Here we are - Friday, April 30, 2010. The last day of the month, with many Spring events happening in our beautiful Whatcom County this weekend. A drive around the surrounding area reveals quite a display of flowering shrubs, blooming flowers, green, green lawns - I agree with the previous "post" or two - it is a "gift" to live here. We here at Kelley Insurance Agency are very much aware of our many blessings; we are grateful for the continued opportunity to serve the insurance needs of our customers, and look forward to the opportunity to help new customers, especially the newcomers arriving here in Whatcom County - to you, welcome! Give us a call. We offer a wide variety of insurance and financial products at the most affordable pricing in the marketplace today - we're here for you! Enjoy Spring!

Today is a gift, that is why it is called the “Present”.

One of the most important reasons to buy life insurance is to provide your family with financial security tomorrow. Would you as the surviving spouse be able to pay the mortgage or rent? What about the monthly utilities, day care and groceries. Even a policy with as little as $10,000 would cover "final Expenses"

It’s something you don’t want to talk about or feel it is necessary because you are young. Actually it’s the best time. Term life is inexpensive, especially if you are young and healthy. It lasts through the term and amount of coverage you choose, up to 30 years (depending on your age & health).

Give us a call– it takes a couple of minutes of your life today.

Personal Umbrella Protection

This is another policy available which provides an additional layer of protection over and above your underlying Homeowner and/or auto policies.

Also, several carriers will now include this "excess" protection against under-insured motorist coverage in their Personal Umbrella form.

If you are a Business Owner, you would need a Commercial Umbrella or Excess Policy.

Give us a call for a free quote and complete coverage review.

Why do people by umbrellas?

A commuter walked past a store every day with a sign in the window: Umbrellas—$3.00. One very rainy day this commuter discovered she had left her umbrella at home, so she stepped into that store. She was surprised to learn that the store was out of umbrellas. The moral of this story is that it is best to buy an umbrella before it is needed. Afterwards, it is too late.
People who expect never to have an accident make sure their cars have airbags. People who do not expect to have a fire buy fire extinguishers and smoke detectors. If this makes sense, it also makes sense for the people who do not expect a large liability claim to buy umbrella insurance.

Anybody developing a financial plan is concerned with building and/or preserving his or her financial assets. Liability insurance is a very important tool in protecting one’s assets. The high limits available in a personal umbrella policy help ensure that a lifetime of savings will not be lost through a moment of carelessness that results in a liability claim.

Be prepared. Call us today 966-3732.

What about your Protection?

What about you?


Liability is protection for accidents you, a family member or authorized driver is responsible for.
Underinsured motorist pays for medical expense, lost wages and other damages when you, a family member, passenger of your car or an authorized driver are injured in an accident caused by a driver who does not have enough insurance, or none at all. This is another reason you should consider increasing your limits, the maximum limit you can have is equal to your liability limits.


Auto Insurance is primary over Medical Insurance. The auto liability payments do not have limitations on what doctors you see or how much therapy or rehabilitation will be paid for. Medical Insurance is a contract and it dictates how, when and what treatments and limits will be paid.

PIP (personal injury protection) with limits of $10,000 or $35,000 is available. This coverage to cover you or your passengers injured is an auto accident. This protection is for at-fault or not at-fault accidents.
Some of the expenses this coverage will pay for are medical expenses, income continuation, household services and funeral expenses. This coverage pays out first.

Call or stop by if you have questions on how to better protect yourself and your family.

How Much Insurance is Enough?

Most people purchase auto insurance because is it the law and because they want protection for their family and personal assets.

Washington Auto Insurance Requirements are:

$25,000 for bodily injury expenses, per person
$50,000 for combined bodily injury expenses (maximum)
$10,000 for damage to another person’s property

Liability pays for bodily injury and property damage the at-fault driver causes. When the claim exceeds your policy limits, you are responsible for paying “out of pocket” the amount left unpaid after the insurance company settles the claim.

For a relatively small premium you can increase your limit of protection. The next liability level is $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident. Also available are “Combined” limits starting at $100,000. Combined single limit policies do not dictate a limit per person.
With the increased costs of Hospital and Medical care, you should consider increasing your current liability limits. Give us a call for an increased limit quote and policy review today!

Mount Baker High School Mock DUI Exercise

Hello Friends at Kelley Insurance Agency,
Forgive me for the skipped blog day yesterday... WE were preoccupied with two delta grade emergency responses for Whatcom County Fire District #1 in the afternoon, morning meetings left no time for blogging...
So we are Back... Yesterday I had a great Phone conversation with Mount Baker High School Principal King... who filled me in on the overall outcome of the two day exercise... Ending with the Trial of the Drunken Driver. Unfortunately I was unable to attend... With Mr. Kings undaunting enthusiasm and informative phone call I feel like we really made a difference educating our next generation of drivers. Today They all understand why we need to consistently make good choices and while making choices we need to have the fore thought to recognize the consequences. The Driver received the Maximum Sentence Plus the Maximum Fines... Carried with him for the rest of his life.
Think about how lucky we are to be here on "Earth Day 2010" Alive.
Thanks A Million
Tony Kelley CIC
President of Kelley Insurance Agency and Financial Services.
PS Find Peace of Mind for your Youn Drivers with GPS Services from Teensurance

The Funeral and the Trial 2010 Mt Baker Mock DUI

Hello Everyone,
Today we experienced the down side of the Mock DUI exercise... The memorial and funeral of the deceased classmate... many tears and emotions made real with the drama from yesterday... Played out in assembly. Tomorrow the Trial and Conviction.
Drive Safely,
From your Friends at the Kelley Insurance Protection Team.
Order our free report on Teensurance.

Mock DUI at Mt Baker High School today.

Hello Friends of Kelley Insurance Agency & Financial Services...
This is Tony Kelley and today we participated in a mock DUI drill as a volunteer with Whatcom County Fire District #1. WE were supported with Med Flight, 6 Troopers of the Washington State Patrol, 5 Sheriffs Deputies and 22 Volunteers, Officers, and Commissioners from Whatcom Fire Districts # 1, #14 and #16... Plus the undaunting support of the Mt Baker High School Administrators, Staff and Students... All systems of the Emergency Medical Service were tested and completed in this real life exercise of Life and Death due to senseless driving while intoxicated. Every aspect of a real life catastrophe were played out in a mere 40 minute exercise. Students actors were prepared with real looking moulage... and prompted in the facts of accident scene reality... and did they ever do a fantastic job of acting out the trauma and drama of a real life fatality auto accident... followed up with law enforcement and real life consequences.... Tomorrow on to the Court room and Trial of the guilty parties.
Thanks a Million,
The Kelley Insurance Protection Team...
PS Until Next Time... Safe Travels
PSS Many Thank You's to all participants and the wonderful student body audience.

Flood Insurance

According to FEMA, flooding causes billions of dollars of property damage in the United States each year. If you are like many homeowners, however, you may be unaware that the standard homeowners insurance policy you buy does not cover flood losses. You may believe that you have a low risk to this peril, but FEMA reports that approximately 33 percent of all flood claims occur in communities in which flooding is deemed to be a low to moderate risk. So do you really need a separate flood policy? The following tips and ideas may prove helpful in answering this question.

Find out if you live in a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a prerequisite to qualify for Flood Insurance. Participating communities must agree to adopt and enforce certain floodplain management regulations, including building construction and zoning laws that minimize the risks of flood damage.
Go to www.floodsmart.gov and select "What's Your Flood Risk?" Enter your home address and this Web site will tell you whether you are in a low-, moderate-, or high-risk area.
Consider purchasing Flood Insurance even if you are in a low-to moderate-risk community. In these areas, you may be eligible for the Preferred Risk Policy, with premiums as low as $112 per year including coverage for your personal property.

Note that a flood policy does not take effect until 30 days after you purchase the coverage. Thus, trying to purchase coverage after the local meteorologist announces a flood alert for your community won't work.

Don't assume that the government will bail you out if you suffer a flood loss and don't have a Flood Insurance policy. That decision is a gamble you may not win. Remember that federal disaster assistance, if available, is usually a loan that must be paid back with interest.

Group Health

SEATTLE – J.D. Power and Associates has ranked Group Health highest in member satisfaction among Commercial Health Plans in the Northwest region in the fourth annual study of health plan performance.

Congratulations Group Health....call for your free quote today. Great rates, Great coverages and Great Customer Service.

Knowledge is Power

It is more important to know what's NOT covered on your insurance than what is covered. Call today!

Frequently Asked questions on the health care reform

Many have called us to ask how health care reform would affect them. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions.

Is it true that everyone has to buy health insurance?
Not until 2014. All Americans will be required to obtain coverage or face an annual penalty starting in 2014. The initial penalty will be $95. By 2016, the penalty will be the greater of two alternatives: a flat fee of $695 or 2.5% of income. There is an exemption for low-income people.

Do carriers have to accept everyone now?
The big changes in the law - the ones that could affect tens of millions of people - don't kick in until 2014. Those include insurance marketplaces called "exchanges"; rules requiring carriers to accept all applicants; and an expansion of state Medicaid programs.

I own a small business. Am I now required to provide health insurance for my employees?
Businesses that do not provide coverage will be assessed a $2,000 per-employee fee starting in 2014. The fee will be assessed on the company's entire workforce, minus an allowance. Companies with 50 or fewer workers are exempt from the requirement. A small-business tax credit will be available to help provide coverage for workers.

Does this mean we have a government-run plan?
No. Starting in 2014, people purchasing coverage through the exchanges will have the option of signing up for national plans overseen by the same federal office that manages the health plans available to members of Congress.

I am sure there is more to come as we get closer to the starting date in 2014. Hope you all have a nice safe weekend.

Snow In April

Looks like snow is still coming down. They have extended the time of snow tires to be removed until the 17th of April. Please drive carefully now and always. Please let us know if we can help protect you!

Lets hope our gardens don't freeze. Have a great Thursday!

Check out our New Website!

Hope everyone had a great Easter Weekend!
We, the Kelley Insurance Team, have been working hard to provide you a new and improved website.

www.kelleyinsure.com

Our wish is to have the tools to make it easier on you, our Client, in answering any of your questions. As you already know we have a 24 hour, 7 days a week phone answering service. We now have a website with the ability for you to see what we are doing in the community; we have links to our companies for you to make payments online, and you can even check out our monthly and annual winners. We hope you enjoy our changes.

Happy Easter!

Hello everyone!

Easter is just a few days away and the team here at Kelley Insurance Agency wishes you a safe and fun-filled holiday with your family and friends. We hope that you are able to take the time to enjoy the simple pleasures that life provides us with while surrounded by the ones that you love the most. Hopefully the weather holds up for any Easter egg hunts that you may be planning! :)

Please keep in mind that we will be closed tomorrow, April 2nd for Good Friday, and will return on Monday April 4th.

Should you need immediate assistance over the weekend you may call our office (360-966-3732) at any time and our answering service will be able to reach us.

Thanks so much and have a fabulous Easter!

Until next time...