Pembroke Pines, FL, September 5th, 2020 – Rolfs Insurance Services retains its Best Practices status, once again becoming a part of an elite group of independent insurance agencies around the United States. This status comes by participating in the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) Best Practices Study group. The annual survey and Study of leading independent insurance agencies documents the business practices of the “best” agencies and urges others to adopt similar practices.

Since 1993, the Big “I” and Reagan Consulting, an Atlanta-based management consulting firm, have join forces to study the country’s leading agencies in six revenue categories. The agencies comprising the study groups are selected every third year through a comprehensive nomination and qualifying process and awarded a “Best Practices Agency” designation. The agency was nominated by either an IIABA affiliated state association or an insurance company and qualified based on its operational excellence.

The selected Best Practices agencies retain their status during the three-year cycle by submitting extensive financial and operational data for review each year. This is the second year of the current three-year study cycle, where over 1,000 independent agencies throughout the U.S. were nominated to take part in the annual study in 2019, but only 262 agencies qualified for the honor. To be chosen, the agency had to be among the 35-45 top-performing agencies in one of six revenue categories.

Rolfs Insurance Services was founded in 1997 and offers a wide range of insurance products including personal and commercial lines of property and casualty insurance as well as life and health coverage with professional guidance and advice.

For further information, please contact Rick Rolfs of Rolfs Insurance Services at 954-251-3312.

Founded in 1896, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing more than 25,000 agency locations united under the Trusted Choice brand. Trusted Choice independent agents offer consumers all types of insurance—property, casualty, life, health, employee benefit plans and retirement products—from a variety of insurance companies.

Boat and RV insurance just got better. There are exciting new product offerings for Florida boat and RV owners.

RV: Expanded protection because roaming homes need steady coverage*

Progressive’s Pest Damage Protection℠ — Provides coverage for damage to motor homes and non-stationary travel trailers caused by rats, mice, insects, birds, other non-domesticated animals, or other rodents and vermin.

Progressive’s Roof Protection Plus ® — Provides coverage to repair or replace the vehicle’s roof if it malfunctions, even if the cause is wear and tear. This coverage also includes damage to other parts of the vehicle caused directly by the roof’s malfunction.

Increased acceptability for boats:*

• Horsepower — Up to 700 HP for single engines/1,400 HP for twin engines on cruisers, motor yachts and ski/wake boats with inboard engines
• Engine Configuration — Triple engines are now acceptable on certain outboard motor boats

Progressive’s Hurricane Haul Out coverage — Reimburses for 50% of the cost incurred to haul out a boat due to tropical storm or hurricane conditions.

Boating Safety

Here are some boating safety tips for when you’re out on the water.

Choose the right types (and sizes) of life jackets—and make sure everyone wears them.
There are different types of life jackets for various activities, such as vest-type jackets for calm, inland waters, offshore jackets with additional buoyancy designed for rougher water, and even some made for waterskiing, kayaking, etc. Think about what you’ll be doing, where you’ll be headed, and who will be with you, so you have the ones you need. (Click here for a great guide.)

Each individual on board (even pets) should have a life jacket that fits properly, and most important, they should wear it at all times—there probably won’t be time to throw one on when something bad happens unexpectedly. According to the Coast Guard, in most cases of boating-related drowning, life jackets were on board but they weren’t worn by victims.

Make sure you have other key safety equipment on board.
There are plenty of other items you should have (or consider having) on your boat to increase safety. Fire extinguishers are required on most boats, even small vessels, so make sure you have the right type and that you know how to use it. If you have an enclosed area on your boat, you should install a carbon-monoxide detector.

Cell phones don’t always work well when you’re out on the water, so a VHF radio can ensure you’re able to call for help—it might be a good idea to get an emergency position-indicating radio beacon in case you get lost, too. And finally, you should always carry an anchor and signal lights, even if you aren’t planning on being out at night.

Use common sense, both before and after you launch the boat.
Keeping your boat’s systems and equipment (including safety gear, of course) in good shape is the first step to preventing problems, so put in the time to perform inspections and maintenance tasks as needed. Then, before any trip, no matter how quick, check the weather. Look for wind and small-craft advisories in particular.

When you hit the water, the fun can begin! But keep in mind that a quiet, enjoyable day can change in just an instant, too. So don’t speed. Don’t drink or allow excessive distractions. Remember that there are other people out there too, and that when everybody does their part, boating is a lot more fun—and a lot safer—for us all.

*Coverages and discounts may vary. Products and programs may not be available for all situations. Please contact or call us at 954-251-3312 for more information.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has begun (June 1st to November 30th, 2020). Now is the time to create or update a disaster plan in preparation for severe storms and hurricanes. The following links include various resources from government agencies, our advice for protecting life and property, and additional insurance related advice for the hurricane season.

FEMA hurricane season guides for everyone and for businesses

• For individuals: How to Prepare for a Hurricane (13 MB)
• For businesses: Hurricane Toolkit (6 MB)

Getting ready, forming a hurricane plan, and what to do in the event of a storm

Below are links to articles which I’ve written that provide further guidance for the storm season.

• A Plan for Before & After the Storm (also contains a list of insurance carrier claims phone numbers)
• Preparing Property for a Storm
• Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Ready.gov/hurricanes

More resources provided by Ready, a National public service campaign, can all be found at https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes which has been updated with additional helpful information due to the Coronavirus.

At its heart insurance is simply the transfer of risk for a premium.

An insurance policy is a contract of indemnity which means an obligation by a person (indemnitor) to provide compensation for a particular loss suffered by another person (indemnitee). Indemnities form the basis of many insurance contracts; for example, a car owner may purchase different kinds of insurance as an indemnity for various kinds of loss arising from operation of the car, such as damage to the car itself or medical expenses following an accident. In an agency context, a principal may be obligated to indemnify their agent for liabilities incurred while carrying out responsibilities under the relationship. While the events giving rise to an indemnity may be specified by contract, the actions that must be taken to compensate the injured party are largely unpredictable and the maximum compensation is often expressly limited. The question is, how does the academic definition of insurance translate into the real world?

The true essence of insurance is claims handling.

One of the common covered perils under a property policy, such as homeowners insurance, is theft. A theft is evidenced by forcible signs of entry or exit from the location in which the loss occurred. This evidence can include things such as a broken window, a pried open door, or scratches or marks on a window or door frame where a thief attempted either entry or exit from a location. If these physical signs are not present then a loss may be categorized as mysterious disappearance.

Where a property policy typically provides coverage for theft it does not insure against mysterious disappearance.

Personal inland marine as well as commercial inland marine type policies which specifically schedule or provide blanket coverage to objects generally do grant coverage for mysterious disappearance. Property which is scheduled on a personal inland marine floater generally include jewelry, fine arts, silverware, furs and other items which usually increase in value over time. The mechanism by which an insured or insurer agree to the value of these objects is an appraisal which typically must be updated every two to three years. Commercial inland marine policies which are designed for items that are in motion such as contractor’s equipment, tools and other mobile machinery are scheduled and a value assigned so that a loss may be properly covered.

These are the types of nuances in coverage that we at Rolfs Insurance Services strive to explain and educate our clients to be sensitive to.

Open communications and conversations where we get to know our clients’ needs are key to developing a proper plan of insurance in order to provide correct coverage. Please do not hesitate to give us a call or send an email with respect to this or any other issue where you may have a question. If you have any family, friends or other acquaintances that may need assistance with any insurance question we would be happy to provide assistance.