Boat Loaded on a Trailer by dimitrisvetsikas1969 Owning a boat can make weekends and vacations fun and memorable. Follow these tips to help ensure that when you’re towing your boat you’re being as safe as possible to lower the risk of accidents and unwanted insurance claims. Make Sure Your Vehicle Is Powerful Enough for Towing Many people underestimate the amount of power they need to tow a boat. It’s actually better to overestimate the power necessary than to fall short. The general rule of thumb is you need at least 15 percent more capacity than the weight of the boat fully loaded plus your ..read more

Painting Materials Beside a Ladder by Blue Bird If you’re planning a home improvement project, you probably have many contractors available to choose from. How do you pick the right one that will get the job done safely and without liability issues? Follow these tips. Get Word-of-Mouth Recommendations One of the best ways you can find a contractor is to ask friends and neighbors who have done remodels or additions you like. Ask about things like: Was the contractor punctual and reliable? Did the project come in on or under budget? Would they hire the contractor again? Read Online Reviews Onl ..read more

Modern Kitchen by Mark When you tackle home improvement projects, it’s wise to prioritize those that add the most to your property’s value, especially if you might put your home on the market in the next few years. Here are the renovations that give you the biggest return on your investment. Kitchen Remodels If you’re like most folks, you probably spend a fair amount of time in your kitchen, even when you have guests. For this reason, making over your kitchen will usually let you recoup your investment in equity or a higher sale price. Common remodeling elements include: Replacing appliances ..read more

Teenage Driver by why kei If you have a young driver in your home, you may be fearful about them driving on their own, especially in bad weather or road construction. Here are some tips to share with them to improve safety by adapting their driving to current conditions. Rain, Snow and Ice It’s not always possible to stay put in inclement weather, although that should be your teen’s first choice in a storm or freezing weather. If your child must venture out, here’s what they should know: Understand that posted speed limits are for ideal conditions; driving well below the speed limit is almost ..read more

Motorboat by Rafa De Your boat is an investment that gives you tons of fun all summer long. But come the cold weather months, you want to make sure it’s properly winterized before you store it, so it’s protected from weather and other hazards. Here’s a quick list of steps you should take before storing. Decide Whether or Not to Remove It From the Water Your first winterizing step is to decide if you will be taking the boat out of the water or not, assuming you don’t normally keep your boat on a trailer during the summer season. Removing the boat has multiple advantages: Prevents ice formation ..read more

Woman using a smartphone and laptop by Andrea Piacquadio Homeowners today have never had more ways to save money through technology. Here are five smart home devices that will help you cut down on your bills and improve your home’s safety. Better safety can mean fewer insurance claims and less hassle for you. Smart Programmable Thermostat A programmable thermostat means you don’t have to manually turn your heat or air conditioning on and off. Instead, you set up a schedule on the thermostat, and everything happens automatically. This lets you set your heat to come on right before you get up in ..read more

Man driving a car by JESHOOTS.com If you want to reduce your risk of traffic accidents and the insurance claims that accompany them — which could cause your premium to go up — you need to drive defensively. Here are some driving tips to help you avoid crashes and stay safe on the road. Always Assume Other Motorists Will Make Mistakes Defensive driving means always anticipating that other vehicles will be careless or worse, break the law. So, when you come to a four-way stop, for example, don’t assume other motorists will know the right-of-way laws. It’s always better to wait a few seconds and ..read more

Keys in the door of a new home by PhotoMIX Company If you’re house hunting, you’re probably looking at many elements like the number of bedrooms or how updated the kitchen is. Don’t forget to check for these things too, which which may help avoid home insurance claims should you become the new owner. An Aging Roof Roof problems are one of the most common causes of home insurance claims. Serious roof damage often doesn’t just involve the roof itself; it can cause interior damage, especially from leaking water. You don’t want to purchase a home that has an old or faulty roof without getting an a ..read more

Woman using a smartphone by Keira Burton Many insurance carriers today offer smartphone apps that track telematics to monitor driving. Here’s how they work and how these apps may help you lower your auto insurance premium, along with a few other advantages. Safe Driving Apps Help You Improve Your Driving Telematics usually works either via a small plugin provided by the insurance company that is attached to your vehicle, or by simply downloading a smartphone app. However, there are also models that plug into dashboard ports. This is capable of monitoring a variety of driving elements, which ca ..read more

Garden hose spraying water by Karolina Grabowska Water has been in short supply in many areas of the United States lately. And even if it’s bountiful where you live, you may be paying more for water than you’d like. Here are some tips for using less water and saving money in your garden. Use Soaker Hoses Instead of Sprinklers Sprinklers tend to use tons of water, often more than you need to water your garden. It’s the equivalent of taking a bath versus a shower when you just want to get clean quickly. Try using soaker hoses, which have tiny perforations in them, to water your flower or vegetab ..read more