USAA's invited me to San Antonio!

[Nords]

You've hit the big ones. The insurance company is untouchable--can we get the same cost/service package in their investment and banking products? That's probably a lot to ask.

I've always wondered about that. Perhaps the vehicle-insurance guys feel as if they're "carrying" the rest of the company?

I have to admit that this is a blogger's fantasy-- unlimited material to mine for incredible publicity.

I'd make fun of you going to Texas in the summer, except for I'm going to Vegas in July, which is possibly even hotter than Texas. Sounds like interesting trip.

Next week's challenge is finding cute, small [-]cheap[/-] aloha omiyage for the book-signing table. I'm actually considering going down to the USS ARIZONA Memorial book store to watch the professionals ply their craft.

Is the USAA membership base eroding so quickly that national television adverts are the way to increase members?

Maybe the "eroding" word is just a euphemism for the phrase "dying of old age"? NFCU went through this after the post-Cold-War drawdown.

Or is this a hint at a shift away from the association's traditional marketing? Or should we just ignore the changes that continue to take place along Fredericksburg Road? I've even heard other members saying their rates have been bested by other insurance companies. This 42+ year member is kinda concerned, but I just can't put my finger on "Why?" I'm uncomfortable with things at USAA.

You might be able to get a better rate at GEICO or even Progressive (their quotes have been very close on our bare-bones policy) but I think USAA still has the edge on service & negotiations.

I've always found cheaper home/liability insurance with Armed Forces Insurance, although admittedly they're a much smaller & weaker company financially. But good enough. USAA wouldn't even quote home insurance in Hawaii to current owners for years, and I don't know if they've re-entered the market.

I've always found cheaper mortgages at NFCU & PenFed, and I've always wondered why USAA bothers with mutual funds.

I've added these questions to the list, and I'm sending them in now rather than waiting for the conference. Keep 'em coming!

By the way, I remember that this board has several authors and a bunch of reading fans who've attended book-signing events. I don't know yet whether I'll be able to set up a table at the actual USAA conference, but I'm also trying to squeeze in a few hours of bookselling at the nearby military exchanges. I'm comfortable with public speaking but I'm a total newbie at sales & marketing, let alone book signings. If you have a technique that's worked well for you, or if you've been impressed by others, or if something didn't work well at all... I can use all the advice I can get.

 

[samclem]

The company is being very cautious about "growth for growth's sake". All changes must benefit the membership as a whole.

I'm proud to be a 35 year member and will continue to use USAA goods and services. That company is rock solid on core values and doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason.

I think USAA is a great company, but I'm concerned about the changes. There are hundreds of insurance companies, most run by very talented people. I don't think it's a coincidence that the very best one just happens to have a history of only insuring US military officers. That's a very select demographic, one that has certain traits based on self-selection, the selection performed by the services, and by subsequent training and life experiences. I'm fairly sure the attributes of this group have contributed significantly to USAA's success. The attributes cannot be expected to be the same among the great-great-grandchildren of these same people.
It's hard to quantify, but when I call USAA I get the feeling that the reps believe what I tell them. And, I think I'm getting better car insurance and home insurance rates and service because they have a pre-selected pool of insureds with favorable characteristics based on the factors above.

USAA thrived with a smaller pool of members in the past, they can do it again. Yes, they'd lose some economies of scale, and rates might go up compared to where they are today, but they'd still be lower than other companies based on the pre-selection factors. I would rather USAA get smaller and stay the company that it is than have it get bigger and become just another insurance/financial services company. We've got enough of those. But I think the execs will make more money if it gets bigger. I'm not convinced my interests are aligned with theirs at this point.

 

[East Texas]

Although I couldn't locate a quick and dirty reference, I'm fairly certain the number of officers in the US military has steadily declined over the years. This resulted in a potential declining membership base for USAA, which was the driving force behind them opening up to first NCO's, then to virtually all veterans. I understand they were projecting poor growth opportunity if they did not make some changes.

You're absolutely right - the decline of the officer pool was a significant influence on the decisions to enlarge the membership.

I wish them nothing but the best - I've been a USAA member for more than 40 years and got my first "senior bonus" payment from my Subscriber Savings Acct earlier this year. It was enough to pay the annual premium for my homeowners policy - and you know how expensive homeowners insurance is in Texas...

I have "senior bonus" envy. One of these days I'll get mine.

A side note on USAA's trying to do the right thing. Many years ago USAA offered a special bumper decal for members with 40+ years. It was a great idea. Until the claims started coming in. It seems the shysters were setting up cars with the decals to be in "accidents" because USAA had a reputation of taking care of their members by settling claims quickly.

A car in the lane next to, and slightly ahead of, the USAA car quickly changed lanes and slammed on the brakes. The USAA car slammed into it. Rear end collision. Normally the fault of the rear-ender. A pattern quickly emerged, the miscreants were caught and prosecuted when possible, and the bumper decal went the way of old tape decks.

 

[braumeister]

Actually, they sent me one of those 40 year decals a few years ago, so it's back. I think I have even seen a 50 year decal on a car in my area.

I got my first senior bonus this year, too, and I couldn't believe the size of it. One of my favorite companies!

 

[Nords]

Sam, that's an interesting question (and added to my list). It's only been a few years since they're thrown open the membership, and I wonder if they have enough data to draw any conclusions... let alone an inclination to share their findings.

2.7 years ago when our daughter passed her license exam (at the age of 16 years and six days), I used the DMV's pay phone to call USAA with the news that we now had three licensed drivers in our household. I expected our premiums to triple.

Instead they decided that since we had three drivers but only two cars, they'd classify her as an "occasional driver" and keep our premiums the same.

I bet you all can guess who was really our household's "occasional driver" for the next two years... and I'm pretty sure USAA knew that too, but they were fine with that decision. It must've cost them a couple thousand bucks in premium income.

I have "senior bonus" envy. One of these days I'll get mine.

Only if there are enough new members to pay their money in to support the projected withdrawals of the current senior members.

Although the system is working fine for now, projected withdrawals will soon exceed receipts. By 2037 you may only receive 75% of your senior bonus.

Oh, wait, that's a different thread...

 

[clifp]

I am impressed to see the love for this company that I've read on this thread.

They must be doing something right. I understand SamClem's concern there are often real problems when companies expand from a well defined niche.

 

[friar1610]

Congratulations! Sounds like an interesting trip. I would echo what you expressed about competitiveness with NFCU, PenFed, etc. For whatever reason, over the past 40+ years, I've just always thought of NFCU as the "go to" guys for mortgages, CD's and other general banking services. (PenFed has come on my radar screen more recently, primarily for CD's and no-foreign-transaction fee credit cards.) In the investment area, I'm a Vanguard guy. Obviously USAA is who I first think of for insurance. But a good question might be, "What does USAA have to do to get a long-time insurance customer to think of them more readily for the other products?"

Have a great trip.

BTW, on the Russia trip from which I just returned, I got a nice photo of an old Tango class in the Volga River. It's now part of a museum.

 

[REWahoo]

Only if there are enough new members to pay their money in to support the projected withdrawals of the current senior members.

Although the system is working fine for now, projected withdrawals will soon exceed receipts. By 2037 you may only receive 75% of your senior bonus.

Oh, wait, that's a different thread...

The easy cure is to increase the Senior Bonus eligibility criteria from the current 40 years to 50 years with the company...and offer an 8% bump each year beyond 50 members delay taking it.

 

[Nords]

Here's what I have so far:

• "If I'm invited back to the next one, could we do it in March? Or November?"
• "Where should I set up my book-signing table? Can I get a forklift through that doorway?"
• "Will the rates for the Flexible Retirement Savings Annuity and the Single Premium Immediate Annuity go up in 2012?"
• "How do you plan to keep your CD & mortgage rates competitive with NFCU and PenFed? In other words, your insurance rates are untouchable-- how can we get the same cost/service package in USAA's investment and banking products?"
• "Are you insuring Hawaii homeowners again? What's your plan for this hurricane season?"
• "Advertising seems to be on the rise. Is new customer growth paying for it, or is the cost being passed on to us current customers?"
• "As your customer base widens, it would seem that the quality could also drop. I'm not trying to incite a debate over the insurability of officer vs enlisted veterans, but I'm curious how USAA maintains their financial standards. More customers would equal more money for the execs, so it's possible that exec's interests could diverge from the customer's interests."
• "What does USAA have to do to get a long-time insurance customer to think of them more readily for their other products instead of NFCU, PenFed, Vanguard, & Fidelity?"

Do you think you will get to Houston on this trip?

Sorry, missed this one first time through.

We're still trying to figure out the logistics, although I'm sure my daughter would vote [-]to let me buy dinner at a nice restaurant for her and her friends[/-] "Yes". If I scamper home on the 10th then there won't be a side trip, and I get to spend some more time with another ER visiting Hawaii that weekend. If I stay for a book signing at the exchanges that weekend then I'd make the Houston trek on Mon or Tue before flying home. I sure hope San Antonion & Houston don't have any traffic, or I'll have to put my "Drive Aloha" bumper sticker on the rental car.

We'll also be back in Houston 20-23 Oct for Rice's Families Weekend.

BTW, on the Russia trip from which I just returned, I got a nice photo of an old Tango class in the Volga River. It's now part of a museum.

Welcome back! Glad you checked in. If the U.S. consulate staff in Moscow happen to phone you up to see how you're doing, tell them I said "Eh, never mind..."

Man, when I think of the months of man-hours I spent studying recognition silhouettes and acoustic/electronic characteristics of those old submarines-- I feel like such a dinosaur.

I guess we couldn't've "won" the Cold War without that effort.

 

[Dreamer]

That is wonderful, Nords. Congratulations! I hope that you have a great trip and that your book sales and blog really takes off for you.

I really need to check into USAA insurance. I never received a traffic ticket or had an accident that was my fault until 06/06 and 03/07. It was a very stressful time in our household, since my future son-in-law (now my sil), left WV in 06/06 to enter the navy and my teen daughter, a senior in hs, had to stay in WV. Maybe I am trying to divert the blame and it was my fault, but I was half nuts doing that time. Does anyone know how long a ticket or accident stays on your record. I keep thinking that maybe I should wait until 04/12 (5 yrs after the accident), to check about ins through another company. We have been with State Farm since the mid 80's.

 

[East Texas]

That is wonderful, Nords. Congratulations! I hope that you have a great trip and that your book sales and blog really takes off for you.

I really need to check into USAA insurance. I never received a traffic ticket or had an accident that was my fault until 06/06 and 03/07. It was a very stressful time in our household, since my future son-in-law (now my sil), left WV in 06/06 to enter the navy and my teen daughter, a senior in hs, had to stay in WV. Maybe I am trying to divert the blame and it was my fault, but I was half nuts doing that time. Does anyone know how long a ticket or accident stays on your record. I keep thinking that maybe I should wait until 04/12 (5 yrs after the accident), to check about ins through another company. We have been with State Farm since the mid 80's.

Depending on your state, tickets usually affect your premiums for three to four years. One ticket - probably no impact. DWI/DUI don't even bother thinking about changing insurance companies for five to seven years after the incident. There are a few other "biggie" tickets that would cause doors to slam such as 80mph in a school zone.

The one big thing that will impact you being able to change insurance companies is claim history.

If you're eligible for USAA insurance, it doesn't hurt to call and get a quote.

 

[HFWR]

I sure hope San Antonion & Houston don't have any traffic...

 

[Dreamer]

My ticket in 06/06 was going through a red light. I was leaving a shopping center and was unsure if I needed to go right or left for the interstate. The light was green when I started through, but I was going so slow trying to see which way I needed to go, that the light had turned red.

In 03/07, I had just dropped my DD off at school and had driven a couple of blocks and came to a complete stop at the stop sign. I was at a bend in the road and there was a lot of morning traffic on the main street that I was trying to get on to, and I saw my break and went for it. I had wrongly assumed that the car was staying on the main road, but it was going into the little alley right in front of me. I looked back to make sure no other cars were coming and accelerated right into her. Definitely my fault. Luckily, no one was hurt.

 

[JDARNELL]

Hey what is the UOD for this event? Do you have to buy a new suit?

JDARNELL

 

[Nords]

Hey what is the UOD for this event? Do you have to buy a new suit?

Man, just a couple weeks into the transition and you're already fully in the ER mode! First question I thought of.

Here's what I e-mailed in my RSVP:

Finally, this is going to seem like a dumb question, but I've always been happy that I've asked it: what's the dress code? Hawaii attire is much less formal than most Mainland areas, and I typically wear slacks & aloha shirt. Please let us know if USAA's remembrance ceremony or other events will require a coat & tie.

But I suspect that I already know the "correct" answer, and it just depends what I can get away with. I figure I'm making a huge concession to San Antonio culture merely by deigning to wear socks & loafers instead of my usual slippers. But what better way to model the ER lifestyle (and market the book) than with one of my finest Goodwill $6.99 aloha shirts? You know da kine, brah.

I have a blue blazer, a couple blue shirts, a red tie, and a blue tie. The last time I wore them was in early 2002 (when I was on retirement leave) for my grandfather's funeral. I'm pretty sure the blazer won't button over my surfing muscles, and now that I think about it I guess I'm going to have to see if the shirts will even fit anymore...

 

[Brett_Cameron]

Congratulations Nords! Well deserved recognition of your efforts.

 

[rescueme]

I'm pretty sure the blazer won't button over my surfing muscles...

I have to steal that line ...

 

[REWahoo]

Not exactly on topic, but here is an example of why many of us have been USAA members for decades:

Debt Ceiling Crisis: How USAA Is Prepared To Help Members

Active-duty military personnel, including activated Guard & Reserves
Temporary Payroll Advance Program to eligible members serving on active duty, including those actively serving in the Guard and Reserve, who have their existing DFAS payroll deposited into a USAA checking or savings account. This is a one-time loan for payroll scheduled for deposit on Aug. 15.

Waive property and casualty insurance policy late fees or bank nonsufficient fund fees and suspend nonpayment cancellations for members who are on active duty, including those actively serving the Guard and Reserve, for 30 days where legally permitted.

Other members who receive government payments
Based on their existing USAA products

• Special payment arrangements, which could include skipping a payment, on some bank products.
• Refunds of fees for nonsufficient funds and overdrafts on USAA Bank products.
• Waiver of credit card late fees.
• Lines of credit increases.
• Waivers of certain investment administrative fees.
• Billing arrangements for life insurance products.

Anyone else seen an insurance company, investment house or bank offer anything similar?

 

[Nords]

I'm back.

The conference only spanned 29 hours (all day Thu plus Fri morning) but at when I was invited I felt obligated to maximize the opportunity presented by USAA's free plane ticket.

So on Wed night I went out to County Line BBQ with the conference organizer. It was just the two of us-- I thought I'd be the only one who was jet-lagged, but some weather or aircraft snarl on the east coast delayed almost everyone else until nearly midnight. Then we went back to the hotel bar, met the rest of the group, and started the pre-conference socializing. Some bloggers (not me!) continued that event until just four or five hours before the start of the 8 AM working breakfast.

Thu night was another USAA-provided dinner at Paesano's. That was our best chance to go one-on-one with the staff, and I had a good long talk with Scott Halliwell. He is most worthy of being entrusted with your financial portfolio.

We finished with Paesano's around 9 PM and adjourned back to the hotel bar for "a few minutes". There was a rumor of a 2 AM Alamo pilgrimage (not me!) and the conference reconvened at 8 AM.

The conference ended Fri lunch. I did two book signings (Fri & Mon afternoons). REWahoo! put me up at his (very nice!) house on Fri & Mon nights. We had a small E-R.org chapter meeting Sat morning at the Alamo Café with Arif plus one of my distant cousins who works at USAA.

Because I just didn't feel busy enough, on Sat afternoon I drove over to Houston for a hit&run visit with my daughter. (I'll be back in Oct for a proper E-R.org gathering.) We hung out the rest of that day, and then at 5:30 AM Sun she dragged me down to the 9/11 Travis Manion 5K "fun" run with the rest of the NROTC unit. (I can attest that Texas patriotism is alive & well.) We spent the rest of the day running errands and with her friends, but she finally finished all her chores by 9 PM and let me go.

The Mon morning drive back to San Antonio was brutal. Fatigue was beginning to catch up with me, and the penalty for inattention at [-]80[/-] 75 MPH in Texas is a lot more severe than at 55 MPH in Hawaii. (Luckily the Houston/Austin/San Antonio triangle has at least three excellent classic-rock radio stations.) I did the book signing and then went out to dinner with REWahoo! & his spouse. By the time we got back to his house I'd had quite the week.

I'd planned to arise at 2:45 AM Tue for the drive to the 5:45 AM flight, because Google claimed REW's house was 50 minutes away. It turns out that if you don't actually get moving until 3:30 AM you can still make the trip in under 30 minutes. I also learned that the airport doesn't really staff up until 4:30 AM and that TSA lines are very short when you're the day's second customer. But then both planes broke at their respective gates for 30 minutes each, giving me plenty of time to ponder where I'd be sleeping that night.

While USAA's plane ticket was free, I don't think I care to ever again fly that LAX-HNL leg. Next time I'm paying for a direct flight to San Antonio (assuming it exists). Heck, I'd even fly direct to Houston and drive to San Antonio to avoid the HNL-LAX redeye.

I got good answers to all of USAA's questions, and they're in the three blog posts linked below. Let me hit the high points here:
- USAA has one of the best working environments I've ever seen. If you have to have a job, this is the place to do it. This is true for anyone but most especially for military veterans. I'm not looking for a job, but if I was then I'd even be willing to put up with San Antonio just for the experience of working at USAA.
- USAA favors service over profit margins. They practically run the place as a non-profit because that's what it is: an association of members grouping together for cheap insurance. Even the financial side (banking, credit cards, investments) is run as a member benefit for their insurance customers. BTW anyone can enjoy the benefits of USAA's financial services, while insurance membership is open to "all who have served honorably".
- Their media campaign is paid for by reducing the direct-mail program. Oddly enough media is working far better than direct mail, both for existing members as well as new ones. Better still, the tone of the ads is causing new members to behave to a higher standard than some of the existing members. (Search YouTube for USAA and you'll see how the "I got mine" theme resonates.) So overall the marketing costs are the same, but per-customer acquisition costs are down and the customer quality is rising.
- I mentioned the USAA ESOP and was greeted with laughter. (They don't seem to have one.) Employee incentives are based on service, not revenue or volume.
- Two bloggers (plus a few hundred Facebook posters) managed to change USAA's mind about business checking. We'll see how they follow through.
- Their 9/11 commemoration included tissue boxes under the chairs, and we needed them. M.J. Sweeney was one of the speakers-- she's been at USAA since her 2003 retirement. That event is going out over the Pentagon Channel this week and may be on YouTube by now.

The financial guys are developing the retirement calculator from hell which will also integrate all of a member's accounts from other institutions. I think it'll work out. They're a little overimpressed by Monte Carlo, but I handed out copies of the book and pointed them to FIRECalc. I'm also continuing the conversation with them, so you may see one or two pop up on this board to discuss the finer points of retirement financial forecasting.

Overall, while I can't always tell when I'm being lied to, I think I'm pretty good at detecting equivocation. All of these guys love what they do and they believe in their mission. Several of the bloggers were also at last year's conference and had a similar epiphany experience.

It turns out that USAA's underwear vending machine isn't an employee-overtime issue. It's for people who "forgot" their workout clothes for the fitness center. USAA doesn't mind handing out free exercise shorts & t-shirts along with the towels & shampoo, but they figured the members would draw the line at spending our premiums to provide free undies...

USAA’s underwear secrets | Military Retirement & Financial Independence
Answers to USAA’s questions | Military Retirement & Financial Independence
More news from the USAA Blogger Event | Military Retirement & Financial Independence

I probably have two more USAA [-]fanboy[/-] posts in the hopper-- one to discuss the retirement calculator's evolution, and another to list the bloggers' websites.

 

[TN_INVEST]

I
- USAA has one of the best working environments I've ever seen.

Yes.
That place is impressive. Environment wasn't my cup of tea, but the campus was neat.

 

[Nords]

Here we go again!
http://the-military-guide.com/2012/10/22/im-goin-to-usaa-again/

This year's conference is 7-9 November at USAA's HQ in San Antonio. My apologies in advance to those posters in the Houston & SA areas who might want to arrange meetups-- I haven't left enough slack in the schedule for it. Spouse and I are spending our free time with our daughter and other family members in the area.

USAA is doing things a little differently this year. They're expanding beyond "just" military and personal finance bloggers to include industry analysts and innovation influencers/columnists/bloggers. They're looking for people who are widely read in their industry category and interested in telling the USAA story to their readers. I have no idea who my fellow attendees are yet but we'll eventually get a muster sheet with short biographies.

My job at the conference is to ask hard questions. USAA tells me that I'm good at it and I'd hate to slack off now. I've reached the point in my life where I'm older than some of the retired military (but still working) flag officers who'll be speaking to us, so I'm afforded a certain measure of [-]geezer[/-] respect-- or at least tolerance. Some of the people who'll be talking to us are still surprised when it turns out that I actually know a little about investing, financial management, and retirement planning too, so they're willing to indulge me with the technical details when the explanations involve government regulations or startup costs or business process. Besides, eventually a few of them will take me aside at the buffet line and ask "Hey Nords... exactly what do you DO all day?!?" or better still "Dude, what longboard do you use?"

So... what questions do you want me to ask? I'll be speaking mainly to the social media and community relations team, but we'll be spending time with VPs and program managers from all areas-- property & casualty insurance, banking, investments, credit cards, mobile tech, network security, member service, and the hiring staff. I'm friends with their bloggers (did you know that USAA has a team of bloggers?), and they'd love feedback on what topics you want to read more about. I'd especially like to hear questions & feedback from those of you whom USAA has pissed off about some service or product (or lack thereof) or from anyone looking for a new feature or service that you wish they'd offer. This is your chance to make yourself heard through more than their usual channels.

We servicemembers tend to tie a lot of our lifelines to this one company for convenience as well as the ability to talk to someone who understands what it means to deploy overseas. This is generally a great idea but it's all too easy to end up with all of our eggs in one basket. I'd like to know how they could do better... or do more.

A couple of you (NavyDavey? Others?) have mentioned USAA's career-starter loan to ROTC midshipmen/cadets. I'm trying to learn more about this program, and I'd appreciate whatever you can tell me about your recent (this millennium) experience. My college daughter might be interested in doing a little interest-rate arbitrage.

If you're reaching the end of your military service obligation and you're curious about a USAA career, please contact me. I'll put you in touch with their "military talent management" division for more info. If these guys had a Honolulu office then I'd be seriously considering spending a few hours a week there. It's that good.

Full disclosure: FCC regulations require me to mention that USAA has offered to fly me from Hawaii, put me up in a hotel, and feed me all the breakfast burritos & coffee that I can consume in 30 hours. I'm up to that challenge. However this year all they're buying for me is a couple nights in the hotel and the consumables. I'm going to be doing the USAA conference as a side trip from Houston to visit our daughter, so I'm not going to ask them to pay for more than food & lodging. And if you think that their food & lodging could affect my objectivity, then [-]you don't know me very well[/-] I'll mention that the whole point of financial independence is being able to keep your objectivity.

 

[mickj]

My only annoyance was not knowing why I couldn't use their online check deposit feature. It took a couple years until I bumped into the answer on somone's blog (ie. since I'm not actually in the military I have to have a credit card with them to enable the feature.) It would have been nice for them to pop that up on the website when I tried to learn about the feature. Also, I sure wish I was eligible for their auto insurance. Don't see them changing that anytime in the future though (for non-military members.)

Have fun!

 

[target2019]

The website is poor. My wife has put a lot of time into trying to clean up various things for her parents' accounts. It has been rare occurrence when she could complete a task on the web site. Seems like she is always calling, then they instruct her to complete one piece online. Then she calls back to have rep finish the task.

For instance, there is a taxable account. Their bank is already listed as an institution in another brokerage account, but you must re-enter the routing number and account number in each account. Then you must call a rep to have dividends directed to the bank.

USAA just seems disconnected in many respects. That's why I pulled my IRA and SEP-IRA, and took my investments to Vanguard.

 

[mickj]

they also push annuities.. GASP

https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/advice_financial_rules_to_break?sf6563448=1&sf6716174=1

If you're still saving for retirement, an annuity — which allows for tax-deferred savings — can be a good, conservative option if you've maxed out other tax-advantaged accounts or as an investment option within your IRA or retirement plan. When you retire, an income annuity, which pays guaranteed income for life, might make sense if your Social Security and pension don't cover your core expenses. Annuity guarantees are based on the paying ability of the insurance company. So make sure the company is recognized, reputable and financially strong. Annuities do not provide any tax-deferral advantage over other types of investments within a qualified plan. There are costs associated with annuities, including surrender fees, early withdrawal penalties and mortality risk expenses. So, be sure to read the fine print.

 

[Ally]

I only wish I could use them. My parents were both officers serving in WWII, but since they never joined USAA, they told me that I couldn't join. My parents knew their Allstate agent really well and wouldn't change from him, even though I tried to get them to give USAA a try. I went to college right near their offices in San Antonio (at least in the 1970's) and used to pass by them every day.

Have a great trip and enjoy seeing your daughter!