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Why do we buy insurance?

June 20, 2019 Kate Deane

The process of buying insurance can seem like a heavy load. Many people are under-educated on insurance; but they all know one thing: They need coverage. Historically, that hasn’t always been the case.

Why has our society shifted this way? Is it tradition? Is it law?
It’s both. Even in the democratic/capitalistic society we live in, insurance is mandated by both tradition and law.

Traditionally being uninsured/under-insured is a recipe for financial disaster. Drive with state minimums on your car coverage? Boom, a 3-car pile-up suddenly has you facing bankruptcy. Not properly covered with your home insurance? Boom, one bad storm and you’re homeless. You went the cheap route on your business or commercial insurance? Yep, that’s right, one bad liability claim and you’re suddenly updating your resume. Even reading this now, you probably aren’t getting that worried though, because insurance has been ingrained in your head since before you ever thought about buying it. Everyone knows someone that once had a life changing event from not having the right coverage; and they made a point to make it very clear to learn from their mistake.

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How do you say “GNADE”?

May 17, 2019 garyg

Even after being in business for 30 years, we still get asked all the time, “How do you say Gnade?”

(GUH-NAH-DEE)

Especially after opening a new office in Dubuque, Iowa where the Gnade name is less known – we thought it would be a good idea to help answer this question! Although, it is always fun to hear how people think it should be said. 😂

We also get asked “Where did Gnade come from?” It is the last name of the owner, Gary Gnade. 😃

Gnade Insurance Group came into existence back in 1988 shortly after a Gary decided to leave an eight-year career selling life insurance door-to-door for Prudential Insurance. By mortgaging his and his wife’s home, Gary started his agency in a small office in Tinley Park by hiring one agent and a part- time receptionist. Over the years as the business continued to grow along with the family, the two oldest sons Gerard and Bryan came on board. The company has grown to its current status of 29 employees with two locations; one in downtown Frankfort, IL and a new office in Dubuque, IA.

For more topics on our blog here and read more about us on our website: www.gnadeinsurance.com

May is Disability Insurance Awareness Month

May 1, 2019 Kate Deane

When it comes to protecting your assets, one of the most important things you can insure is your ability to work and earn a living with Disability Insurance.

With disability coverage you can continue to pay your bills and keep from going into serious debt.

If you were to ask yourself, “What the longest vacation I’ve ever taken?”, you’re probably right there with most people at two weeks. The reason is that the average person cannot go without income for more than two weeks. This is where disability coverage can help when the unexpected happens. If the average person cannot make it more than two weeks unpaid, why go months without any income, neglecting bills or payments, when disability insurance can help you?

Life does not stop when you are disabled and cannot work.
While you might not get you full salary, you will be covered. Here is an example of how it works:

Disability Insurance can help pay for other expenses while you are unable to work. Investments like health insurance, retirement, health expenses and college funds are just some of the life expenditures you might have to keep up with.

Want to know how much Disability Coverage you need?
Here is a document to help you figure that out: Disability Insurance Calculator

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Distracted Driving and Texting

March 21, 2019 Kate Deane

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Many distractions exist while driving, but cell phones are a top distraction. So many drivers use them for long periods of time each day. Almost everyone has seen a driver distracted by a cell phone.

Every year in the U.S., almost a half million people are injured or killed in traffic accidents attributed to the combination of texting and driving. The statistics are shocking, especially in view of the fact that this danger could be completely avoided. According to statistics compiled by the Department of Transportation in 2018, 3477 people died and another 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes caused by drivers who were distracted because they were texting or using cell phones.

Texting can make vehicle accidents 23 times more likely to happen.

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Flood Insurance 101

March 4, 2019 Kate Deane

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), flooding is the nation’s most common natural disaster. Twenty percent of flood claims are filed by people living in moderate- or low-risk areas. Floodwaters have the power to damage not only your home and sense of security, but also your financial future.

While some regions, such as coastal areas, are more flood-prone than others, the unpredictability of climate change exposes all property to some risk. And torrential rainfall isn’t the only culprit. Mudflows, rapid snowmelt during spring and ice jams during winter also cause flooding. Even an inch of water can cause thousands of dollars in damage.

Flood insurance provides the protection you need to cover losses after a flood ravages your property. The cost of premiums vary based on the amount of coverage you need, what’s covered and your property’s flood risk.

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February is American Heart Month

January 31, 2019 Kate Deane

Believe it or not, heart disease can happen at any age.

Some risk factors for heart disease and stroke are preventable. American Heart Month teaches us the ways we can help reduce our risks while eliminating those we have control over. Do you have one of these risk factors for cardiovascular disease? Obesity, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol or diabetes.

Here are a few things you can do to prevent heart disease:

Check your blood pressure often. There are millions of people in the United States who have high blood pressure, and millions of them are as young as in their 40s and 50s. If you are one of them, make sure to have it under control and keep up with your doctor.
Eat healthy foods. Cutting down on salt intake and eating foods full of nutrients and essential vitamins can help lower blood pressure and regulate blood sugar.
Quit smoking. Over 35 million adults in America are smokers and thousands of young people are picking up the habit daily. If you’re a smoker, do your best to quit or cut down. It’s what’s best for your health.
Get exercise daily (at least a little). Pretty much any health article you read will tell you the benefits of exercise. Exercise not only helps with boosting mood and energy, but can also reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Those who get moving are nearly 50% less at risk of developing heart disease than those who spend all day sitting. Health professionals recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise per day most days of the week to maintain a healthy fitness level.
Fun tip: spend more time with your pets. Studies have shown that stroking a pet can help to lower blood pressure. Read more about how pets help to keep us happy and healthy here.
Know the symptoms. Unlike the highly-dramatized examples that we are shown on TV or in the movies, heart attacks often start as mild discomfort in the chest followed by more gradually more intense pain. Did you know? The symptoms can differ by gender. For men, the most common symptom is chest pain. For women, however, the symptoms can range from chest pain to nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, and jaw or back pain.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.

Heart disease kills an estimated 630,000 Americans each year. In the United States, the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to a heart attack. You can greatly reduce your risk for CAD through lifestyle changes and, in some cases, medication.

In an article by heart.org they explain how to help prevent heart disease at any age. Read it here.

Travel Health Insurance

January 31, 2019 Kate Deane

A Travel Health Insurance policy can protect you from a variety of unexpected circumstances while you’re traveling.

Traveling to abroad can be stressful to being with. There are a lot of things to remember and get in order with an international trip. Your health insurance while abroad is one of the things you should not have to stress about. With a travel health plan, if you are abroad and have an accident or become ill, it provides key medical benefits in case of an emergency.

Depending on where you travel, you may encounter language and currency barriers that prevent you from accessing high-quality medical care. Traveling unprotected can leave you vulnerable to paying high out-of-pocket medical expenses, and navigating a foreign health care system without the assistance you need. However, with a travel health insurance plan, you can worry less and experience more knowing you have medical coverage and a trusted health expert who can support you in your time of need.

What does Travel Health Insurance Cover?

Accidental injury, sickness, or death of you, a traveling companion or a family member
Reimbursement for unexpected medical costs due to emergency medical care
Reimbursement for unexpected dental costs due to an accident
Advance payments to medical facilities
Coordination of and payment for emergency medical evacuation services
AD&D and travel accident benefits to help take care of you or your family if you are seriously injured or killed while traveling
Emergency travel assistance services

Traveling abroad is an exciting experience, but unpredictable illnesses and accidents can happen. Even worse, the resulting medical bills can be overwhelming. Whether you are going on a trip for business or pleasure, we can help you find the appropriate travel health insurance policy for you.

Visit our website to learn more and to get a quote today.

Here is a video to help explain more about what a Travel Health Policy does:

January is Pet Insurance Awareness Month

January 14, 2019 Kate Deane

Pet Insurance is around to help cover unexpected injuries and illnesses that can happen to your pet.

Contrary to common myth, care do not actually have nine lives. Pets require frequent vet check-ups, shots, updated tests, and they might even suffer from chronic illness or a devastating accident. Unfortunately taking your beloved pet to the vet can be very expensive. Most families are not ready for hundreds or thousands of dollars in vert emergency bills. With Pet Insurance, a premium can be as low as $30 a month and there can be reimbursement for up to 80% , if not all of the vet bill.

According to the American Pet Products Associations Pet Owners Survey, only 4% of dog owners and 1% of cat owners carry insurance for their pet.

Reasons for Pet Insurance:

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What Should You Know About Long-Term Care Insurance?

November 20, 2018 Kate Deane

We are an aging population. Roughly 10,000 people will turn 65 today and 10,000 more will everyday for the next decade.

There have been many advances in medicine and technology. As a result, people will live longer than any generation before them. Therefore, in the not-to-distant future, more people will be in need of Long-Term Care than any other time in history.

Long-Term Care Insurance is designed to help pay for long-term medical and non-medical services. It helps individuals who have a physical illness, disability or cognitive impairment that affects their ability to do basic activities of daily living. For example, a policy can help cover any or all of the following type of services:

Nursing home coverage
Assisted living facility coverage
Adult day care center coverage
Personal care coverage

70% of people age 65 and older will need some form of Long-Term Care in the next few years.

There are several ways to protect yourself and your assets in the event you need Long-Term Care.

Traditional Long-Term Care policy works like many other forms of insurance. You pay an annual premium that will vary depending on the your health, length of benefits, and daily benefit amount.
Hybrid Life Insurance Policies and Long-Term Care Annuities are growing in popularity. Many policyholders do not like “use it or lose it” aspect of the Traditional Policies.
Life Insurance / Long-Term Care Policy will pay for long-term care if you need it in your lifetime or pay a death benefit to your beneficiaries.
Long-Term Care Annuity offers a variety of investments from Fixed, Indexed, or Variable Annuities. The investments grow tax-deferred and if used for Long-Term Care, the gains are tax-free.

As Long-Term Care Insurance grows in popularity, there are new types of policies coming into the market. If you would like to see what type of policy works for you and your family, please feel free to contact our office with any questions or email us at ltc@gnadeinsurance.com, you can also visit http://longtermcare.gov/.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to Long-Term Care. Above all, the important thing is to have the conversation with your family.

8 Myths About Life Insurance Debunked

October 2, 2018 Kate Deane

To help break up some of the confusion about life insurance, we have put together a list of 8 life insurance myths to debunk and separate
facts from fiction.

Myth: Life insurance is really expensive.

According to the 2015 Insurance Barometer study conducted by Life Happens, 80% of consumers misjudge the cost of term life insurance. Respondents gave a median estimate of $400. Millennials put it at $600. The actual price is about $160 annually, which averages to about $13 a month.
Myth: If you are a stay-at-home parent you don’t need it.

If you’re a stay-at-home parent, life insurance is still important. You may not bring in an actual paycheck for the household, however you likely provide services that could cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace each year. These may include child care, daily transportation, home maintenance and cooking, to name a few. If you were to pass away, life insurance may help cover some of these costs.
Myth: Only the breadwinner needs life insurance.

Even if you don’t have the biggest paycheck in your household, your family still relies on your income for day-to-day operations. Unless your family would have that extra income to spare, you need insurance on both spouses.
[Read more…]

The process of buying insurance can seem like a heavy load. Many people are under-educated on insurance; but they all know one thing: They need coverage. Historically, that hasn’t always been the case.

Even after being in business for 30 years, we still get asked all the time, “How do you say Gnade?”

(GUH-NAH-DEE)

We also get asked “Where did Gnade come from?” It is the last name of the owner, Gary Gnade. 😃

When it comes to protecting your assets, one of the most important things you can insure is your ability to work and earn a living with Disability Insurance.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Many distractions exist while driving, but cell phones are a top distraction. So many drivers use them for long periods of time each day. Almost everyone has seen a driver distracted by a cell phone.

Texting can make vehicle accidents 23 times more likely to happen.

Believe it or not, heart disease can happen at any age.

Here are a few things you can do to prevent heart disease:

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.

A Travel Health Insurance policy can protect you from a variety of unexpected circumstances while you’re traveling.

What does Travel Health Insurance Cover?

Pet Insurance is around to help cover unexpected injuries and illnesses that can happen to your pet.

According to the American Pet Products Associations Pet Owners Survey, only 4% of dog owners and 1% of cat owners carry insurance for their pet.

Reasons for Pet Insurance:

We are an aging population. Roughly 10,000 people will turn 65 today and 10,000 more will everyday for the next decade.

70% of people age 65 and older will need some form of Long-Term Care in the next few years.

To help break up some of the confusion about life insurance, we have put together a list of 8 life insurance myths to debunk and separate facts from fiction.

Myth: Life insurance is really expensive.

Myth: If you are a stay-at-home parent you don’t need it.

Myth: Only the breadwinner needs life insurance.

Gnade Insurance Group protects the states of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Missouri!

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To help break up some of the confusion about life insurance, we have put together a list of 8 life insurance myths to debunk and separate
facts from fiction.