Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-04-2012, 11:12 AM   #41
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Midpack's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NC
Posts: 21,204
Quote:
Originally Posted by skyvue View Post
I have had State Farm Auto for 20+ years and State Farm Homeowners since I bought a place 4 years ago. I am a bit ashamed to admit that I have NEVER shopped for a better rate. I have been happy with State Farm and assumed my rates were pretty good based on asking friends and family what they were paying. Seemed that with auto at least, I always had better pricing.

Currently single two vehicles and a newer condo in Ohio.

Vehicle 1 - 2011 Chevy Cruze. Paying $440 annually. ($500 deductible)
Vehicle 2 - 2001 Chevy Corvette. Paying $360 annually. ($500 deductible)

1,6500 sq ft condo. Paying $525 annually.

Thought this seemed pretty good?
Sounds pretty good, but without knowing the details of your liability, comp and collision coverage and other details (and I'm not asking), there is no way to know. Only way to put your mind at ease IMO is to actually get a few quotes using those specific details. I thought we were OK based on casual conversations and rates shown in magazines, and could not have been more wrong after all. Best of luck...

And you might want to edit your condo sqft unless you're Michael Jordan...
__________________
No one agrees with other people's opinions; they merely agree with their own opinions -- expressed by somebody else. Sydney Tremayne
Retired Jun 2011 at age 57

Target AA: 50% equity funds / 45% bonds / 5% cash
Target WR: Approx 1.5% Approx 20% SI (secure income, SS only)
Midpack is online now   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 01-04-2012, 11:17 AM   #42
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Cleveland
Posts: 344
Anybody have a recommendation for an online source to get multiple quotes at once without having to call multiple providers?
skyvue is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2012, 12:42 PM   #43
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Free To Canoe's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Cooksburg,PA
Posts: 1,873
Quote:
Originally Posted by Helen View Post
I shopped last year and I too was pretty pissed off. I had been with MetLife for several decades. I will keep an eye on my new company and get quotes every few years.

I'll never go back to MetLife though. Not only were they jacking up my premiums every year, but they were a pain to deal with. They didn't have local agents so I had to deal with them through an 800 number and had a long menu of items to wade through before speaking to someone.
+1
__________________
Free to canoe
Free To Canoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2012, 12:53 PM   #44
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: San Diego
Posts: 313
I go through an agent, (family friend) and found out a few years ago that they only check rates at different companies when you ask. I did, and ended up switching, but it's been a few years now. The agent was able to do the comparison shopping for me, and have been helpful with claims and questions.

I'm probably due to check again, and look into an umbrella policy, but I'm also in the middle of a homeowners claim, so I might wait a bit. I have really liked how Travellers handled my claim.
meekie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2012, 04:48 PM   #45
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
pb4uski's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,264
I have used the same agency for 20 years, but I do ask them to shop for rate every few years and what I pay seems in line with what some friends pay. That said, given my recent ER and a move, I decided to get quotes from a number of different agents even before seeing this thread, so it is quite timely. I'll let you know the results.
pb4uski is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2012, 04:48 PM   #46
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Amethyst's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,597
Quote:
Originally Posted by JOHNNIE36 View Post
Well, guess what, when I hit an age plateau that didn't fit their tables, they jumped my rate about $500/yr.
Auto insurance premium increases as we grow older. How nice to look forward to. NOT.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JOHNNIE36 View Post
Really good thread here by Midpack. Everyone should listen up!
Agree!
__________________
If you understood everything I say, you'd be me ~ Miles Davis
'There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.’ Christopher Morley.
Even a blind clock finds an acorn twice a day.
Amethyst is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2012, 05:01 PM   #47
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
NW-Bound's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amethyst View Post
Auto insurance premium increases as we grow older. How nice to look forward to. NOT.
My mother is near 80. I would not want to be her insurer!
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
NW-Bound is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2012, 05:18 PM   #48
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Amethyst's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,597
Presumably you don't want insurers to feel that way about you when you are 80, though! "Driving while old" is a topic I haven't seen anyone on the board address - except in terms of their parents - but we are all going to get there unless we die first!

Amethyst

Quote:
Originally Posted by NW-Bound View Post
My mother is near 80. I would not want to be her insurer!
__________________
If you understood everything I say, you'd be me ~ Miles Davis
'There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.’ Christopher Morley.
Even a blind clock finds an acorn twice a day.
Amethyst is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2012, 05:22 PM   #49
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Midpack's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NC
Posts: 21,204
Quote:
Originally Posted by skyvue View Post
Anybody have a recommendation for an online source to get multiple quotes at once without having to call multiple providers?
Just Google car insurance quotes and several will come up. I'd provide a link but I don't recommend them. With the multi quote sites I'd be more concerned about where my info might end up (a lot of personal info is required for a quote) and I get quotes back from insurance companies I would not do business with, or not get quotes from those I would. And for all I know some of them may be sponsored by insurance companies and steer potential customers away from legit competitors. I just got quotes directly from a few that I would indeed be comfortable switching to. YMMV
__________________
No one agrees with other people's opinions; they merely agree with their own opinions -- expressed by somebody else. Sydney Tremayne
Retired Jun 2011 at age 57

Target AA: 50% equity funds / 45% bonds / 5% cash
Target WR: Approx 1.5% Approx 20% SI (secure income, SS only)
Midpack is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2012, 06:04 PM   #50
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Naples
Posts: 2,179
[QUOTE=Amethyst;1147075]Auto insurance premium increases as we grow older. How nice to look forward to. NOT.

May not always be the case. How could 21st Century quote me such a lower rate? They also know my age.
JOHNNIE36 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2012, 09:09 AM   #51
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
NW-Bound's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amethyst View Post
Presumably you don't want insurers to feel that way about you when you are 80, though! "Driving while old" is a topic I haven't seen anyone on the board address - except in terms of their parents - but we are all going to get there unless we die first!

Amethyst
When I get to 80, I expect to be driving less than my mother does now. Both my wife and I only leave the home when we need to. We do not look for excuses to get out, like my mom. We already drive less than she does now, except for RV'in trips, of course. :-)

She is a careful driver, but I am afraid her driving skill is deteriorating. Whenever I visit her, I see more and more scrape marks on the corners of her car. My brothers have the same concern.

We try to nudge her towards driving only when necessary, but she is an extrovert, and likes to go out to visit, or go shopping.

One interesting thing I learned from her was that when my father passed away, her insurance premium went up. She called her carrier, and they told her that statistics showed that widows drove more than a couple. Probably true for widowers too, I guess.
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
NW-Bound is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2012, 04:11 PM   #52
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
clifp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,733
My insurance story is a bit different. My Allstate agent called and said that they had good deals on car insurance, so I said sure give me a quote. The quote came back and they were still higher than quite a bit higher than Geico (Berkshire shareholder get a discount with Geico). After going through some discussion, he suggested I lower some coverage so I did.

This prompted me to call Geico and see if they could get me a better deal on home owners, sadly they wouldn't insure my home too old.

I just checked my car insurance vs Progressive $325/year vs Geico $221.
clifp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2012, 05:44 PM   #53
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,528
We have been with State Farm over 20 years also. We have always been pleased with their service. I have thought about doing some comparisons, but wanted to wait until after March 2012, which will be over 5 years from my only at fault accident.

My SIL was involved in an accident that was not his fault, but the Police Officer did not decide who was at fault. My SIL at the time was around 19 or 20 and the other person was an older male who was driving a truck for a living. I have a feeling that the PO gave the trucker a break. Luckily, no one was hurt. My SIL had liability only and State Farm would not go to bat for him. The other ins co would not pay, since a determination of fault was not made. I have been afraid to drop collision and comp on our older cars due to this.
Dreamer is offline   Reply With Quote
Now my turn to feel stupid
Old 01-07-2012, 05:50 PM   #54
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
clifp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,733
Now my turn to feel stupid

There was an article a couple of month ago in the WSJ about cable operators being pretty aggressive about dropping prices to retain customers. Last I tried a couple of years ago I didn't get anywhere.

My cable+internet is $122+ taxes =$134 So today I called up Direct TV replacing my package they had intro deal for $41 (HD, DVR, a few months of free Showtime, HBO) for 12 months and then jumps to $72/month and requires 2 year commitment.

I sign up but unfortunately they don't offer a bundle with internet.

I called the cable company, I merely mentioned Direct TV and magically my cable+internet prices drops to $102 after taxes. Plus they threw in a free on demand movie a month, perhaps I can drop Netflix. Since I have to buy $45 for internet alone, the cable company bundle deal is better.

I call back Direct TV, and the drop the price another $5-10/month. But I elected to stay with the devil I know.

Competition is grand!
clifp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2012, 11:46 PM   #55
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
veremchuka's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: irradiated - too close to the nuclear furnace
Posts: 1,294
Quote:
Originally Posted by modhatter View Post
Midpack,

As you might have read. I'm going through the insurance thing right now.
What my insurance agent told me to try and hold on to me (after 15 yrs.) was " they are only giving you a new customer rate, and they will be raising it significantly next year" She said to me, "ask them if they are giving you a new customer rate". She said all insurance companies do that. Kind of like cable and satellite TV. You only get a cheap price when your a new customer. Know what you mean about being pissed.
I too found this to be the case. Anytime I checked other companies I always found a reasonable savings only to see my rates jump back to where I was upon renewal. Midpack do you care to name the insurance company, I ask too see if it is mine but I suspect they all take this route.
veremchuka is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2012, 11:56 PM   #56
Full time employment: Posting here.
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: chicago burbs
Posts: 806
Last year, I got around to getting quotes for auto, homeowners and umbrella. We were with farmers for years. When I told farmers they needed to sharpen their pencils, they lowered our cost by approx. $800. We ended up staying with them even though it left a bad taste in my mouth since they were gouging us for years.
golfnut is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2012, 04:42 AM   #57
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
clifp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,733
Another company or group of companies that piss me of with gouging regular customers are magazine and newspapers. I have been a loyal subscriber to the digital edition of the WSJ since it started. I realize that with a bit of Googling I can generally find the article for free for somewhere, but I don't have any philosophical problems with paying for a digital newspaper. I think WSJ.com started of at $79 a year and quickly raised it to $99. However, they automatically jack up the price for existing subscribers which pisses me off.

So every year for at least the last 6, I go through this silly dance with WSJ. "Me: Hi I see the rate has increased (last year I think it was $159) for me but I see banner ads for the WSJ for $99, I am willing to resubscribe for $99". WSJ: "I am sorry sir that rate is for new subscriber only." Me ok cancel my subscriptions. Wait a day or two and sign as new subscriber. Last year I found discount coupons for another $20 off. So instead of getting $99, they had to pay Google for the banner ad I clicked on and got a less money.

I guess the WSJ figures either their customer are too stupid to know how to type "WSJ.com subscription discount coupons" into a search engine, or have so much money that aren't willing to spend 10-15 minutes to save $60.
clifp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2012, 06:52 AM   #58
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 417
Different philosophy on car insurance. Have a 97 minivan worth $2500 on its best day. Owned since 2000, collision/comprehensive ($500 deductible) is $140/yr., so I've paid $1540. Keep waiting on neighbor's big-a$$ tree next to our driveway to fall on it or I get rear-ended, which means I'd end up $500 to the good. Can't see dropping it to save $140/yr.
Payin-the-Toll is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2012, 07:20 AM   #59
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Midpack's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NC
Posts: 21,204
Quote:
Originally Posted by veremchuka View Post
I too found this to be the case. Anytime I checked other companies I always found a reasonable savings only to see my rates jump back to where I was upon renewal. Midpack do you care to name the insurance company, I ask too see if it is mine but I suspect they all take this route.
It appears from other posts here that it's not just my insurance provider so it seems wise to check regardless. But I am (was?) with Liberty Mutual.
__________________
No one agrees with other people's opinions; they merely agree with their own opinions -- expressed by somebody else. Sydney Tremayne
Retired Jun 2011 at age 57

Target AA: 50% equity funds / 45% bonds / 5% cash
Target WR: Approx 1.5% Approx 20% SI (secure income, SS only)
Midpack is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2012, 07:43 AM   #60
Dryer sheet wannabe
 
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 18
This same exact thing happened to me. I saved about 50 percent by switching. The insurance carrier I was with said that they could perform a new quote, but when it was time to renew, my repeated calls were never returned. I switched after almost 30 years with the same carrier to a different one. I never bothered to check into switching because you keep hearing in some commercials that say that you can save up to 15 percent for switching carriers, so I figured that is not much of a difference. It really can be MUCH more than 15% savings.
My rates never went up even after a year with the new carrier.
rcbrad is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Dumb "spending models" tab question gsmolin FIRECalc support 8 10-18-2011 08:53 AM
Career mgt example - smart or dumb? wildcat Young Dreamers 18 09-30-2011 04:51 AM
Why Are People Dumb? Midpack Other topics 52 07-17-2011 03:45 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:59 PM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.