General Liability Insurance in California

Starting a business takes a lot of time and effort, not to mention the financial cost involved. Having put so much into it, the last thing you want is for your business to be financially damaged by a lawsuit or even worse having to go out of business.  Every company – no matter what it does or how successful it is, no matter how big or small, new or old – should be protected by a general liability insurance policy. It is in many ways the most basic business insurance coverage available.

A general liability insurance policy protects your business, and ultimately you and your assets, by covering you for accidents or property damage, if a lawsuit is filed and you or one of your employees are found to be liable.

Of course, no business owner wants the stress of going through a law suit. We can’t plan ahead enough or put enough safe guards in place to completely eliminate all the risks of doing business. None the less, there are many things you can do to help reduce the chances of a claim or lawsuit being filed against you:

§  Set a high standard for quality control of your product or service.

§  Maintain company records and keep them up to date.

§  Provide quality training for your employees.

§  Develop a good set of safety procedures that incorporate the safety of visitors on your business premises.

§  Place a strong emphasis on customer service – a happy customer is less likely to file a trivial claim.

Helping business owners is one of our specialties so if you need general liability insurance in California, please speak to us about your business insurance needs. We are confident we will find a solution for you.

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Umbrella Insurance and Divorce

People hate the act so much they call it the “D” word. An old country song even spelled it out to avoid having to sing it. Nevertheless, divorce is a part of life, as much as we all hate it. If you have umbrella insurance, and you get divorced, you’ll need to update that policy, as well as other insurance policies.

If you’ve split with a partner, get out copies of all your current common polices and decide which ones you’ll keep. In addition to your umbrella policy - or policies - you’ll need to examine homeowners, auto, life, and any other insurance policies. Next, look into any additional insurance you might need. For instance, if your former spouse provided your life insurance through his or her employer, you may need to replace that insurance with something of your own. There may also be a need for reduction, which might require closing out an insurance policy. Naturally, if the policies are in both names, you’ll need to change that.

Lastly, this might be a good time to update your coverage. Say, for example, your former spouse had a high-risk hobby or occupation. In that case, your umbrella insurance may go down. Therefore, be sure to inquire about new rates based upon your updated status.

If you have any questions at all about how a divorce will affect your insurance policies, please be sure to contact a customer service representative. 

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