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Skeptical? Don’t be. We’ve shown thousands of people (just like you) how to save hundreds on Maine auto insurance. It’s a simple trick that may seem too good to be true. It’s not. Here’s how it works:

Have you seen any of the recent car insurance commercials? Can any insurance company promise to save a customer 15% in 15 minutes?  Is it true, you ask?  Well…yes and no.  Shopping may save some people 15% or more but others will only save 5% and many more will find that switching will actually cost them more than they are currently paying.  Each insurance company is different – and they all have discounts based on different factors. The only way to get the lowest price is to see which company offers the best discounts for your specific situation and, here is the key…at certain time periods.

For example, you may be able to get a discount if you meet the following:

1. You haven’t been in a car accident in the last year.
2. You’ve never had a DUI.
3. You drive less than 25 miles per day.
4. You have no speeding tickets in the last 6 months
5. You park your car in a garage.
6. You recently took out a loan
7. You credit score just happen to improve in the last few months
8. You or other drivers in you household had changes to their driving record
9. You purchased a car
10. You purchased a house and insure it with you car insurance
11. You choose higher deductible levels
12. You don’t smoke
13. You have no claims in the past 5 years
14. ….And on and on and on….

Most people these days are too busy to spend their free time calling every car insurance company out there. The good news is that F. A. Peabody represents multiple insurance companies that can do the shopping for you.  FAPCO has access to over 20 quality insurers to match your risk profile to the best insurer.  Simply fill-out one form and we will do the heavy lifting. Just sit back and prepare to save!!

You all probably have a Spring Cleaning ritual in your home, but here are some helpful tips that you may not be doing.

• Inspect all of your smoke detectors in your house, and replace all batteries.
• Check your Fire Extinguisher expired?  May be time to get it serviced, or replaced.
• Check out your Furnace’s filter.   It needs to be clean, if not replaced.
• After a year’s worth of laundry it is time to clean out your dryer exhaust duct.
• If you have central air, this is a good time to get it serviced for the year.

Also, if you happen to have studded snow tires on your car, those will need to be off by the end of April.

Everyone at the  F. A. Peabody Company would like to wish you a safe and happy Spring!!

The F. A. Peabody Company is happy to start offering the new program from Progressive, called Snapshot.  If you have never heard of Progressive Snapshot or would like to learn more, below you will find some very useful information about the product.

First of all, what is Progressive Snapshot??  Progressive Snapshot was designed to be used a as a ‘pay as you drive’ type of Auto Insurance.  Once you enroll in the program you will start to earn a personalized Auto Insurance Discount based on the way you drive your car.  So, the better you drive the better you discount will be!  It can be as much as a 30% discount on your Auto Insurance Premium.

After you enroll in the Snapshot program, Progressive will send you a device that you will plug into your car.  After this is installed in your car the device will start to monitor your driving habits.  Such as, the number of miles you drive a day, the time of day you drive, or come to abrupt stops.   So, the better / safer you drive the better your discount will be.

You may also be interested to know your Auto Insurance Premium will not go up based on your driving, so this program can only help you.  If after you enroll and decide you do not want to be involved in the program any more, you can simply opt out of the program.  If you do decide to leave the program you driving habits good or bad will not be used in future Auto Insurance rate.

If you would like more information on this program and the many others the F. A. Peabody Company offers, please visit our website at www.fapeabody.com and submit a contact us form and a Agent will get in touch with you as soon as possible.

Every once in a while you may get a letter in the mail from the F. A. Peabody Company regarding your Insurance.  This is part of our annual review process.  You may get this and think that you do not need to fill this out.  Well, if you look below you will see some of the great reasons you should take the time to fill out and return this review.

Coverage Accuracy :  This is to make sure that you are getting the coverage that you expect to have.   Also, this is to make sure that the coverage you may have purchased years ago is still meeting the requirements that you needed when you originally purchased you policy.

Coverage Gaps : This is to ensure that you are not missing Insurance coverage on things you would like to be insured. This can help identify a piece of jewelry, or any other high ticket item that you would like to insure.  There could also be a new circumstance in your life that has changed the way your current coverage will respond, when needed.

Change Limits : There may be times when you may want to change your limits.  There are many reasons you may want to do so, and if you indicate you would like more information on how limit changing will affect your Insurance Premium your Agent will contact you as soon as possible to discuss this with you.

Identify Available Credits : You may think you have already obtained the most credits possible for your Insurance, but doing the Review will help identify if there are more available to you.  Possibly you have your Home Insurance with us, but purchased a new vehicle and decided to place it with another Agency, if you were to move the Auto Insurance Policy and combine it with your Home Insurance Policy you would be eligible for a credit.  There are numerous credits available and the review is one way to find out.

Confirm Accurate Contact Information :  This is the last item on the list, but is just as, if not more, important than others.  The reason we always try to keep your contact information up to date is so you we will be able to contact you with timely information, such as promotions.  As more and more people move to using e-mail for their everyday use we want to make sure we have an accurate e-mail address for you, this is used for interaction regarding your policy, also we may occasionally send out other information to all customers regarding promotions, Agency News, or even office closures. So having the most up to date information can be very helpful.

If you have any questions go to our website and fill out a contact form.  An Agent will contact you as soon as possible to answer any of your Insurance related questions.

Do you currently have your Auto Insurance Policy with one agent and you Home Insurance Policy with another?  Did you know that if you were to combine, package, those two Policies you may be able to get a discount of up to 20%?

There are many benefits to combining your insurance; the discount is just one of them.  For example when you package your Auto Insurance Policy and your Home Insurance Policy this will save you time.  You will save time by only needing to pay one bill, as the Auto Premium and the Home Premium come combined on to one bill. – Note: Not all companies will do package your premium on one bill.  Ask your agent if this can be done.

Another benefit of combining your insurance is the simplicity of it all.  You will not need to remember if you paid your Auto Premium to ‘x’ company and if you sent in your Home Premium to ‘y’ company.  One less thing to worry about is always a good thing.

If you also have ATVs, Watercraft, Motorcycles, RVs, etc… you may be able to combine those into the same package and make it that much easier.

Here at the F. A. Peabody Company will we work for you and strive to find you all the possible discounts and benefits possible.  Stop in your local branch or visit our Website for more information.

Many homeowners do not realize that their traditional Homeowner’s Insurance (HO-3) policy does not cover damage due to flooding from natural causes.

A standard Homeowner’s Policy does include water damage done by faulty appliances, frozen pipes and ice backup on the roof.

A separate flood policy is needed to cover your basement flooding or your house being damaged by body of water such as a pond, river, lake or ocean.

If you are thinking about getting a flood policy you should act before you will need it.  There is a 30 day waiting period before the policy goes into effect.

The cost of the policy will depending on where you live.  If you are in a “flood zone” you will pay a higher premium than if you are not in a flood zone.  If you are thinking of getting a policy you should check with your local town office, to see if your town is involved in the Flood Evaluation.  If your town does not participate and you are not in a flood zone, you will not be eligible for coverage.

For more information on flood insurance or any of your other insurance needs, visit our website.

There are many people who rent where they live.  A good percentage of those renters do not carry a Renter’s Insurance (HO-4) Policy.  There are very good reasons why someone should want to carry this coverage:

Your Landlords Policy DOES NOT Cover You – A landlord’s policy covers only the physical structure of the rental property, not your belongings. If the person who owns the building has rental insurance, they will be protected from costs to them should something happen to the building, but they are not responsible for covering your belongings.

Personal Property – One of the main things people think about when looking for Renter’s Insurance, how much of my personal property will be covered in case of a total fire loss.  Most standard policies will have a minimum coverage amount of $10,000 though the protection can be increased very easily.  The annual premium for the HO-4 policy will be approximately $125.

Personal Liability – This sometimes is a coverage that some people do not initially know they will be getting when they get a Renter’s Insurance Policy.  The Personal Liability Insurance that is provided with a Renter’s Policy is generally (x amount).  This will cover you in the event of someone getting injured while they are visiting you.  Also in the event of a fire loss of the apartment which may be your fault this will cover you, up to$100,000, if this worry’s you, you may be interested in looking into an Personal Umbrella Policy (PUP) as this will protect you for much more exposure.

If you would like more information on a Renter’s Policy (HO-4), or a Personal Umbrella Policy (PUP), contact the    F. A. Peabody Company.

With all of the snow building up on the roofs of our homes, it is time to start to think about cleaning it off.

There are many tips on how to properly do this, but we would like to let you in on some of the more successful, and safe ways to do so.

•  Try to get as much snow off of your roof by using a roof/snow rake. This will minimize your time standing on a slippery roof.

•  If you must get on your roof, try to use a safety harness. This way in case you loose your footing and slip, you will not fall and injure yourself.

•  Also, if you must get on a roof please make sure you have your ladder safely secured, and if possible have someone with you to ensure the ladder does not fall, standing you on your roof.

•  To prevent damaging your roof always shovel downwards, as this will go with the flow of the shingles, limiting the chance of ripping or breaking a shingle. Leading to water damage.  Do not shovel to bare shingles, it is best to leave an inch or two of snow on the roof.

•  You should always avoid blocking your “stink pipe” with snow, as this can lead to internal problems in your house.

Also, if you have a seasonal camp / cottage you do not frequent during the winter, or live good distance away, it would be a good idea to have someone check in on it for you.

We at the F. A. Peabody Company hope you have a wonderful winter and if you have any questions about any of your home insurance needs, or any other insurance questions please visit us at http://www.fapeabody.com

A candle is made from paraffin, which is technically a solid hydrocarbon. When this solid hydrocarbon burns it reacts with oxygen and forms water and carbon dioxide. It is called an exothermic reaction because it releases heat to the atmosphere. The amount of heat released depends upon the concentration of oxygen etc.

As the candle burns, the paraffin wax vapors break down which creates hydrogen and carbon. Large carbon chains become large enough to form small soot particles. The soot actually burns the same as charcoal. If a limited amount of paraffin is burning at the wick or the oxygen is sufficient, all the candle releases is water, heat, light and carbon dioxide. If the flame is burning too strong, unburned soot particles will be released into the air. This is why it is important to keep the wick trimmed to about ¼ inch. Long wicks can cause candles to smoke and release soot.

Candle Burning Tips

1. Make certain the candle is placed on a stable, heat resistant surface.
2. Never burn a candle by a draft. It can cause uneven burning across the top.
3. Candles in containers should be burned 1 hour for each inch in diameter, but generally no longer than four hours before extinguishing. This allows the formation of a “meltpool”; the scent is given off by the warm meltpool. This will also cause the wax to melt across the top of the jar evenly.
4. Maintain the wick to ¼ inch in length, reducing soot and smoke.
5. Do not burn a candle all the way to the bottom.
6. Never extinguish a candle with water. The water can cause the wax to splatter or break the glass if it’s a container candle.
7. If a candle flickers, has a high flame or smokes, extinguish the candle, inspect the wick length and check for drafts.
8. Always place candles in an area safe from children and pets or away from high traffic areas.
9. Never leave a candle burning unattended.
10. Always keep candles a safe distance from any flammable items.

For all of your insurance needs, please make sure to visit our website at www.fapeabody.com

Gap auto insurance is generally an endorsement to your auto policy; however, in some situations it may be a separate policy from your traditional auto insurance policy. It can only be added at the time the vehicle is purchased. The standard comprehensive and collision policies for your automobile only cover your auto’s “fair market value”. The “fair market value” of your automobile may be much less than what you paid for your vehicle from the moment you take ownership. Basically, gap insurance makes up the difference between what you owe against your vehicle and what it is worth according to your insurance company.

Gap insurance is not necessary to maintain for the entire time you own your vehicle but for a limited time. Once the lien on your vehicle has been paid off or you owe less than the “fair market value” of your vehicle it is no longer an advantage to carry gap insurance.

In the instance that you have a newer vehicle, which is financed, that is stolen or is involved in an accident gap insurance becomes significant. If you owe more than the insurance will cover you will be required to make up the difference owed to the bank, which could be thousands. In most instances Gap insurance is very affordable, please call us to get more information and a quote for your gap insurance.

For more information on your auto insurance visit our website at www.fapeabody.com