How much life insurance is enough?

Life insurance is something that just about everyone needs but very few understand. It is not easy to talk about and you may feel awkward even speaking to your spouse about the amount of life insurance that you need to protect each other. At San Marcos Insurance Group we want to make talking about life insurance in Chandler, AZ easy and comfortable for all of our customers. 

So where do you begin determining how much life insurance is enough?  You answer some simple questions. 

Who is dependent on you?   Do you have a spouse, children, aging parents? 

How long will you need to support them? Are your children young, college-age or somewhere in between? How long would you need to support your spouse?

Do you have debt? Most people have a mortgage, car payments, student loans, credit card debt and more. 

Have you taken care of your final expenses? 

Once you have answered these questions you will be in a better position to determine how much life insurance is enough. Financial experts recommend that you have at least ten times your annual income in life insurance. You may not need to buy this entire amount on your own.  You may get life insurance as a benefit from your employer. 

Once you have come up with a figure that makes sense in your particular case you need to determine the type of life insurance that you can afford. Whole life is the most costly but it offers long term advantages. With a young family and the potential for a long time of dependency if you should die unexpectedly and at a younger age, term life is probably the best option. 

How much life insurance you need is a very personal figure. It is different for everyone and it will change during your lifetime. Talking with the agents at San Marcos Insurance Group in Chandler, AZ is a great way to come up with not only an amount but the best way to reach your goal. Why not give us a call or stop by, your dependents will be glad you did. 

When is Commercial Insurance Required for a Chandler Business

Chandler, AZ is a great city that provides a lot of opportunities for all people. This includes small businesses that can take advantage of the favorable location and local amenities. If you are going to start a company in Chandler, you need to consider your insurance needs. There are several situations when you will be required to carry commercial insurance. 

When You Have a Loan or Investor

One situation when someone in Chandler, AZ is going to need to have commercial insurance is when they take out a loan. Running a business can be risky and any stakeholder that is involved will want to mitigate these risks as much as possible. This will require any formal investor or bank that provides you with capital, each of which are going to require that you have a full commercial insurance policy to protect your assets and against the risk of liability. 

Companies Have Employees

Another situation where it will be required for you to have commercial insurance is when you have employees. No matter what type of job they do, there is always a risk that someone could be hurt while working for you. To mitigate this risk, all businesses should get workers compensation as part of their commercial insurance package. In fact, in Arizona, you are required by law to carry this coverage for your staff. 

There are a lot of situations when having commercial insurance is a necessity for a company. If you need to have this insurance for your company, you should call the San Marcos Insurance Group. The team at the San Marcos Insurance Group can review your full company profile and information to determine what type of insurance you should get. This will ensure you stay fully compliant with this requirement. 

Health Insurance: It’s There When You Most Need It

The Affordable Care Act mandated that Americans purchase some form of health insurance.  Many young people questions that need as they are young and healthy.  Health insurance, though, like auto insurance is a financial tool that protects people.  While many find it hard to afford or difficult to obtain if they have a preexisting condition, it’s still important.  At San Marcos Insurance Group in the Chandler, AZ area, we realize that some may grapple with health insurance costs but we will help you find the right policy for your lifestyle. 

While you may be healthy now, life is unpredictable.  When illnesses or accidents occur, they can also bring unexpected financial burdens that are more than the average consumer can bear.  Also, without the required coverage, Americans are required to pay a penalty.  This amounts to $695 per adult or 2.5% of their annual income.  When that amount is considered, that’s a pretty significant hit to the budget. 

Health insurance can make sure that you stay financially sound.  Even a small medical emergency can result in bills that are daunting.  Appendicitis, car crashes or serious illnesses like cancer can mean financial ruin.  In fact, the number one cause for bankruptcy in the United States is medical expenses. 

All insurers, however, are required to cover preventive care and checkups.  This means that vaccinations, mammograms, and prostate cancer screenings are covered automatically.  So with the right health insurance, you have the opportunity to remain healthy and catch any problems early.  In the end, this makes them less expensive to treat. 

At San Marcos Insurance Group, our team works to get the residents of the Chandler, AZ area covered with the health insurance they need.  Give us a call or come by for a visit to find out how you can protect your health and your finances today!

Three mistakes you need to avoid regarding your commercial insurance policy

Having a good commercial insurance plan can save your company in the event of an emergency or accident. Unfortunately, a lot of business owners make mistakes that drastically limit what they get back from the investment they make in commercial insurance.

If you’re a Chandler, AZ business owner on the market for the right commercial insurance policy, we’re here to help at San Marcos Insurance Group. We advise customers to avoid the following three commercial insurance mistakes: 

Overlooking required insurance types

The most important thing when it comes to commercial insurance is meeting legal requirements. Some business types are required to have commercial insurance to legally operate. This is especially true when it comes to situations where you’re driving a commercial vehicle or hiring employees.

When you drive a company vehicle, you require a special commercial auto insurance policy. Also, companies with employees are generally required to have workers compensation insurance. 

Focus first on finding out what types of commercial insurance you need by law to avoid penalties and fees. 

Being unaware of exactly how your policy works

Insurance can be a complicated product. You really need to weed through the details and read the small print to understand what you’re getting in a commercial insurance policy. Make sure you understand all pertinent factors like how your deductible works and how much coverage you’re getting for various incidents before you agree to a particular policy. 

Having no business interruption coverage

A lot of business owners, unfortunately, overlook business interruption coverage. This is compensation for the revenue that is lost during periods after an accident when a company can no longer carry on business as usual. Business interruption coverage is essential to have because it ensures continued revenue regardless of what happens to your company. 

If you’d like more information on finding the right commercial insurance for your company, contact us at San Marcos Insurance Group for information on our Chandler, AZ policies. 

Health Insurance and Experimental Treatment

We live in a day and age where progress and change are being made in medicine every day. There are now more treatments for the common cold than you can count and experimental treatments for more serious illnesses are being created. That being said, does health insurance help cover the cost of experimental treatment? For those in the Chandler, AZ area, the agents with San Marcos Insurance Group can help you find the health insurance policy that is going to work for you.

For the most part, the only medications and treatments that are going to be paid for, even in part, by your health insurance are those that have been tested and approved by the FDA. You can, in some cases, find experimental treatments that are paid for by the company that created them as payment for your participating in the trial of that drug or treatment. In most cases, however, your health insurance is not going to pay for experimental treatments.

Health insurance does, however, help pay for medication, it might help pay for hospital stays, and it also helps to pay for things like preventative treatments. Your health insurance may also help pay for the cost of some prescriptions and some other treatments as well. For those that do have medical treatments that they have to have done, it is always best to speak with an agent to see just what your insurance covers and what you can do to make sure you have the best insurance coverage possible on matter what you might be ailing with. For those in the Chandler, AZ area, the agents with San Marcos Insurance Group can help you to find the right policy for your needs so that you can get on the road to healing and on the road to feeling better.  

Data, Hackers, and You: Keeping Your Business and Customers Safe

From Facebook to Equifax, it seems like every month there is a new data breach in the news. At San Marcos Insurance Group we know cybercrime is an ever-growing threat to business, even in Chandler, AZ. While your business may not be a huge corporation, securing your data should be a top concern. So, what can you do to make sure your data is safe?

Inventory Your Data

Understand what sensitive data your company keeps and what damage could occur to your business and customers should a leak occur. A typical business has records of credit card information at the very least. The release of this data can cause a financial burden on your customers, which lowers their faith in your company and may even lead to litigation. The more personal data you store, the higher the risk you face. 

Keep Your Security Measures Up-To-Date

The most common way a hacker gains access to vital data is through malware and viruses. It might surprise you, but even hospitals have fallen victim to data breaches and ransomware attacks because they did not keep their computers and security suites up to date. New threats are found all the time. It’s important to make sure you have reputable anti-virus and anti-malware protection and to keep those programs and computer operating systems updated. 

Consider Cyber Breach Insurance

While insuring your property and normal operations are important, it’s imperative to not overlook the security of your data network, too. Data breach coverage can help protect your assets should you become a victim to hacking. If you become a target for litigation because of a breach, your insurance could help cover the cost of defense and damages you’re held liable for. 

With Chandler, AZ rapidly growing with small business, now is the time to protect yourself against cybercrime. Let San Marcos Insurance Group make sure you’re covered. 

How Is Commercial Insurance Different From Liability Insurance?

When you’re operating a business in Chandler, AZ, it’s important to understand what kind of insurance options are available to you. Commercial insurance encompasses a variety of coverage options, including liability insurance.

At San Marcos Insurance Group, we can work with you to make sure that you have the right coverage for your business.

What is liability insurance?

Liability insurance protects your business in the event that something happens. You’re liable for what happens on your property. You’re also liable for what your employees may do when they’re on the job, whether they say something that costs someone money or they damage someone’s property while they’re providing a service.

If someone were to sue as a result of what your company did wrong, you could end up spending a lot of money. The liability coverage protects you to prevent this from happening. The only thing you would be responsible for is the deductible.

What is commercial insurance?

Commercial insurance encompasses all of the different policies that may be needed for your business. This includes not only liability insurance but also commercial property insurance, commercial auto insurance, business interruption coverage, and even worker’s compensation insurance.

What you need for your business is unique to what happens throughout the day as well as what you own. If you work out of your home, you might still need commercial property insurance since homeowner’s insurance won’t cover enough. The best thing to do is talk to an agent in order to learn the best way to protect your business. Since every business is unique, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for what kind of commercial insurance you need.

Call us at San Marcos Insurance Group today to learn how to protect your business in Chandler, AZ. We look forward to helping you every step of the way.

 

Why you should carry health insurance even if you are young and healthy

When you are young and healthy, the last thing you are likely to think of is seeing the doctor, even for an annual checkup. Carrying health insurance would also seem to be optional, especially if you don’t have a job that provides it. San Marcos Insurance Group, serving Chandler, AZ, would like to inform you that even the young and apparently healthy need at least some kind of catastrophic health insurance.

First of all, you may feel healthy but be suffering from some disease or condition and not even know it. Your annual doctor’s checkup should let you know if you have some illness, say cancer, that could sneak up on you and carry you off too young. However, treating something like cancer or some other potentially fatal disease can be very costly if you aren’t carrying health insurance,

Also, you have to remember that accidents can happen even to the young. The damage that an auto accident, for example, can do to the human body can be horrendous and expensive to treat. An accident that causes permanent damage, such as to the spine, can result in the need for life-long rehabilitation.

An expensive hospital bill that you must somehow pay out of pocket even stretched out over many monthly payments, would be the last thing you need, especially if you’ve got student loan debt and a home mortgage. Health insurance, even with a high deductible, could alleviate the effect of medical bills on your lifestyle.

For more information on health insurance, feel free to contact San Marcos Insurance Group, serving Chandler, AZ.

Is Anything More Important Than Your Health?

Have you ever noticed how we seem to get sick at the most inconvenient times, like every time we get sick? If only we could schedule when we were going to get sick with that one bug that’s been passing around the office. If only we could choose when we were going to have that accident at work that would cost us a visit to the hospital and two weeks of work. If only we could never schedule that serious injury, illness or disease, but we can’t.

That doesn’t mean people have to take getting sick or hurt lying down (so to speak), and people like those in Chandler, AZ have done the next best thing besides not getting sick, they get insured. The experienced and helpful agents at the San Marcos Insurance Group are here for that very reason because we can’t completely avoid getting sick, hurt or having an accident but we can prepare.

Insurance for Your Health

When we talk about health insurance, we are literally talking about your health. Of course, that includes a discussion about plans and policies. It will mean working with an agent from the San Marcos Insurance Group who will take the time to discuss, explain and help you choose the right insurance plan. That means talking about help with hospital bills and medication or lost wages and more. What our neighbors and friends in Chandler, AZ also get, is the knowledge, the peace of mind of knowing help will be there if they ever need it.

If you are looking into updating your health insurance, wanting a new plan or just to compare rates, then contact us today. We can’t prevent everything but we can prepare for almost anything, and is there anything more important than our health?

Can Life Insurance Provide A Source Of Emergency Funds?

Life insurance is a wonderful product that can help the policy owner cover expenses of their loved ones after their passing. It can be used for many things, including final expenses and general living costs for years to come. But is life insurance able to provide a source of emergency funds in the future?

Insurance As A Source Of Funds

There is always the risk of a financial emergency cropping up along the way. Many people don’t realize that whole life insurance not only provides coverage for an unexpected death, but it can also be used as a source of emergency funds after several years of paying into the policy. This is a great solution for people who are retired and have unexpected financial issues such as a health emergency or home repairs. 

Find The Right Type Of Life Insurance

Anyone who is interested in purchasing a whole life insurance policy should be careful during the selection process. Finding a good policy that can match current and future needs is much easier when working with a skilled agent who can recommend products and help clients calculate potential future needs in the event of their covered death. Additionally, they can help find a policy that can provide a source of emergency funds later down the road. People who live in the Chandler, AZ area who are considering purchasing life insurance should check out San Marcos Insurance Group.

Life Insurance is a wonderful insurance product that can provide security in more than one way. Call or visit the San Marcos Insurance Group office today. The residents of Chandler, AZ can depend on their agents to help them discover the right solutions for their needs.