Shelter Insurance Review: Car, Home, and More

Shelter Insurance is a mutual insurance company that was founded in 1946 and operates out of Columbia, Missouri.
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This highly-rated, award-winning insurance company offers a wealth of insurance products across the states of Colorado, Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Louisiana.

In this Shelter Insurance review, we’ll look at insurance policies, coverage options, customer satisfaction, liability cover, and more, before seeing how Shelter compares to other leading insurance companies.

Shelter Car Insurance Coverage Options

Shelter is a leading auto insurance company in Missouri and other serviced states. It isn’t always the cheapest (more on that below) but it does provide a wealth of coverage options, including:

Liability Coverage

Liability coverage is the most basic, bare-bones insurance type and one that is required in most states. Liability insurance covers bodily insurance (per person and per accident) and property damage. It essentially covers you for the damage you do to another driver and their property during a car accident.

Collision Coverage

An optional form of auto insurance that covers you for damage done to your own vehicle, regardless of who was at fault. If you have collision coverage on your auto policy, you will get a payout when you hit a guardrail, wall, tree or building.

However, it’s one of the most expensive add-ons and a lot of the damage you do to your own vehicle may not be severe enough to warrant paying the deductible.

Comprehensive Coverage

With comprehensive coverage, you will be covered for many of the things that collision insurance doesn’t cover. For instance, it provides protection against vandalism and damage from extreme weather events. It also covers you in the event of an animal collision, which is surprisingly not covered by collision insurance.

Personal Injury Protection

With PIP insurance, you will be covered for some of the personal losses you incur due to an injury sustained in a car accident. For instance, if you’re hit by another driver and suffer severe injuries that cause you to miss work, PIP will pay for the money you lose. It will also cover the money needed to cover traveling for doctor and hospital appointments, as well as childcare costs.

Medical Payments

By adding medical payments cover onto your policy you will be protected against hefty medical bills resulting from a car accident. This option is required in just a few states but the coverage limits are often set very low.

Underinsured and Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Uninsured motorists are a growing problem on America’s roads. If you’re hit by one of these drivers and don’t have collision insurance, you could be left severely out of pocket. But not if you have underinsured/uninsured motorist insurance.

This coverage option will protect you against bodily injury and property damage resulting from an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver.

Roadside Assistance

Shelter car insurance policies offer optional roadside assistance cover, which gives you up to $100 per claim and covers you for expenses accrued when you are stranded by the roadside.

Roadside assistance is an emergency service designed to help you get back on the road or to tow your car to a nearby garage. It includes everything from lost key replacement to fuel delivery and tire changes.

Rental Car Reimbursement

If your car is stolen or damaged so badly that it needs to spend several days or weeks in a repair shop, rental car reimbursement can help you to stay on the road. It will cover you for the money you spend on rental cars, which means you won’t miss a single important car journey.
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Your coverage will be limited to a specific time period and you will not be covered for rentals that extend beyond this period.

Accidental Death

A form of life insurance that covers you for accidental deaths, such as car accidents. If you die in an accident, for example, your spouse or family members will receive a payout. There are many more restrictions than you get with term life insurance policies, but the premiums are also much lower.

Disability Income Coverage

PIP can cover you if you suffer serious bodily injuries and miss work as a result, but what happens if you’re forced to miss up to a year of work? That’s where Disability Income Coverage comes in. With Shelter, you will be paid a sum of money every week for up to a year.

GAP Insurance

If you bought your car on finance and wreck it soon after, the insurance payout may not be enough to cover the losses due to the interest payments and the rapid deprecation that new cars experience. With GAP insurance, you will be covered for that extra amount. As a result, this type of car insurance is often required by auto loan companies.

New Car Replacement

If you have a car that is less than a year old and has fewer than 15,000 miles on the clock, you can apply for the new car replacement program, which gives you a like-for-like replacement. This is an essential addition for anyone driving an expensive new vehicle as the losses could be catastrophic without it.

Other Shelter Insurance Options

Shelter offers multiple additional insurance options, many of which can be bought along with your car insurance, allowing you to save money with a multi-policy discount.

As with Shelter car insurance, we recommend comparing rates to other insurance companies, making sure you’re getting the best coverage for the lowest rates. There are a huge number of insurance companies in the United States offering the same coverage options found at Shelter, and many of them are cheaper:

Homeowners Insurance

A homeowners policy from Shelter will protect your property and everything in it. You can get cover for the dwelling, personal property, medical payments, personal liability, living expenses, and more.

Shelter also offers additional coverage options pertaining to electronics, sewer damage, earthquake damage, loss of farming equipment, and more.

Renters Insurance

If you rent your home, you won’t need property insurance, but you still need to protect your personal property and that’s where renter’s insurance comes. If your flat/house is burgled and you lose expensive items, including heirlooms, jewelry, artwork, and electronics, you will be covered.

Umbrella Insurance

With a minimum liability of $1 million, umbrella insurance will step in and provide cover above and beyond what you are offered elsewhere. If you have a lot of personal assets and are worried about being sued above what your liability insurance can pay, this is the policy for you.

Business Insurance

A business insurance policy from Shelter will protect your business against property loss, equipment damage, liability claims, and more. This is essential for all businesses and at Shelter you can choose a range of customization options to make sure the policy is perfectly suited to your needs.

Flood Insurance

Your home insurance policy doesn’t cover you for flood damage and this is true whether you’re with Shelter or not. However, you can add flood insurance to your Shelter insurance policy, with the rates dependent on where you live and how common floods are in your area.

Life Insurance

In addition to accidental death cover, Shelter also has term life and whole life insurance policies. These provide payouts to your loved ones in the event of your death.

Your age, activity, medical history, and health will dictate the size of your insurance premiums and your death benefit.

Shelter Car Insurance Cost

We ran some car insurance quotes and found that Shelter was consistently more expensive than providers like GEICO, Allstate, State Farm, and Progressive. In fact, when comparing quotes for young drivers, Shelter car insurance premiums were more than double those offered by GEICO and were also substantially higher than other major carriers.

In many states, including Kentucky and Louisiana, Shelter ranked as one of the most expensive providers. The rates were a little more promising in Missouri, but you’ll probably still get better offers elsewhere.

Regardless of what you think about Shelter Insurance and whether or not you have had good experiences with them in the past, we recommend getting quotes from other providers first.

Of course, it isn’t all about price, but it takes some incredibly impressive customer support and benefits for a $3,000 policy to take precedent over one that costs $1,500 or less, and we’re not convinced Shelter has that level of support or those benefits.

Bottom Line: Shelter Insurance Review

Shelter is a dedicated, capable, and financially strong insurance provider that offers extensive coverage for both drivers and homeowners. It has good reviews from policyholders, has high ratings from AM Best, JD Power and the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and there are very few complaints when compared to other providers.

Shelter serves a number of states and if you reside in one of these, it’s worth getting a quote. Just don’t forget to check other providers and don’t assume Shelter will offer the best rates. In our experience, it’s more likely to be one of the most expensive providers in your state, but you won’t know until you check.

Visit www.ShelterInsurance.Com to learn more and to discuss an auto policy and/or home insurance policy with one of their representatives.

Shelter Insurance Review: Car, Home, and More is a post from Pocket Your Dollars.

Source: pocketyourdollars.com

5 Reasons to Buy an Electric Car

5 Reasons to Buy an Electric Car

We’ve been hearing about electric cars for a while, but it sometimes seems that the only people who buy them are either very into being energy efficient or very wealthy. But there are a lot of good reasons for you to consider buying an electric car. They are good for the environment, but they can also be good for your pocketbook. And who doesn’t want to satisfy the demands of their conscience and their bank account at the same time?

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1. Electric cars help the U.S. with energy independence.

The United States spends about $300 billion importing oil into the country. That’s two-thirds of the U.S. trade deficit. Being dependent upon foreign oil leaves the United States more vulnerable to international problems and fluctuations in the supply of oil abroad.

2. Electric cars are more efficient. 

5 Reasons to Buy an Electric Car

With an electric car you never have to stop for gas. You can charge your electric car in your own garage overnight and be ready to travel wherever you want to go in the morning. In addition, you won’t be wasting any time or money buying snacks or pumping gas at the gas station.

3) You’ll likely save money.

Even though oil prices are the lowest they’ve been since 2008, electricity is still the less expensive option. Right now, if you purchase an electric car, recent data shows you will spend $3.74 worth of electricity to travel 100 miles. However, if you purchase a comparable car that uses gasoline, it will cost you about $13.36 to travel 100 miles. In addition, gas prices have a way of rising (or at least being unpredictable), so that journey of 100 miles can quickly get even more expensive for people with conventional cars.

4) You can get paid to buy an electric car .

5 Reasons to Buy an Electric Car

Right now, the federal government offers a tax credit that can reduce the cost of a new electric car by up to $7,500. That can effectively eliminate the cost difference between a gasoline-powered car and an electric car. Sometimes it can even make the cost of buying a gasoline-powered car more than the cost of buying an electric car. However, the tax credit offer might not last forever, so you might want to buy an electric car sooner rather than later if that’s an important factor for you.

Related Article: 3 Tips for Claiming the Energy Tax Credit

5) They’re Low Maintenance

With an electric car you’re not going to have to take your car to the mechanic as often. Although all cars may have problems, electric cars generally have lower maintenance costs than gasoline-based car. With an electric car you’ll also spend less time worrying about how to get by while your car is in the shop, or waiting around at the garage for the maintenance to be performed.

Bottom Line

You don’t have to be a hippie or a billionaire to opt for an electric car. There are advantages for anyone who takes relatively short car trips and has access to charging facilities.

Photo credit: Â©iStock.com/Anna Bryukhanova, ©iStock.com/Drazen Lovric, ©iStock.com/stockvisual

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33 Expert Apartment Moving Tips for an Easy Relocation

Moving doesn’t have to drag you down. These moving hacks can help you move smarter — not harder.

Moving is never easy, but there are some things you can do to make it as painless as possible and avoid making rookie moving mistakes. Take a look at this list of apartment moving tips and give some a try. What do you have to lose?

1. Purge, purge, purge

You have to go through all of your stuff anyway to pack up, so why not get rid of things you don’t really need? That way, you don’t have to bother with relocating it. If you can’t remember the last time you wore something or you simply don’t need it, stick it in a “donate” pile and arrange for a donation pick-up service. Anything that’s broken or stained beyond repair should get trashed. If you’re feeling really industrious, ask management if you can hold a “garage sale” of sorts and make some money off of your junk. Or, sell it online and put the profits toward your moving budget.

2. Scrounge around for boxes

Unless this is a last-minute move, you have time to find moving boxes for free. Ask friends to hold onto their Amazon or other delivery boxes, then go pick them up. Inquire with the manager while shopping for groceries, too! The local liquor store probably has oodles of partitioned boxes that are perfect for moving glassware or even shoes. This will save you a bundle of cash.

Pro tip: If they aren’t moving boxes, they likely won’t have handles on the side. Before filling them up, make your own triangular handles using a box cutter (flat side up).

Making a moving list

3. Make a list

Start a list of anything that needs fixing or touching-up before you vacate the premises. These should only be things for which you’re responsible, like holes in the wall from hanging pictures. Leaky faucets and wonky garbage disposals are management’s responsibility. While you’re at it, make a separate list of the stuff the manager needs to fix before new tenants move in. That’s just nice.

4. Soap it up

Speaking of holes in the wall, an easy way to plug them is to rub a bar of soap on the wall until the hole fills in. That’s one easy and cheap moving hack!

5. Keep documents handy

Make a file of important documents and don’t pack it up with everything else. This can include recent bills, the lease you’re ending, the lease you’re starting, identification documents and so on. If someone offers you a last-minute, free trip to Paris you’re gonna want to go, not lament the fact that your passport is in a box somewhere.

6. Itemize moving expenses

This apartment moving tip affects your bottom line directly. Many moving-related costs are tax-deductible, so keep a detailed list, along with receipts for tax season. Examples of tax-deductible expenses include moving company services, DIY storage pods or moving trucks, gas/moving mileage rate, move insurance, packing supplies and storage for up to 30 days after moving items out, but before going into the new place.

7. Make it a no-brainer where boxes will go

A little extra effort on the front end will make unpacking that much easier. Color-code boxes by room, so you and any helpers can easily know where to put them.

Take care of your pets while moving

8. Provide for pets

Moving with pets is a stressful situation for furry friends. Make a plan well ahead of time as to where they’ll spend the day. If a friend or family member isn’t able to take them in, reserve a boarding spot at a local vet. Be sure the pet is up to date on vetting, however, or else they can refuse to keep Fido or Fluffy.

9. Label everything

A little effort on the front end will save a ton of time come unpacking day. On the outside of the box, jot down the basics of what’s in each one. This way, you won’t unpack your Christmas décor before much more important items.

10. Pack a personal items box

Put everything you need to stay safe and functioning at peak potential in a “moving day” box. This includes things like prescription medications, eyeglasses, phone chargers, laptop computers and toothbrushes. Be sure to include bedding, so you have somewhere to sleep on the first night. And don’t forget the coffee maker!

11. Be space smart

You can efficiently pack smaller things, like spices and miscellaneous kitchen items inside of pots, tupperware and other items. Think of them as smaller moving boxes! Doing this drastically cuts down on the number of boxes necessary. The same concept goes for things like suitcases, too, which you can load with heavier items, like books, for painless transport.

12. Pack dishes vertically

Resist the instinct to lay dishes down flat inside the boxes. Instead, invest in dish separators and pack them vertically. Don’t forget to prominently label boxes with dishes and glasses as “fragile!”

13. Don’t dump the dresser drawers

Think of drawers as really sturdy boxes. Take drawers out of the dresser, leave everything and wrap them up with plastic wrap. Uncover at the new place, then pop ’em back in where they go. Easy-peasy.

Toaster

14. Put the toaster in a bag

Here’s an apartment moving tip that prevents unnecessary mess. Unless it’s brand-new, even the cleanest toaster has crumbs hidden in every crevice. Pack your toaster in a bag to avoid sharing the crumbs with everything else in the box.

15. Pack clothes in a moving wardrobe

This is another expense that’s totally worth it. Keep clothes on hangers, then pack them that way in a hanging wardrobe. Then, all you have to do is transfer the items into the new closet. It’s much faster, plus imagine all of the folding, unfolding and ironing you’ll save yourself!

Don’t have the budget for wardrobe boxes? Take a handful of hanging clothes at a time, then wrap them up in a garbage bag and tie up the end.

16. Pack knives in oven mitts

Keep your fingers safe from unintentional pokes and pack knives inside oven mitts, points facing inward. Put a rubber band around the open end to keep them from falling out. Label the box accordingly, though, for safety’s sake.

17. Sock it to stemware

If you have stemware you want to keep intact, add an extra layer of protection by putting each glass or goblet inside a clean sock.

18. Prevent spills

There’s no need to toss out that half-full bottle of shampoo. Simply cover it up with plastic wrap to avoid a hair product catastrophe! Do the same with other liquid products, like cooking oil or laundry detergent. This apartment moving tip is key to keeping everything from getting all sticky and icky.

Cutlery in the drawer

19. Wrap it up

Don’t even bother taking cutlery out of the drawer organizer. Instead, put plastic wrap on it and call it a day!

20. Buy some bubble wrap

Don’t chance it with your breakables. Wrap mirrors, picture frames and other fragile items with bubble wrap and place inside boxes or cardboard sleeves as needed. Cris-cross tape in an “X” on the glass to further reduce breakage potential. Once you start unpacking, pop that bubble wrap for a wonderfully stress-reducing activity!

21. Use TP rolls for cords

Avoid the need for mass-untangling. Wrap cords around empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls to keep them neat and easy to unroll. Label accordingly.

22. Be creative with packing materials

Fun as it is, use bubble wrap sparingly. Minimize the amount of Earth-unfriendly bubble wrap by packing breakable items with soft things like sheets, towels and blankets. You need them anyway, so you might as well make ’em pull double-duty!

Woman taking picture of her kitchen

23. Document everything in pictures

Take pictures of everything to keep an easy-to-reference photographic record. This goes for the aesthetic stuff (the way your framed prints are hung) to the technical (which cords go in which spot on the back of the TV).

24. Keep cleaning supplies separate and accessible

You’ll probably have to do a quick spray-down once the place you’re vacating is empty, and it’s always a good idea to spritz countertops in a new place (even if it’s been cleaned). Keep supplies like antibacterial spray, paper towels, window cleaner, etc. in a clearly labeled box. Throw in some laundry and dish detergent for good measure.

25. Keep hardware together

Label and box up any hardware that’s removed from the furniture. Or use painter’s tape to secure it to the inside of the piece. Don’t forget other removable bits, like couch feet!

26. Pack a cooler

On moving day, fill a cooler with bottled waters, sodas and snacks to keep everyone hydrated and fed. Watered, full-bellied helpers are happy helpers.

27. Have a first aid kit

Hopefully, everything goes off without a hitch on moving day. If, however, someone gets a paper cut or has a headache, be prepared with a fully-stocked first-aid kit.

28. Take control of valuables

Whether they’re worth a lot of money or just valuable for sentimental reasons, big-ticket items are best handled by you. Movers are great and all, but things get lost and broken all the time. Better to remove the middleman, in the case of those extra-important baubles and trinkets.

Man measuring the couch

29. Take some measurements

Just because you fit a big piece of furniture in your current abode with no problem doesn’t mean it’ll easily go through your new doorway. Measure any large pieces and entry points to make sure they match up. If not, a door may have to come off the hinges or the piece taken apart.

30. Take a toolbox

To that end, always have a basic toolbox available for moving day. No one wants to buy a hammer or screwdriver because they can’t find theirs in a box.

31. Unpack strategically

As tempting as it is to knock out the kitchen, you probably don’t need Grandma’s casserole dish anytime soon. Instead, order out for food and prioritize unpacking the bedroom and bathroom right away.

32. Take your time

Don’t unpack everything the first night. In fact, that’s just a recipe for chaos. Take your time and go room-by-room. Thoughtfully decide where everything should go, break down the boxes for that room to save space, then move to the next area.

33. Keep a knife around

Speaking of boxes, keep a utility knife in your pocket to easily break them down. Wear protective gloves to avoid scraping, cutting or damaging your skin.

Let the apartment moving games begin!

Don’t dread a move — it’s an exciting time! Instead, be as intentional as possible about the way you do things. Follow these apartment moving tips and anticipate the joys of setting up a cool, new home just the way you want it.

The post 33 Expert Apartment Moving Tips for an Easy Relocation appeared first on The Rent.com Blog : A Renter’s Guide for Tips & Advice.

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