snow and ice. If you get into an accident that causes more damage than what your insurance limits cover, you could be paying thousands of dollars out of pocket.

You want to make sure you have the coverage where you need it. With the help of an independent insurance agent, your policy can be reviewed. From there, we can make recommendations on how to boost your coverage.

Avoid Overspending

Insurance premiums can get expensive if you’re not careful. Just because you have been with a particular insurance company for years doesn’t mean that they’re the most affordable option. Especially if your premiums have gone up recently for no apparent reason, it might be time to do some comparison shopping. Our agents can get quotes to help you with the process.

Add Drivers

You want to make sure that your policy is covering everyone in your house, and the end of summer can serve as a great reminder to look at your auto insurance. If you have teen drivers who have just gotten their permit, be sure to get them added to your policy. It will ensure that all drivers in your household are included.

Let us help you with coverage in Laurel, MD. Call us at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial today to discuss your auto insurance policy.

Does your commercial policy provide enough protection for your fleet of vehicles?

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Does your Laurel, MD area business rely on its commercial fleet to make your business work? If you need your vehicles out on the road to keep your company operating, it’s key that your fleet has the protection it needs. The team at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial is here to review all of your commercial insurance options with you and determine which is appropriate for your needs. The right policy and coverage levels can make a significant difference in your ability to stay in business in the event that something happens to one or more of your company vehicles. 

Protect your commercial fleet

If you need to have your trucks or other vehicles operational in order for your business to function, it’s key that they are adequately covered. In the event that one or more of your vehicles is offline, the right insurance policy will make sure that you are protected. Whether you require coverage for a vehicle rental, or opt for business interruption coverage, there are a number of different coverage options available to you. Many firms insure the total value of their vehicles so that they are protected in the event that the vehicle is stolen or totaled, but they do not consider the impact to their business in the event that their fleet is taken off-road. Your local agent is knowledgeable about your needs and can work closely with you to make sure you’re protected.

If you are building up your Laurel, MD area fleet, or want to make sure that your existing vehicles are covered, we are here to help. Call or stop by the Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial office today and find out more about your commercial policy options that will keep your fleet protected.

The Benefits of Universal Life

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Universal life insurance has some unique benefits that many appreciate. To understand universal life it is helpful to compare it to whole life insurance and term insurance. The main differences are found in the premiums, annual dividends, interest payments, flexibility in death benefits, and if the policy has any investment/savings value that can be borrowed against. Your agent at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, serving Laurel, MD, and the nearby communities, will help you understand the details; however, here is the overview.

Premiums

Premiums for whole life are a certain amount that does not change. If a person gets whole life insurance when young, the premiums are usually very modest. They stay the same over the whole life of the person. This is why whole life is called “permanent” insurance.

Universal life allows flexible premium payments as long as the minimum is paid. The payments can be adjusted up or down depending on the particular financial circumstances of the insured.

Term life has a set payment that remains the same for each month of the term.

Dividends and Earned Interest

Whole life pays annual dividends that can either be accumulated to build up value in the policy or paid out each year. Universal life has a variable interest rate that helps the policy build value. Term life does not have annual dividends or earn any interest.

Borrowing

Both whole life and universal life build value over time that can be borrowed against.

Death Benefits

Universal life has the option of a level death benefit, which stays the same over a person’s life or the ability to have an increased amount or decreased amount of death benefit.

Summary

There are many more details to consider when thinking about universal life. The main advantages are the flexibility in premium payments and death benefits. Additionally, universal life is permanent insurance meant to be kept for the entire life, just like whole life, as opposed to term life insurance, which is only good for a certain period.

Call us to get a quote for life insurance from your agent at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial in Laurel, MD or if you prefer you can use the convenient online form.

Understanding the Three Most Common Types of Auto Insurance

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If you operate a motor vehicle in Laurel, MD, you must carry auto insurance. There are several types of auto insurance to choose from; each of which has its advantages and disadvantages with regard to cost and coverage. Before contacting Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial to purchase a policy for automobile insurance, it’s beneficial to know and understand the different options. To help you get started, here is some brief information on the three most common types of auto insurance.

Comprehensive Auto Insurance

Comprehensive, also known as full coverage, is just like it sounds-it covers almost any type of damage and/or injuries to you, other drivers and/or property.  With a comprehensive insurance policy, if you are involved in an accident, whether it is your fault or not, after paying the deductible, the policy will cover the costs incurred. For instance, if your involved in an accident with an uninsured driver,  your comprehensive insurance will cover the costs of damages to your vehicle. Regardless of how undervalued you think your vehicle is, comprehensive insurance is the best option to ensure you and your vehicle are protected in any type of auto accident.

Liability Auto Insurance

Liability is the minimum requirement for most states, including MD. Liability insurance is generally the lowest cost option, but it will only cover damages to another person’s property; this policy will not cover damages to you or your vehicle. If you have financed your vehicle through a bank or loan company, most will require you to carry more than a liability on the vehicle. If you have an older vehicle that is not driven very often, liability may be a good option; however, it’s important to talk to your insurance representative to ensure that this type of insurance is suitable for your needs.

SR22

SR22 insurance is also known as an SR22 bond, which means you have agreed to provide a “bond” with the state in order to operate a motor vehicle. This type of coverage is generally required if you have been involved in a situation that cost you driving privileges for any amount of time. For instance, if you have multiple driving under the influence charges or were involved in an automobile accident and you did not have insurance at the time of the accident. Before your driving privileges are reissued, you will be required to obtain an SR22 insurance bond.

Residents of Laurel, MD who want to learn more information about or to purchase automobile insurance should contact Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial.

Home Insurance For Maryland Homes

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To decide about home insurance in Maryland, consider the risks covered, whether you need extra coverage for floods and earthquakes, the value to be insured, and the deductible that you can accept.

Types of Basic Maryland Home Insurance

There are two general categories of home insurance offered in the state of Maryland. One type is the HO-2 Broad Form that identifies the covered risks called “named perils.” The other type is the HO-3 Special Form that is an “open peril” type, which covers whatever is not specifically stated in the policy as being excluded. Condominiums have a special category of their own called HO-6.

Floods and Earthquakes

Flood and earthquake insurance are each separate policies from home insurance. Homeowners probably want to consider getting flood insurance no matter where the home is located because the risk of flooding is increasing due to climate change.

Flood plain maps from FEMA are outdated. They are no longer accurate when used for predicting flood zones. There have been many floods in the past few years that statistically were not supposed to happen but once in 100 years or once in 500 years.

If a home is anywhere near the coastline or within 30 miles of a river, having flood insurance is a critical consideration at this time.

Market Value and Replacement Value

Market value insurance is usually used for older homes that are built in such a way that replacing the actual materials used in the original construction would be cost-prohibitive. Instead, newer construction materials are used to recreate the home to a standard of livability.

Replacement value insurance can be between 80% to 100% of the replacement cost for a newer home to be rebuilt as close to the same condition as it was before any damage.

Deductible

The other thing to decide is the amount of the deductible. This is the amount a homeowner pays out-of-pocket before any insurance claim is paid. Higher deductibles lower the monthly insurance premiums.

Conclusion

Work with your agent at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, serving Laurel, MD and the nearby communities, to understand exactly what coverage is offered by the home insurance policy you select. Add extra coverage as necessary to supplement the home insurance.

To get a quote for home insurance contact an agent at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial in Laurel, MD by calling 301-604-4444 or use the online quote request form.

Breakdown: How Commercial Insurance Helps When Things Go Awry

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Our local Laurel, MD businesses rely on a marriage of hardware and software to run efficiently. No matter how big or small your company is, chances are you’re dependent on machinery, technology, and communications to keep things going smoothly. But what happens when one of these crucial components stops working? This is a time when a solid commercial insurance policy from Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial can become your life saver in a sea of troubles.

Commercial Insurance for Hardware

Even though you may already have minimum coverage to insure your commercial property and vehicles, that may not be enough protection when your most important hardware breaks down. You may be asking "what exactly is hardware?" or "why do I need to insure it?". Simply put, "hardware" is any physical piece of equipment that you use in the daily running of your business. Hardware can include large machinery used for fabrication, smaller equipment or tools, or even physical components of computers and other office equipment such as printers or copy machines. It’s important to consider how much loss you might encounter should any of your vital hardware break or malfunction. Does your current commercial insurance policy cover repairs, replacements, or time lost?

Commercial Insurance for Software

In the digital age, most companies need a robust cyber presence for success. Unfortunately, the programs that run daily business needs can encounter complex threats that can severely hinder your productivity. Insuring your business software means you’ll be protected if your computer network falls victim to malware, viruses, or even data breaches that can interrupt or even stall your work completely. 

Located in Laurel, MD and having trouble determining the correct coverage of your business? Contact Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial today and let us provide you with certainty!