Does Life Insurance Cover Non-traditional Burial Costs?

Life insurance is something that we often forget to worry about until it is too late. For the most part, your life insurance policy is going to be used by your beneficiary to cover the end of life expenses and to settle any accounts that you leave. These policies can also cover other costs. For those that live in the Laurel, MD area, the agents with Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial can help you to find the right life insurance policy for you.

In most cases, your life insurance policy is going to cover whatever it is that your beneficiary decides to spend it on. Unless you buy specific burial insurance or insurance that is meant only to cover final expenses, your beneficiary can use the policy to pay whatever they want to pay. This means that if you want to be cremated and buried at sea if you want to be buried in a natural grave with no embalming, or if you want some other non-traditional burial, your beneficiary can use the funds from your life insurance policy to cover the cost of that burial.

Your beneficiary, unless there are specific stipulations put on your life insurance policy, is going to have the ultimate say in what the funds from your life insurance policy payout are used for. You can delegate what you want the funds to be spent on, you can prepay for end of life expenses, or you can put the trust in the hands of your beneficiary to do what you want to be done with your life insurance funds.

For those that live in the Laurel, MD area, the agents with Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial can help you find the life insurance policy that works best for you, for your beneficiary, and for the end outcome you want to see.  

4 Ways Homeowner’s Insurance Protects Your Family

You already know you need insurance on your Laurel, MD home, but do you know exactly what your policy does to help out in a catastrophe? Our Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial team has put together this short post explaining the importance of property insurance. Here are three ways homeowner’s insurance protects your family.

#1: Protection Against Fire and Theft

While the policy itself can’t keep a fire from breaking out or something breaking into your home, your insurance can protect you if one ever happens. Even small kitchen fires require thousands of dollars in home restoration work due to smoke damage. Replacement of personal property after a break-in can easily become expensive. Having insurance can help alleviate the cost of undergoing this type of process versus having to pay for it yourself.

#2: Rebuilding After Major Damage

An event that causes major damage might require the rebuilding of your home. Homeowner’s insurance protects your family by offering the ability to replace damaged parts of your structure without having to pay for those costs yourself. In the event of a catastrophic incident, this can be an absolute lifesaver and a real benefit to your peace of mind.

#3: A Place to Stay After A Catastrophe

After a major incident, you’ll need a safe place for your family to stay. Most homeowner’s insurance policies cover the costs of either staying in a hotel for the short term or finding a suitable rental home during a major rebuild of your home. By having proper insurance, you can keep from paying for this type of lodging out of your own pocket.

Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial proudly serves the Laurel, MD community and surrounding areas. Please contact us today to schedule an appointment or for a no-obligation coverage review.

3 things to know about car insurance

Insurance experts will often tell you to purchase as much car insurance as you can afford. Well, that’s pretty off especially for individuals owning cars for the first time. Unless you are well-informed about how auto insurance works, it is easy to feel overwhelmed over what to buy and what to skip.

However, according to Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, there are three crucial things you should know about car insurance. This will help you determine what coverages are best for you. 

1. Some of the most useful coverages are the cheapest!

In the insurance industry, let no one lie to you that ‘cheap is expensive.’  Every state has the minimum auto insurance coverage every driver is required to have. This requirement ensures that the essential areas of your car are protected. Keep in mind that the type and price of your vehicle also plays a critical role in determining your coverage limit.

2. Many factors can affect your car insurance rates.

If you own a car in Laurel, MD, then you probably have come across various auto insurance companies with varying insurance rates. All these companies have different ways of evaluating an insurance application. For instance, at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, we have several guidelines that, we follow that help to arrive at certain conclusions.

3. You pay more in the long run if you allow your policy to lapse.

The law, as well as all auto insurance companies, view drivers who aren’t licensed or insured as irresponsible and risky. For this reason, you are likely to pay more if you let your insurance policy lapse. It is a penalty to ensure that drivers have insurance coverages at all times.

For quotes or policy inquiries, visit us at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial in Laurel, MD today.

When to Consider Commercial Insurance

Whether you have just opened a business or you are thinking about it, you are likely trying to figure out if now is the time to get commercial insurance. Here at Mid Atlantic insurance Financial, serving Laurel, MD, we know how valuable commercial insurance really is. We want to make sure you are as covered as possible because you never know when something will happen that you cannot control. Use these tips to help determine if now is the time to purchase commercial insurance. 

  • Has your business opened? If you are still in the planning phases, you really do not need to have commercial insurance quite yet. However, if you do have a business in operation and do not yet have commercial insurance, you should at least consider getting a basic policy to get you started. You have put a lot into this business and you need to protect it. 
  • Do you have employees? If you do, then it is definitely time for you to get some commercial insurance. You do not want to run into an issue that impacts an employee without insurance because it is something that could bankrupt you. 
  • Do you have machinery or other physical items? If so, this is another reason to get a commercial insurance policy. If your business relies on those items, you want to make sure they are covered so they can be replaced if anything were to happen to them.

Now that you have a better idea of when to purchase, if that means that you need to get started, be sure to reach out to us here at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, serving Laurel, MD, today. We can help you find the perfect customized policy to fit your needs and we will also work with your budget. 

Should I buy whole life or term insurance?

What kind of insurance you should buy, and how much, will depend on several personal factors, including your age, position in life, health, etc. Having a safety net for your loved ones is important, though, so it is important to learn as much as possible so you can make the best decision. If you are in Laurel, MD, you can always get advice from Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, where we will be happy to discuss your options with no obligation.

Advantages of Whole Life Insurance

This kind of insurance is also called permanent insurance and will last for as long as you continue to pay the premiums. Both whole life and term life offer lower premiums when you are younger, and you can lock in a good price when you are young. Whole life policies have a cash value, and the money you pay every month in the form of a premium adds up. You can borrow or withdraw that money, which is yours, or let it accumulate.

Advantages of Term Life Insurance

Term life insurance will cost less, pretty much across the board. It is a simpler kind of insurance, only offering a benefit when you die. It is also called term life because there is an ending date, and after the end date you will not have the money or the policy anymore. For many people, it is adequate, because they need the assurance of knowing that if something were to happen to them there will be money available to their families to get through their time of grief without worry.

It may seem confusing, and but at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial we have helped people at every stage of life to find the right policy. If you live in Laurel, MD, please feel free to call today with any questions.

What happens if there is a fire and I don’t have an inventory?

Even in beautiful Laurel, MD, incidents can happen such as fires or burglaries that could cause you to suffer great losses. When you get a homeowners policy through  Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, you never really think anything bad will happen. 

That is one of the reasons so many people never make the suggested inventory of their belongings. It seems like a lot of work, and if you’re lucky, you will never need it.

Tracking Your Belongings 

Most of the insurance policy is covering the property itself, and unless you have extra coverage for particularly valuable items, your personal belongings will be insured for a much smaller amount. 

When you make an inventory, you have a list that you can provide if you suffer a loss. With a burglary, the list helps the police too, because they can look for the items if they are being sold by the thieves. 

When you don’t have the list, with the serial numbers and details of the items, and don’t have a really good idea of what was missing or destroyed. You may not recover your losses because you simply don’t remember what you had. 

Making an Inventory Isn’t So Bad 

There are some helpful tips for people making an inventory. First, you obviously want to keep the list somewhere safe so you can still access it in a disaster. 

Another great tip is to make a video where you list your belongings, room by room. That way you can break the job down into easier steps.

If you live in Laurel, MD, don’t wait to do an inventory until it’s too late. If you need any help or want to talk about your homeowner’s policy, please feel free to call Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial today. 

What Are The Different Types Of Auto Insurance?

The world of auto insurance can seem like a confusing one.  There are many different options and types of insurance to investigate.  For the uninitiated, this can seem a bit overwhelming at first.  Laws and minimum insurance requirements vary from state to state, but they’re all pretty similar.  No matter if you live in Laurel Canyon, CA or Laurel, MD; all of these types of insurance are offered everywhere.

Collision insurance is usually the first thing offered in an insurance policy.  There are a few different kinds of collision insurance available.  Bodily Injury To Others (BITO) covers what that implies, with different limits or caps on what the insurance provider pays out.  Personal liability (PL) is damage to someone else’s property (eg: crashing into someone’s house or mailbox) with similar limits on coverage put in.  

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) covers yourself and your own medical bills due to injury in an accident.  The last facet of collision insurance is Bodily Injury caused by an uninsured car.  This covers you in case you end up in an accident with an uninsured motorist.  It’s illegal to drive on the road without insurance, but there are motorists who still do this out there and it’s always smart to be covered in this case.

The next word that usually sits by "Collision" in the insurance policy is "Comprehensive".  Comprehensive insurance covers your car for everything else that your collision insurance doesn’t cover.  For instance, a heavy thunderstorm strikes your area and it produces baseball-sized hail.  That hail damage (dents, scratches) to your paintwork and bodywork of your car would be covered under your comprehensive insurance.

You can find out all about these options and more at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial located in Laurel, MD.

 

 

Insurance for Your Entire Life

There are different types of insurance to help protect the many different areas of our life. Auto insurance for our busy and mobile lives to protect our rides and trusted motorized steeds. Home insurance is another level of protection around our castles, like moats, only more effective. Of course, there is fire insurance for such unfortunate events or when dragons attempt to scorch the fortress walls of your castle. But life insurance is the one thing we do for ourselves and for those we love, it is the insurance to protect our lives.

The Right Life Insurance

From universal and whole to term structured insurance, finding the right policy to meet your needs will depend on you and your life. Our loved ones, our family, our children – this is what and who we leave behind, this is the essence of our lives. Protecting that and those who make our lives what they are is one of the most important things we will ever do. At Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, we offer our Laurel, MD customers plans and policies designed to fit their lives and meet their needs.

Insurance for Real Life Concerns

Although our aforementioned fire-breathing dragons aren’t a real concern.  Protecting what and who we love is and life insurance is a step we can take to protect who we love from the real threats of life when we no longer can. We know this isn’t always an easy conversation but it is a vital and important one. Our team is here to help our friends and neighbors in Laurel, MD have that conversation and to get the right insurance plan for their lives.

Contact an agent today because, at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, we won’t build you a moat but we can build the right plan and policy for your needs. 

How Business Interruption Coverage Can Protect You in the Event of a Catastrophe

Business owners in today’s competitive marketplace understand the importance of a healthy cash flow. If you are a business owner who counts on a robust cash flow each month to maintain your business it’s important to consider business interruption coverage. Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial provides the knowledge and expertise you need to adequately protect your Laurel, MD area business.

Payments (Full or Partial) of Lost Revenue and Profit

When you have the right business interruption policy, you can be protected in the event of loss or damage to your business that affects its ability to continue operating. If you experience a catastrophe such as a fire, burglary, or another covered event, you may be eligible to receive payments to bridge the gap in revenue while you get your company back up and running. Meeting with a professional insurance agent is the first step in finding the right policy for your needs. Don’t let a catastrophic event ruin everything that you have worked so hard to achieve!

Funding to Keep Your Business Functioning

Even if your business is down due to loss or damage, your bills will continue to arrive and your employees will still need to be paid. Now is the right time to learn more about the options that are available to you through a comprehensive business interruption policy. From payroll, to utilities, and vendor invoices, you can be protected and able to meet these obligations even when your business is not fully operational.

Interested in learning more about how business interruption coverage can help you protect your business from catastrophe? Contact the team at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial today to set up a consultation. Now is the time to protect your Laurel, MD area business from catastrophe!

Driving Tips to Avoid Auto Insurance Claims

No one wants to have an accident in Laurel, MD and have to file a claim with his or her insurance at Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, but accidents do happen. With these tips you can avoid common insurance claims.

Don’t Follow Too Closely: One of the easiest ways to avoid a rear end crash, one of the most common accidents on the road, is to not follow too closely.

Avoid In-Car Distractions: Texting and driving is bad, but distracted driving doesn’t always mean texting. Be sure to always use hands-free mode if you need to take a call while driving. If you have children in the car, they need to understand that you are driving and need to focus. Be prepared with toys so that they don’t bother you. If something does come up, such as a disagreement, then consider pulling over. Make it a habit to not drive when things are emotionally distracting you.

The Driver Should Be in Good Condition: It’s important for your car to be in driving condition, but also for you to be. Eye exams should be up to date and keeping healthy is important. Those in good health can think better and react faster. Be sure you aren’t on any medications that could cause drowsiness and get plenty of sleep before doing any long driving.

Be a Defensive Driver: You may have heard about defensive driving classes, but this is a reminder to keep an eye out for what others are doing.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time in Bad Weather: Snow and rain can cause a lot of delays and so you want to give yourself more time so you are less tempted to speed. Slow down when approaching shaded spots or bridges where there could be icy patches hiding.

Contact Mid Atlantic Insurance Financial, serving Laurel, MD, to get a quote on auto insurance.