There's nothing really funny about this cold weather but we can't totally knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine tenths of people couldn't start a conversation!

With the cold weather comes the natural human instinct to get warm. This could mean anything from firing up your wood stove or booking a holiday down south! Either or, this will bring you to want to make a quick stop to Al Hattie Insurance before.

                   1. If you have a wood stove, or are planning on installing one make sure you check with your broker, Al Hattie Insurance, beforehand to see if this will affect your home insurance policy and                         how. Wood stoves are ideal as a backup source of heat in that emergency situation where a power outage has occurred.

                   2. If you are amongst the many fortunate people to take off to warmer climates for holidays your first stop should be Al Hattie Insurance to purchase your Emergency Medical Travel                                       Insurance. We carry a variety of carriers to meet all sorts of different client’s needs, and also to provide quotes from those companies, finding you the best rate so that you're not paying                             more than you need to be.

                  3. After your travel insurance needs are met, our one stop shop will also be able to provide you information on your home insurance policy and the specific requirements set out by your                                insurance company that you must meet to have coverage while you are away. Every company is different and ever changing so these are good things to routinely check up on so that you                          are up to date on the most recent requirements.

Hopefully these few points from Al Hattie Insurance can help keep the cold weather the only problem until we are all like "Winter who?".

We know there are many myths & truths of insurance floating around out there & we are here to try and help bring some clarity to the issue!

#TruthsTuesday

Having Great Credit Can Benefit Your Home Insurance Rates

The insurance companies (currently SGI Canada & Wawanesa Mutual) have designed this new method to try to give consumers another opportunity for discounting their home insurance rates.

We need two requirements to apply the discount:

1.      Express consent- For our client’s convenience, we are capable of accepting consent or withdrawal of credit score discounts verbally.

2.      The second type of information required is your legal full name and full date of birth, this information in most cases has already been obtained in the past for other insurance purposes.

Start saving more!

Lots of our customers have utilized this discount by taking those savings and purchasing additional coverage's such as, the newly introduced Flood Coverage. New this year to the personal homeowner’s line of insurance.

A little run down of how it works; once we have obtained your consent, the score is electronically requested from our credit score provider, depending on which insurance company you are with could either be TransUnion or Equifax. Credit score is then sent from the credit bureau through a secure data transmission channel and is automatically applied to the calculation of your premium. Your consent is kept and collected until or if you withdrawal that consent, and therefore annually the insurance company will access your credit score just before the renewal of your policy. We have been reassured by the insurance companies that this will not impact your credit rating.

To top off all this great news, Wawanesa Mutual has recently increased the credit score maximum possible discount, now allowing for an even greater discount.

*Your rates will not go up if you have an unfavorable credit score.

Privacy

At Al Hattie Insurance, we take your privacy very seriously. Our clients privacy is an office practice we have taken very seriously before credit scoring even came into play. We cannot see and do not have access to your credit score information. That information is restricted to only limited employees of the insurance companies who only access it in order to do their job.

Some Tips to Improve your Credit Score:

v  Always pay your bills on time.

v  Try to pay your bills in full by the due date. If you aren’t able to, pay at least the minimum amount shown on your monthly statement

v  Try to pay down your debts as quickly as possible

v  Don’t go over the credit limit on your credit card. Try to keep the balance well below the limit, as the higher the balance the more impact it has on your credit score.

v  Reduce the number of credit applications you make.

v  Make sure you have a credit history. Your credit score may be low because you don’t have a record of owing money and paying it back. You can build a credit history by using a credit card as long as you use it

We know there are many myths & truths of insurance floating around out there & we are here to try and help bring some clarity to the issue!

#MythsMondays

Travel Insurance Doesn't Pay Out!

Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss. Insurance companies exist in order to help mitigate unforeseen and sudden events thus protecting the insured's financial well-being upon the occurrence of a specific event, specified loss, damage, illness, or death in return for payment of a premium. In the case of one of our travel insurance providers, Allianz Global Assistance, they have an excellent track record in Canada, with exceptionally low claim denial rates. In 2015, AGA recorded a 92.5% payout rate. Clients are best encouraged to carefully read their travel insurance policy to understand the benefits, exclusions and limitations. When you have questions, WE are the reliable source and trusted expert to provide clarification. We also carry many providers to meet a wide variety of clients needs. To name the major carriers we have, Saskatchewan Blue Cross, Group Medical Services, & Allianz Global Assistance.

In an effort to reduce the high rate of injuries and fatalities on Saskatchewan's roads, the Special Committee on Traffic Safety will see several key recommendations turn into law effective June 27, 2014. One of the primary changes will effect new drivers caught driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, who will face a 60-day license suspension and will have their vehicle seized for three days.

"Harsher penalties are aimed at deterring the unsafe choices some Saskatchewan drivers are making," said Donna Harpauer, Minister responsible for SGI. "We want drivers to think twice before making a bad decision, like getting behind the wheel after drinking or texting while driving."

Other traffic laws being introduced in the province June 27th include:

• Impaired drivers face user-pay installation of an ignition interlock device on their vehicle, for a minimum nine months on a first offence and up to five years for subsequent offences.
• Drug-impaired drivers will face the same consequences as drinking drivers.
• Drivers caught using their cellphone while driving for the second time within one year will have their vehicle seized for up to seven days.
• Drivers will face harsher penalties when they're traveling at 35 km/h or more over the speed limit.
• Booster seats will be mandatory for children under seven years of age, less than 145 cm (4'9") in height and under 36 kg (80 lbs) in weight.
• Photo radar will be piloted at three high-risk locations across the province and in school zones.

Motorcyclists will also note changes, with a focus on new riders:

• Riders in the Motorcycle Graduated Driver Licensing (MGDL) program and their passengers will be required to have their arms and legs covered, wear hand-covering gloves, ankle covering boots, and either an approved three-quarter, modular or full-face motorcycle helmet.
• MGDL riders will have to place a placard on their license plate to indicate they are a new rider.
• Drivers will be required to hold a Class 5 or higher driver's license before applying for a motorcycle learner's license.
• New riders will have to demonstrate their ability to operate a motorcycle through a basic ability test or successfully complete an approved training program, before getting a motorcycle learner's license.

For more information about these traffic safety changes, visit SGI's website at www.sgi.sk.ca.