Most businesses need insurance. After all, even the most successful ones come with a variety of risks. All it takes is one big liability claim to send a once-successful venture into financial ruin. So if you own or run a business in Georgia, you should consider getting the protection of commercial insurance (also known as business insurance). 

At The Insurance Mart, located in Blue Ridge, GA, we help prevent local business owners across the region from having to pay for claims out of their own pockets. But what types of businesses actually need commercial insurance?

Most Businesses Need Commercial Insurance

If you have a store or offer any sort of in-person service to customers, you definitely need commercial insurance (slip and fall claims are very real!) Likewise, any services performed that affect property (such as construction, home cleaning, maintenance, etc.) need coverage.

Because the risks are even greater for food and beverage operations, these businesses will need specialized commercial restaurant insurance. 

What About Personal Businesses or Self-Employed People?

If you’re the only employee in your business, it’s easy to think you don’t need any kind of insurance. While it’s true that a big commercial policy will not be the right fit for you, that doesn’t mean you’re without risk. Give us a call to discuss the specifics of your business and what kind of coverage needs you may have. 

What Does Georgia Law Say?

Georgia business owners are only required under state law to have workers compensation insurance if they have three employees or more. Full commercial or business insurance is not required, but it is recommended. 

It’s also worth pointing out that all business-owned vehicles in Georgia are required to have commercial insurance. If you drive a personal vehicle for work, you should look into hired and non-owned auto insurance, which is similar. While separate from your regular business insurance policy, a commercial policy will cover you in situations that a regular auto policy may not. For example, if you are transporting some materials for your business and those materials accidentally cause damage, regular auto insurance most likely isn’t going to cut it. 

To learn more about how your business can benefit from commercial insurance, call the experts at The Insurance Mart or come visit us at our Blue Ridge, GA offices.

Health insurance has benefits for everyone, regardless of whether a person is sick or well. As a healthy person, it may be difficult to understand the benefits of paying for something that you don’t get to use much. However, the benefits are many. It can create peace of mind in the event of some unexpected and unfortunate sickness or accident that requires medical care. It can also help with the cost of routine health visits as well as other preventative medical priorities.

What Does Health Insurance Cover

Health insurance typically covers doctor and emergency room visits, in addition to specialist treatments. Most insurance holders typically pay a small preset portion of the cost of these visits int the form of a co-pay. In essence, health insurance protects you from pricey medical costs. You pay less for covered in-network healthcare, even before you meet your deductible. The Insurance Mart of Blue Ridge GA can walk you through all the benefits that investing in health insurance can provide for you. 

Three Undeniable Benefits

Three benefits distinguish themselves when it comes to health insurance. First and foremost, health insurance allows you to see a doctor instead of visiting the emergency room every time you have a health issue. Often, people without health insurance use the emergency room to address their health issues because they don’t have health insurance and can’t see a doctor. Secondly, health insurance allows you o practice preventative care. Routine health visits to your doctor help keep you well and prevent illnesses. The uninsured usually wait until they get sick to address a health issue. This can be quite costly. Last of all, health insurance gives you access to better rates for healthcare. The uninsured pay the most for healthcare because they don’t have insurance to bring the cost down. Health insurance gives you access to some of the best negotiated rates. 

Call The Insurance Mart of Blue Ridge, GA to discuss all of your healthcare options. A qualified agent can help you find health insurance best suited for your finances and lifestyle.

 

Most people understand that life insurance is a wise investment. Life insurance helps your family deal with the expenses of your funeral and helps with adjusting to life without your income. What most people do not realize is that your life insurance needs change with time. You may have purchased a policy when you were younger that will not be sufficient today. Updating your life insurance occasionally is a great way to make sure your family is sufficiently protected. The Insurance Mart serving Blue Ridge, GA is committed to helping you make the best insurance choices. Keep reading to learn reasons why you should update your life insurance. 

You’ve Gotten Married

Getting married is one of the main reasons people need to update life insurance. Your financial obligations upon marriage change drastically. You are now responsible for a spouse and possibly children. You should make sure that your life insurance policy will provide for your family. 

Your Income Has Changed

If you have recently experienced a job promotion or some other income altering event, then you should consider updating your insurance. A different income means that your standard of living could be changing as well. Most people opt for providing a life insurance policy for their family that will enable their family to maintain their standard of living even after that extra income is gone. 

Your Policy Is Old

If you purchased your policy some time ago, then updating is a good idea. Your old policy would have been based on much information that could have changed by now. Speaking with a trained insurance specialist at The Insurance Mart is a great way to find out if your insurance policy needs to be updated. The Insurance Mart is now serving Blue Ridge, GA as well as surrounding areas. 

Recreational insurance in Blue Ridge, GA, will cover a number of vehicles. Some of the things that recreational insurance can cover include boats of 50 feet or less, personal watercraft, motorhomes, off-road craft, travel trailers, and fifth wheels. Your homeowner’s insurance may have some coverage for these items but it makes sense to get a policy designed to cover your specific vehicle.

Each recreational vehicle has its own unique insurance needs but there are some standard coverages you want to have that give you more protection than just your home insurance limits. Insuring an RV, for example, is mandatory and, depending on whether you financed it or not, you may even need to purchase more coverage.

Those who have boats and other kinds of personal watercraft may want to make sure they have proper liability coverage. Motorhomes, travel trailers and off-road crafts should not only have liability insurance but you want to look at comprehensive, collision, and vacation liability insurance in order to protect your assets.

There is also a number of additional insurance options to modify coverage, such as roadside assistance, medical payments coverage accessory, custom parts, and equipment insurance, and towing and emergency service coverage. If you are insuring an RV, you may also want coverage to protect your belongings stored in the RV, such as contents coverage. An agent at The Insurance Mart can help you determine the right policy to suit your needs. If you aren’t sure about needing coverage for the entire year when you aren’t using recreational vehicles, speak with your agent about storage options, which could suspend certain coverages such as collision coverage during months you aren’t using your vehicles. This way you are still protected in the case of theft or other damage.

Contact The Insurance Mart, serving Blue Ridge, GA, to get a quote on recreational insurance. 

Disastrous events can shut down your business and freeze or reduce its bottom line. To get back to normal business operations as soon as possible following an unfortunate event that may occur in Blue Ridge, GA requires emergency planning. 

Identify the natural threats to your business. They will vary by location, and they may include snow and ice, flooding, windstorms and tornadoes. Have emergency supplies such as food, fresh water, first aid kit, generators, flashlights, batteries battery-operated commercial radios and NOAA weather radios on hand. 

Know the equipment, procedures and documents that you absolutely must have to run your business. Record descriptions and valuations for each piece of equipment and all the items that you need to operate. This documentation is essential if you ever have to make an insurance claim

Decide how payroll and accounting will be managed. Many businesses now get their bank statements and bills online. But also make sure that you have  copies offsite. Backing up also applies to W-2s and tax returns.

Know the phone numbers—especially the mobile ones—for your essential customers, contractors and suppliers. Ensure that employees know how to contact you and that they know where the emergency exits are located as well as the places of shelter. If you have any employees with disabilities, assign a capable co-worker to assist them. Practice your plan. 

Data breaches are also emergencies. Keep your computers updated with patches, use strong passwords, employ antivirus software and only open email from trusted sources. Review your insurance policy. Know what’s covered and what’s not. Add coverage if necessary. Contact the experts at The Insurance Mart so we can evaluate what you need to protect your business if the unexpected happens. 

 

 

The agents at The Insurance Mart serve Blue Ridge, GA and they know how important your health is. Getting through the technicalities of health insurance can be challenging, but two terms everyone should understand are co-pay and deductible. If you’ve ever used the service of a healthcare provider, you’ve heard one or both of these terms.

Your co-pay is what you pay at the time of service when you go in for a covered visit. Look in your health insurer’s patient manual for what co-pays are. For example, depending on your insurance, you might see a co-pay stated in dollar amounts for one, all or more of these covered services: visit your primary care physician, visit to a specialist, visit to the emergency room, hospital stay, diagnostic tests, ambulance, etc. You will also have to pay part of your prescription drug costs. 

Look at your patient manual again for what your deductible is. Most deductibles are stated for a year. They are what you will pay out-of-pocket before your health insurer steps in to pay the rest of your covered medical and hospital bills. Deductibles range from zero dollars to thousands of dollars annually.

As a general rule, it’s suggested that you choose a high-deductible plan if you have an HSA, are healthy or are financially able to pay the high deductible within a month. Select a no-deductible or lower deductible plan if you’re pregnant, plan to become pregnant or have young children or children who play sports. Also, choose this plan if you anticipate surgery such as hip or knee replacement or take an expensive drug. 

Contact us at The Insurance Agency. In serving Blue Ridge, GA, we will help you choose the health coverage that fits your needs.