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Smartphones: The Distraction is Killing Us

By Cincinnati Loss Control Phones are a dangerous distraction, and that’s just part of the story. GPS, radio knobs - anything that lures your eyes off the road is a threat. Smartphones have brought a deluge of texting...

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It's Tornado Season. Are You Prepared?

April showers bring ... spring tornadoes? It’s not officially spring without an abundance of rain and thunderstorms here in the Midwest. In addition to lightening, thunder and high winds that often accompany a spring...

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Home or Renters Insurance? Be Sure to Inventory Your Personal Property

Do you have a homeowner or renters insurance policy? If so, your belongings are covered. But don’t make the mistake of assuming you’ll remember all your possessions if the worst happens and you have to file a claim....

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Here’s Why You Need More Than Minimum Auto Coverage

If you are purchasing auto insurance in Missouri, you may be tempted to buy just the minimum required by the state. After all, that’s usually the cheapest way to go. But our experts at Lang Insurance recommend more than...

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Why Excess Uninsured Motorist Coverage Is a Great Addition to Your Umbrella Policy

Do you have a personal umbrella policy? If so, we congratulate you. This is a smart move to increase your liability protection. If not, read on to learn more about umbrella coverage and why excess uninsured motorist...

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Understanding How Your Earthquake Insurance and Deductible Work

If you have earthquake insurance or are thinking of purchasing it, it’s essential to understand how this specialized insurance functions, including the deductible. Here’s what you need to know from the pros at Lang...

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Don’t Let These Home and Auto Insurance Coverage Gaps Leave You Vulnerable

Most insurance policyholders are confident their Missouri home and auto insurance will cover them no matter what. But they may not be aware they have gaps in their coverage that could leave them vulnerable to legal and...

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Expert Tips to Help You Save Big on Home and Auto Insurance

If you’re feeling like your home and auto insurance policies are costing more than they should, we have good news! There are loads of ways to save on your insurance when you know how. Here are seven pro tips to get you...

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Replacement Cost vs. Market Value: Which Is Best for Your Home Insurance?

Are you confused about replacement cost versus market value when it comes to a home insurance policy? Not to worry - we explain what they mean and review the advantages and disadvantages of each, so you can choose the...

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Should You File a Homeowner Insurance Claim?

If you’ve had damage to your Missouri home, you may be wondering if you should file an insurance claim. The answer isn’t a clear-cut “yes” or “no.” Read on to learn more about when it’s best to file a claim and when it’...

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Water and Sewer Damage Protection May Qualify You for Insurance Discounts

Water damage from sewer backups and burst pipes makes up a large portion of home insurance claims in Missouri every year. These claims are particularly costly to insurance companies and property owners because of the...

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Here’s What You Need to Get a Quote on Home and Auto Insurance

If you’ve been putting off getting home and auto insurance because you’re not sure what’s needed, we explain it all here for you. Read on to see our most frequently asked questions about preparing to get a quote. What...

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Winter Safety Tips to Reduce Insurance Claims and Protect Your Assets

Every year, thousands of people in Missouri experience winter emergencies in their homes that cause damage, increased insurance claims, and even fatalities. Many of these emergencies are avoidable if you practice good...

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WEATHER ALERT: Freezing temperatures ahead - take proactive steps to prevent frozen pipes!

Before It Gets Cold• Check and drain the water supply lines to your sprinkler or irrigation system • Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses and place an inexpensive foam cover over the faucet. • Insulate water pipes. • Know...

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Maintain your hardscape cobblestone and paver walkways

Conduct regular inspections of your hardscaped areas. Cobblestone or interlocking paver driveways or sidewalks can be an attractive addition to your property, providing an architectural element not possible with cement...

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Sprinklers protect your home from biggest threat: Fire

Building a new home or considering a major renovation of your existing home? Consider installing or retrofitting with a fire sprinkler system. Sprinklers save lives. One of the most significant threats to your home,...

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The cold is setting in; 5 tips to keep warm

As temperatures drop and winter takes hold in many parts of the country, now is a good time to prepare for the winter chill and to be reminded of how to stay safe during spells of cold weather. MAKE AN EMERGENCY KIT...

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Precautions to take if you feel the earth shake

Imagine sitting down for a delicious meal with your family. You’re about to enjoy your first bite when you hear what sounds like a motorcycle passing in your backyard. You feel your body tremble and shake and realize...

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Your safety rides on your tires

You and your passengers depend on your tires for a secure ride. Stay safe and save money by regularly maintaining your tires. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides a wealth of tire safety...

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Questions to help set home replacement cost

When you’re buying homeowner insurance, how do you determine the replacement cost of your home? Many homeowners automatically base the replacement cost on the current market value. But that method could leave you with...

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Get serious about distracted driving

Distracted driving has become an escalating and deadly problem. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded 2,841 distracted driving-related deaths on our nation’s roads in 2018 – 7.8% of all crash...

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Emergency planning: Is your family ready?

Disasters can happen anytime...anywhere...to anyone: Be prepared. The past decade brought an ever-increasing number of natural disasters and other catastrophic events, affecting people and property. Make sure you are...

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Prepare your home to prevent flood losses

You do not have to live in a designated flood zone to be susceptible to flood loss. Because most standard home insurance policies exclude coverage for surface water that damages property, you may need to obtain coverage...

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Strategies to protect yourself from cyber security risks

Just about everything you do today carries a cyber security risk: networking on social platforms, working from home in the COVID-19 era, video conferencing for work or leisure, paying bills or shopping. Learn how to...

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Secondary, vacation homes may need extra TLC

With normal vacation travel disrupted because of pandemic concerns or restrictions, many people are choosing to get away to vacation or secondary homes. Because these homes may not have had inhabitants for quite some...

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Home’s value, replacement cost not interchangeable

When shopping for homeowner insurance, you may hear the terms “market value” and “replacement cost” multiple times. It’s important to have a grasp of the difference. They are not interchangeable. Market value is the...

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Reducing fires and burns in the kitchen

With the dine-in restaurant world shut down, we are cooking more at home – and we have the grocery bills to prove it. But with more cooking and more time being spent at home comes the very real potential for kitchen-...

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Making LIFE easy: Answering common insurance questions

Pondering life insurance can swiftly flood your mind with questions. How much do I need? What does life insurance do? How much will it cost? Where do I begin? Life isn’t always easy, but life insurance can be. Spelling...

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Do you have adequate homeowner insurance coverage?

When you think if purchasing insurance, you may feel the most important factor is how much money you can save. We are all inundated with ads pushing a money-saving mindset complete with cute animals, catchy phrases and...

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Personal umbrella policy protects you from large liability loss

Let’s celebrate one of the world’s most useful inventions, umbrellas! They come in many different types from a brolly to bumbershoot and a parapluie. But why stop there? While umbrellas help keep us dry from the rain, a...

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Beware of COVID-19 cyber scams and fraud

Scammers love to exploit fear, and there’s plenty of that around right now with the COVID-19 threat. The most recent round of fake emails play off pandemic fears and promote false information. Federal agencies,...

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Preparation key to protecting home and family from flooding

Even if you don’t live in a flood plain, the potential for flooding could be a concern anywhere in the country. Flooding is the most common natural disaster in the U.S. and occurs in every state and territory. In fact,...

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Ice dams a headache to be avoided

One winter headache a homeowner doesn’t need – and can take steps to avoid – is an ice dam on the roof. Ice dams can damage walls and ceilings and possibly trap moisture, which could lead to mold, mildew and respiratory...

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With Winter Here, Keep Heating Safety Tips in Mind

Even before winter officially arrived, it probably took only a few chilly nights to get you to reach for your thermostat. No matter when you decide to put your home heating system back in action, be mindful that heating...

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Selling your car? Take care with title transfer

You’ve grown tired of your current ride and you’re ready to get something else. You shop around and find a car you like, but you’re not happy with what you’re being offered for trade. You think, “I can get more money by...

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Christmas list: Give the gift of life insurance!

The annual holiday search is on for the perfect gift for your children or grandchildren. You can spend a lot of time and effort buying gifts ... it can be overwhelming. You recognize that as children grow, their...

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Help your home stand up to winter

You can take steps to ensure your home is well prepared for winter weather – and that your family doesn’t get any colder than they want to be. Consider these suggestions for your comfort and safety. INSPECT THE HEATING...

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Get your building in shape, then let it snow!

Snow can mean more than a temporary loss of electrical power or inaccessible roads. Unless you prepare for snow, excessive accumulation can also cause a building’s structure to fail or even collapse. The northeastern...

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Security systems: Take the proper steps to protect your home

Claims experience shows that theft losses can be prevented when a central station burglar alarm is installed and activated in your home. Improve your family’s security and reduce the potential of home intrusion by...

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Fighting fire: Benefits of a residential sprinkler system

It takes only minutes for a fire to escalate. Even with the responding fire department’s prompt arrival, a home could be destroyed. To help avoid this, have your home fitted with a residential sprinkler system. A...

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How annuity maximization could benefit your heirs

Many people struggle to understand annuities and wonder if they really need one or not. To help shed light on this situation, let’s look at one example. “Tom,” a 60-year-old widower, purchased an annuity 20 years ago....

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Cyber security essential for smart homes

Corporations are no longer the only ones looking at cyber security. Increasingly, homeowners whose networks can make them vulnerable to cyber extortion, cyberattack and online fraud are seeing cyber security as a...

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Why is water damage such a big deal?

Water damage is consistently a common and severe cause of loss to homeowners. It is amazing to see the damage that water can do. Water carved the Grand Canyon – just think what it does to drywall or plaster! The good...

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Making the most of the home walk-through

It’s easy to get caught up in excitement when you’re looking for a new home. Keep in mind, though, when a home is listed for sale, it is being presented as positively as possible. As a prospective buyer, you will want...

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Keeping up with the seasons: Time for fall tasks

We’re less than four weeks from the start of fall: time to start thinking about some annual tasks if you live in a part of the country with seasonal temperature changes. INSPECT YOUR HEATING SYSTEM - Whether it’s a...

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Home security technology: Keeping you ahead of the burglars

Back in the early days of home security "systems," around the end of World War I, it was common for homeowners to hire "door shakers"-night watchmen who would literally walk around and check doors to make sure they were...

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Travel insurance: Secret weapon of savvy travelers

One of our family’s most favorite vacations was almost over before we left town. A few summers ago, I pre-paid for a week in the Rocky Mountains. It was going to be five FUN-tastic days of dude ranching and whitewater...

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Keep children safe at your home pool

Every year nearly 300 children under the age of 5 drown in swimming pools in the United States, making it the leading cause of death for children in that age range. Tragically, 87 % of these deaths occur in backyard...

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What to do when buying a new or used car

Congratulations on your new car! Purchasing a new vehicle is exciting, and insurance isn’t normally the first thing on your mind. When you finally think of it, you may be overwhelmed and not sure what to do. Here are...

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Are you covered? Don’t be caught underinsured

Does your homeowner policy have sufficient coverage limits to help you recover fully after a loss and avoid incurring serious financial burdens? It’s a question many people don’t ask, and if they have a claim, it can...

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Supplies, communication key in tornado prep

While tornadoes can occur throughout the year, spring and early summer are peak months in most of the United States. Prepare to respond to a tornado by stocking your emergency kit, updating your family’s emergency...

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April showers, May flowers and spring home repairs

Spring weather brings hope for new beginnings and warmer temperatures. Plants, welcomed or not, start to burst out of their winter slumber. Sunshine fills the house, prompting us to spruce up indoors and outdoors. ...

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Prepare for high winds and tornadoes

High winds are a danger to people and property. Learning what to look for and how to properly prepare can save lives and minimize damage. WIND CHARACTERISTICS - Wind damage can come from wind alone or from severe...

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Planning key to successful home renovation

Home improvement projects seem to have no season. While many big outdoor projects happen in spring and summer, homeowners may find the best time to work on a renovation project is when contractors are available or...

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Life insurance protects, offers peace of mind

Did you know most Americans (78 percent) agree that preparing financially for life’s unknowns is a way to show that you care? In fact, a little closer look at the data finds almost 2 in 3 (65 percent) think that having...

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Earthquake: Tips to protect your family

If you live near a fault line, you likely are no stranger to tremors or other earthquake activity. Preparation may be an ongoing process for your family. The Department of Homeland Security’s Ready.gov website offers a...

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Earthquake: Tips to protect your family

If you live near a fault line, you likely are no stranger to tremors or other earthquake activity. Preparation may be an ongoing process for your family. The Department of Homeland Security’s Ready.gov website offers a...

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Knowledge is power in protecting yourself from fraud

While you work hard to earn money, criminal enterprises are working hard to steal it. So let’s take a minute to brush up on the latest tricks, scams and methods criminals are using to steal data and money from you and...

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Tips to protect taxpayers from ID theft

ax return identity theft has reached such epidemic proportions that it tops the list of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen Tax Scams. Here are tips the IRS wants you to know about identity theft so you can avoid becoming the victim....

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Holiday shopping? Tips for the store or online

Shoppers are poised to spread their time and money across both online and physical stores this holiday season, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. As you grab your mouse or head out to...

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Term vs. permanent life insurance: Which is right for you?

The biggest question to answer when purchasing life insurance is whether you need a term or permanent policy. Each type has advantages and limitations. To make the right decision, you should know and understand your...

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Don’t put it off: Assess your life insurance

Would you believe that 1 in 5 families with children under age 18 does not have life insurance? As shocking as that may be to many of us, a 2018 study by LIMRA, a leading insurance and financial services trade...

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Time to Review Your Universal Life Policy

By Cincinnati Life You had a plan and you did the right thing: You purchased a life insurance policy to protect your family. But things have changed since you took out that universal life insurance policy, and it may be...

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Insuring Your Love in All of Its Stages

By Life Happens Think of your life as a series of stages: youth, adulthood, parenthood, maturity. Each stage has its own loves, its own rewards – and its own reasons to purchase life insurance. As you reach different...

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

By Cincinnati LifeOnce you have decided to purchase life insurance, the next question to answer is how much to purchase. Some people select coverage based on an arbitrary amount: $100,000 or $200,000. Others purchase...

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How to Rent a Car Without Borrowing Trouble

By Cincinnati Personal LinesIf your travel plans include use of a rental car, a little knowledge about auto insurance could preserve your peace of mind and save you money. Before you rent, consult with your insurance...

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Preserve Your Prized Jewelry and Watches

By Matthew CluxtonJewelry and watches have a strong appeal to many people. They can represent sentiment, personal adornment, private assets, family heirlooms and collectible works of art. Because of their unique value,...

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