Should a Sole Proprietor Have Workers’ Compensation Insurance?

If you are self-employed, you may be wondering if you need to get workers’ compensation insurance. The answer to this question depends on a few factors, including the type of business you have and the state you live in. In general, worker’s compensation insurance is not required by law for sole proprietors in Negaunee, MI. However, there are some distinct benefits U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. would like you to be aware of.

Why You Need Workers’ Compensation Insurance as a Sole Proprietor

Sole proprietors should have workers’ compensation insurance because it provides financial protection if they are injured on the job. If a sole proprietor is injured and cannot work, workers’ compensation insurance will provide them with a portion of their lost wages. Additionally, many clients will require contractors to have workers’ comp coverage as a part of their agreement for work.

What Does Workers’ Compensation Insurance Cover for Sole Proprietors?

Although there are some exceptions, workers’ compensation insurance covers most injuries that occur during employment. Workers’ compensation also covers death benefits for employees who die while on the job. However, certain conditions need to be met, including the fact that the employee must have been in the process of doing their job at the time of the incident.

How to Get Workers’ Compensation Insurance as a Sole Proprietor

Sole proprietors have a lot of responsibilities, from taking care of the business’s day-to-day operations to serving clients and maintaining a work environment. If you own a business in Negaunee, MI and cover the insurance costs on your own, contact U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. today to learn more about workers’ compensation insurance.

Why Buy Classic Car Insurance Instead of Regular Auto?

When your vehicle ages or you purchase a vehicle that’s at least 25 years old, you need to consider purchasing classic car insurance instead of regular auto insurance from U.P. Insurance Agency Inc.

Classic Car Insurance: What You Need To Know

Unless you plan to drive your classic car around Negaunee, MI like a regular car, you’ll want the protection of classic car insurance. It costs a bit less than regular auto coverage, but you can’t drive the car as many miles. In fact, a classic car policy limits you to about 1,200 miles per year. That’s a tenth of the typical US drivers’ miles.

The policy allows you to drive your vehicle in parades and show it at car shows. For the remainder of the time, you agree to store the vehicle in a covered garage.

That may sound like you give a lot up, but the insurance policy offers a payout that most auto policies don’t. It pays the full price of an exact replacement if your vehicle gets totaled. Since most classic cars literally cost more money than a house, this type of insurance policy pays off if you need to file a claim.

You benefit from having it in smaller ways, too. For example, if someone dings your vehicle and breaks the side mirror, the insurance pays for an OEM replacement part and the repairs. You get classic parts for your classic car with the same deductible you’d normally pay.

Give Us A Call

Contact U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. in Negaunee, MI for more information on classic car insurance. Let us help you properly insure your valuable auto. Ask us about classic car insurance for exotic vehicles, too.

Taking Control of Your Recreational Insurance Needs

If you live in Negaunee, MI, you know how much fun you can have with recreational vehicles. We at U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. can provide you with the local insurance that you need for these vehicles. U.P. Insurance Agency Inc provides this guide to finding a policy that suits your specific recreational needs in this area.

Recreational Insurance: What You Need To Know

What Vehicles to Cover

Michigan residents often own many recreational vehicles to enjoy our beautiful outdoor environments, particularly in the UP. Here are a few vehicles you may want to insure with your policy:

  • Boats and their trailers
  • Motor homes or campers
  • Jet skis and other speed-based craft
  • Pontoon or even fishing boats

Coverage Options to Consider

You need to get at least liability coverage to protect your recreational vehicles in Michigan. However, you can also purchase a broad range of other options:

  • Collision to protect your vehicle in crashes
  • Comprehensive to cover non-crash situations
  • Belongings coverage for items in your recreational vehicles

Additional Coverage to Consider

When buying recreational insurance in Michigan, you may add additional items to your policy. Though not strictly necessary legally, these options can help you get a higher level of protection:

  • Towing and equipment replacement
  • Total loss coverage options
  • Roadside protection while towing
  • Underinsured/uninsured boating protection

Saving Yourself Money

When buying recreational insurance in Michigan, make sure that you work with a local company that you can trust and try to bundle your policies into one option. Doing so can help to cut back on your premiums and provide you with a fuller policy that completely protects you.

Take Care of Your Fun Vehicles

If you own any recreational vehicles in Negaunee, MI or the surrounding area, contact us at U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. right away to learn more. You never know when you might need to get protected from various problems, such as bottoming out your boat or replacing a destroyed camper.

Who needs renters’ insurance?

If you rent your home, whether an apartment or a house, you need renter’s insurance. U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. serving Negaunee, MI can help you obtain the policy you need with our affordable coverage options.

You May Have to Purchase Renter’s Insurance

Many landlords write a requirement for renter’s insurance into their leases. Without a renter’s insurance policy, you won’t get to rent the home you want.

Sometimes, the complex in which the homeowner resides requires insurance. For example, your landlord to be might own a condo or townhouse. The condo or townhouse complex can require the renter’s insurance if the homeowner sublets.

Only Your Renter’s Insurance Protects Your Belongings

Your landlord carries home insurance, but it only protects their home, belongings, and their liability. If you host a guest in your rented home who has an accident while there, you hold the liability for their safety.

Your insurance pays for their medical care and the settlement if they sue you. If you don’t own renter’s insurance, the medical care and settlement come out of your own pocket.

Side Benefits of Renter’s Insurance

When a named peril damages the home you rent, your landlord’s insurance protects their financial loss and pays for repairs. Where do you live in the meantime though?

If you own a renters’ insurance policy, your insurance company pays for your hotel in a sense. That’s because a renters’ insurance policy contains a provision for loss of use. Some policies refer to it as an additional living expense benefit.

Contact Us Today

Contact U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. serving Negaunee, MI for the renters’ insurance you need to protect your belongings and liability. Let us help you obtain the policy you need to fulfill landlord or condo/townhouse complex requirements.

Can adult children stay on their parents’ auto policy?

Like most other states, Michigan has requirements that all drivers must adhere to when it comes to auto insurance. You must have liability coverage and you can opt for complete coverage with collision and comprehensive. At U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. in Negaunee, MI, our team works with customers to personalize their coverage to their particular needs. Different carriers offer different options and not every policy works for every person. 

Can adult children stay on their parents’ auto policy?

Auto insurance is designed to cover all the members of the family who reside in one home. That can be a multi-generational family. So, if grandma lives with you, she can be on your family policy and if the kids live at home, they can be on the family policy. But what about adult children? This can be more difficult. 

If you have college-age children who are away at school, can they stay on the family policy while they are away at school? For the most part, yes, as long as they don’t make a permanent change to their address and they return home during the off-season. They should also be using what is considered a family vehicle. But not every carrier feels the same about this, so be sure to make sure your carrier is on board and, if not, consider finding one who is. 

What about after your children finish college? Can they stay on the family policy? Yes, if they have moved back into the family home and can still be considered a dependent. If they live in a family-owned home other than the main home that also works. They need to drive a family car, however. Check with your carrier to see what age they consider children no longer dependents. 

Contact U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. in Negaunee, MI with any auto insurance questions you may have. 

Do All Homeowners Need Home Insurance?

Home insurance in Negaunee, MI is not mandatory, but a mortgage lender may require you to invest in home insurance. However, whether home insurance is compulsory, every homeowner should invest in this coverage to protect your home from unexpected calamities. Most homeowners do not have money at hand to repair or replace their homes after damages. For this reason, a solidified home insurance policy from U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. is paramount to protect your investment. While home insurance isn’t mandatory, here is why every homeowner should have this coverage:  

  • Provides liability protection: Home insurance safeguards the policyholder and the loved ones from exorbitant lawsuits emanating from third parties, accusing them of bodily injury or property damage. This policy also kicks in and caters to medical expenses incurred by third parties who sustain injuries in your residence.
  • Asset protection: Your house is one of the most prominent investments you will ever acquire. As such, it requires solidified protection with home insurance. Home insurance compensates you when your house is damaged or needs replacement.
  • Instills peace of mind: Your dream house is one of the things dear to your heart. You have also invested in furniture and other home appliances to make your home beautiful and comfortable. With this in mind, financial stress resulting from loss or damage to your home can be detrimental. Home insurance protects the insured from such fears.
  • Provides additional living expenses: If a covered peril renders your home unlivable, home insurance can step in by covering additional living expenses until your home is repaired.  

Are you looking for tailor-made home insurance coverage in Negaunee, MI? You can always count on  U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. for all your home insurance needs. Get in touch with us today, and we will help you choose a suitable home insurance policy that suits your budget and other needs.

Protecting your boat to and from the water

The team at U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. understands how much our friends and neighbors in the Negaunee, MI community love their boats! Now is a perfect time to review your boat insurance and make sure you have the coverage you need.

Do you trailer your boat to and from the water?

Many people keep their boats at home and transport them via trailer to and from the water. This can help to save on docking costs and expenses, and can also give you more flexibility when it comes to water options. 

What you may not know, is that not all coverage for boats is the same from policy to policy. If you are involved in an accident or another type of mishap while your boat is on a trailer, the insurance process can become a bit complex.

Be sure that your policy includes robust coverage for any loss or damage that occurs during transport. You may also want to look into the liability coverage as you will need protection for when your boat is both on and off the water. 

Basic boat policies may simply provide the bare minimum when it comes to coverage and protection. By choosing a comprehensive policy, you will be covered in a wider range of scenarios. You don’t want to find out that your protection levels are insufficient after you have been involved in an accident while your boat is in transit.

Be sure that your boat policy includes adequate coverage.

Find out more today!

You can rely on the U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. for all of your insurance needs, including boat policies. If you would like to learn more about the boat insurance options available in the Negaunee, MI area, call or stop by our office today!

Umbrella insurance protects your established business

U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. is here for the independent business owners in our Negaunee, MI community. We understand how much work and dedication it takes to run a successful business. Let us help you protect yours.

Protect your business with an umbrella policy

When it comes to starting and running a successful business, there is a lot of hard work involved. As your company grows, your insurance needs may also increase. It is important that your commercial coverage provides the protection you need. With an umbrella policy, you can increase the level of protection that your company could potentially need.

Primary commercial policies come with limits. This means that there is a hard stop when the policy maximums are reached. We can help you fill the gap after your primary policy is exhausted. When you add an umbrella policy to your insurance portfolio, you are taking a necessary step to protect your future.

Don’t get caught underinsured, especially after all of your hard work. We advise all of our business clients to do a thorough review of all of their insurance policies at least once a year. This review can help you to address any gaps or shortfalls in coverage before they become a serious problem.

We want to help you keep running a successful business for many years to come! If it’s time for you to increase your insurance coverage, give us a call today. Umbrella policies are a great solution!

Schedule your consultation today

At the U.P. Insurance Agency Inc., we are here to help the members of the greater Negaunee, MI business community. If you would like to learn more about how an umbrella insurance policy can help to protect your company, give us a call and set up a consultation today.

Project your boat during the off-season

We sure love our boats here in Michigan! And, when you have proper insurance coverage, you can breathe easy during the winter, knowing that your vessel is protected. The team at U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. is proud to serve the insurance needs of the greater Negaunee, MI community. If you want to find out more about protecting your boat, even when it is out of the water, give us a call today.

Keep your boat protected all year long

Even if your boat isn’t in the water, it can still get damaged. With a comprehensive boat policy, you can protect your craft from theft, vandalism, or other damage or loss, no matter where it is. Many owners opt to put their boats in dry dock over the winter, while others choose to keep them at the marina or store them at home. Whichever way you choose, you will still need insurance.

Comprehensive policies can provide protection while your boat is in storage and while it is being transported from one place to another. There are innumerable ways that a boat can suffer a loss, at any time of the year. Fire, bad weather, and theft, to name just a few, can occur at any time. When your boat isn’t being used it can still be damaged, so make sure that you have the right protection in place!

Your boat needs protection both in and out of the water

U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. is here for the boat owners in the Negaunee, MI area. Our team understands that owning a boat carries a lot of responsibility with it. Find out more about comprehensive boat policies by contacting our office today.

What is Umbrella Insurance

Umbrella insurance can be really important if you are likely to need it at some point in your life. We outline below what umbrella insurance is and what makes you more likely to need umbrella insurance. 

If you wish to discuss umbrella insurance, you can contact U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. in Negaunee, MI to go over the possible quotes available to you. We also strive for the best prices for you and the best coverage customized to your needs.

So, what is umbrella insurance?

Umbrella insurance is similar to liability insurance. Usually, if you add liability insurance to your commercial insurance, you are insured if one of your employees gets injured whilst at work. For auto insurance, liability insurance means that you are covered for the damage to other people’s vehicles or harm done to other people and drivers. In the case of liability insurance linked with home insurance, liability insurance covers visitors in your house who accidentally get harmed. 

As the above examples suggest, liability insurance is a type of insurance that helps you in case you can be held liable in a situation. There are some differences between liability insurance and umbrella insurance, and most of these differences are in how much it covers. In the case of umbrella insurance, it covers a wide range of situations you could be seen as being liable in. This can be relevant for anyone, but if you are in a job or live a lifestyle where it is more likely someone might sue you for bodily or mental harm, umbrella insurance can really help you.

If you think it might be good for you to get umbrella insurance, call U.P. Insurance Agency Inc. in Negaunee, MI or request a quote on our website.