Blog

In The Months With an R in Them, On Days That End in Y.

September 9, 2022 By Forrest Dailey

There is an age-old rule of thumb that one should only eat oysters during months with an R in their name. So, September through April. As a matter of fact, if you Google “Months with an R in them” almost every result has something to do with the above-mentioned rule of thumb. Seems quite odd. Is that the only thing we associate with the time between September and April?

We at Horihan Insurance say there are a good number of other reasons this oysterful season is significant. For instance:

During this time, millions will start to really look at their health insurance options for the following year. There isn’t always much to discuss because there isn’t always much that changes. But sometimes there is, and like with any other insurance policy, it’s just best to periodically go over it to be sure yours still suits your current needs.

During these R-ful months, you may very well be thinking of the insurance coverage you have on your home to be ready for deep freeze season. Especially if you go away from home for significant chunks of time in the winter, you will want to be sure you have the right coverage while you are away.

For some of us, this time of year is all about the coverage we have on our snowmobiles. When it gets to be that time of year, snowmobilers tend to get a bit excited and overlook the most important thing which is making sure you have the coverage you need. You get out there for the first time and the snow is deep and fluffy, and the sun is glittering off the ice crystals and it’s enough to make anyone get a little carried away. But it’s no excuse not to have proper coverage on your sled.

It’s a time when millions are going away to college and thinking about:

* Their first renter’s insurance. Moving out of your parents’ house is an enormous step in life. Having your own place is a lot to look after, even if you don’t own it. It is a very common misconception that if you don’t own your home, you don’t need insurance on it. But you do. Because it’s not always about the box but what’s in it. You have stuff, don’t you? You need insurance on your stuff!

* Their own auto policy. Just like anything, when you’re out on your own, you may like to deal with your own agent with your own policy. If so, great, but first come in and talk with a Horihan agent to make sure you understand what you’ll need to know about managing that policy going forward.

* Perhaps their own medical insurance coverage. Many are electing to remain on their parents’ health insurance plan until they reach age 26. Some just want to handle it themselves or find something they feel is better for them than what their parents’ plan offers. Same thing. Come talk with a Horihan agent about what managing your own health insurance policy will entail.

What is the best time to reach out to Horihan Insurance about any and all of this? Any day that ends in Y. Okay well maybe not the ones that start with an S. Well, even on those days you can fill out a form on our website to initiate the process of getting a quote. So…

Anyway, once you’ve got the coverage you need, the world is your oyster. Couldn’t resist, not sorry.

A Closer Look At Some of the Common, and the Lesser Talked-About Misconceptions About Insurance

August 19, 2022 By Forrest Dailey

man hand holding magnifier with document

You’ve probably heard it from us before:

Yes, you DO need renter’s insurance. Your landlord’s policy will not replace your stuff.

No, you’re super-valuables are not covered by your general homeowner’s policy.

No, all insurance companies don’t offer the same thing.

No, life insurance is not “too expensive.”

No, the color of your vehicle doesn’t determine how much you pay for auto insurance. Certain colors of vehicles do put you more at risk for accidents during certain hours/weather conditions. And having an accident can cause your rates to go up. The insurance world is full of misconceptions and myths. Here, we’ll take you through a few of the more confounding ones. The ones we haven’t touched upon on this blog or on our Facebook page.

For instance:

· I should always file a claim – Not necessarily. It depends on the degree of the damage. If the increase in your insurance cost after filing will cost you more than it would have to just get it fixed out of pocket. Or if the claim is less than your deductible. Or, perhaps you have an older vehicle and you’re going to be getting a new one sooner than later anyway.

· Staying with one company for years will get me the best rates – Sure, there is something to be said for loyalty. But you don’t always get the best rates for loyalty to one company. And even if you did, why wait for it when you could potentially find something better, today!?

· I’ll save money by having the minimum coverage – Remember “Murphy’s Law” which states if something can go wrong it will, expect the unexpected, all that? Sure, you’ll save money so long as anything you need to file a claim on costs less than the amount of coverage you have. But that’s what’s so crazy about “the unexpected.” It usually comes in larger quantities than you expect, on top of it’s annoying habit of inconvenient timing.

· I will get the stated value of my scheduled items in the event of a loss, theft, damage, etc. – “Scheduled items” are those more valuable items that were mentioned in the opening arguments of this post. You give a “stated value” of an item of, let’s say $150,000. That amount becomes sort of the ceiling amount for reimbursement. You’re more likely to receive the replacement cost value of the item, which is not how much you paid for it but how much it was likely to be worth at the time of the loss.

· I’m self-employed with no employees so I can’t get Workers Comp – You most certainly can, and it has a name. It’s called Sole Proprietor Workers Comp. As a sole proprietor you may not be required to have it, but there are many good reasons why you ought to. Just like any other worker, your income depends on your ability to work after all. How much more so if you’re the one and only person responsible for keeping your business afloat?

Obviously this is not an entirely comprehensive list. There are tons of misconceptions about insurance and any and all of them could really cost you. It behooves you to look into some of the notions you have about insurance. Talk about them with your agent for clarity.

Horihan Insurance Has a Proposal For You

June 24, 2022 By Forrest Dailey

Did you know that the word “insurance” comes from “ensurer” an archaic French term that meant “engaged to be married”?

At first glance that probably seems very amusing. Because who would marry an insurance agent, right? I mean, can you imagine? The regulations to follow. The paperwork. The fine print! And they keep asking you to renew your vows every year! Maddening.

Just kidding.

But no, really. Ensurer? What has insurance got to do with being engaged to be married?

Well, for one thing, engagement is a promise. When you get married, the vow often includes solemnly swearing to protect your spouse from all manner of harm, does it not? And that is kind of the whole purpose of insurance. Insurance agents don’t have anything like the Hippocratic Oath that a physician would take before commencing their practice. But with insurance agents, a solemn vow to provide you with the coverage you need is most certainly implied and kept.

Granted, we’re not there in the middle of the night tip-toeing through the living room with a Louisville Slugger to ward of intruders. We’re not there with the fire-extinguisher putting out the fire in your kitchen. Yet our function is to be an intermediary, a liaison, an agent of protection for you and your family.

Like a spouse, though, we would appreciate it – we insist actually – that you tell us if you decide to make any major renovations on the living room. I mean, if you’ve got homeowner’s insurance through us, that is. Otherwise go nuts. It’s none of our business. But since you brought it up, if you don’t have your homeowner’s through Horihan, why don’t you? Let’s talk about that.

Where were we?

The agent-client relationship is a partnership of sorts. We have our part of the arrangement to uphold, as do you. It’s kind of a sweet deal too, because in this “marriage” you get the protection of your insurance coverage, but without the arguments over what you’re going to watch on TV, or who cooks dinner tonight or washes the dishes afterward. Your insurance agent will never tell you to take the garbage out.

After we’ve met with you to go over your business, your home, your auto and the coverage you’ll need for them, we go away and we work up a quote which we then bring back and propose to you.

You see what we did there? We’re not going to give you a diamond ring, but if you’ve got one, we’ll protect it in the event of loss or damage.

What we’re trying to say…what we really mean is…we’re Horihan Insurance. Will you marry us?

Okay maybe that’s a bit forward. We may not have even met you yet. We understand. Insurance is a commitment, and that can be scary. But you can start by reaching out to your nearest Horihan agent for a free quote on all of your insurance coverage. We’d love to have the opportunity to earn your esteem.

If You Build It…Protect It.

June 9, 2022 By Forrest Dailey

Actor Ray Liotta passed away recently at the age of 67 while we were brainstorming ideas for the next Horihan Insurance blog post, so we felt compelled to say a few words about dreams.

Many remember Liotta for his portrayal of “Shoeless Joe” Jackson in the movie “Field of Dreams.” The line that most people remember from that movie is “If you build it, he will come.” The “he” was not “Shoeless Joe” as it first appeared, but the estranged and now-deceased father of Kevin Costner’s character, Ray Kinsella. No matter though, because it is “Shoeless Joe” who re-unites the two in the end.

In the years since “Field of Dreams” was originally released, the famous line has come to be frequently misquoted as “If you build it, they will come” probably as a result of the movie’s closing scene in which hundreds of cars are lined up to visit the other-worldly baseball field Ray built in his cornfield, contrary to common sense and many snide remarks from local nay-sayers.

He did not care. Because he’d heard “the voice.” Whether it was “he” or “they” matters very little anyway. Both represent a dream fulfilled.

You’ve probably heard that voice calling at some point. Calling you to build your own business, in which case you likely heard some nay-sayers too. Maybe it was calling you to build a life with your spouse and children, and perhaps some domesticated animals. That comes with its own set of doubts and roadblocks. The point is you heeded that call. You’ve built it. You’ve done your part.

There is a very touching scene in “Field of Dreams” where “Shoeless Joe” (Liotta) delivers a monologue, beginning by saying he would have played baseball “for food money.” He then riffs on some of the more nostalgic aspects of the game he loved, finally concluding that he would have, in fact, “played for nothing.”

We all probably feel that way at one point or another about something, which inspires us to pursue that thing in the first place. The whole movie is a web of related themes. Dreams, purpose, trusting the process, fulfillment.

Okay, you might say, playing for nothing is all well and good, but what about making a living? Well, if you can make a living doing what you love, then maybe what you do will always contains at least a little nugget of that original inspiration. In that case, then, maybe the old cliché that you “never really work a day in your life” is true.

But you don’t always know what your true calling is until you’ve attained it.

In another poignant scene, the elderly Archibald “Doc” Graham (Burt Lancaster) tells Ray “If I’d only gotten to be a doctor for five minutes, that would have been a tragedy” referring to the fact that as a young man he had played just a half an inning of Big League baseball before hanging up his cleats and fully pursuing medicine.

At Horihan Insurance, we want to help you protect your dream, whatever form it takes, through all the twists and turns of fate. Horihan Insurance started as someone’s dream, too. We get it.

FIELD OF DREAMS TRIVIA: The real-life Archibald Graham depicted in “Field of Dreams” is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Rochester, MN.

In The Months With an R in Them, On Days That End in Y.

A Closer Look At Some of the Common, and the Lesser Talked-About Misconceptions About Insurance

Horihan Insurance Has a Proposal For You

If You Build It…Protect It.

Rochester, MN

Winona, MN

Rushford, MN

Lewiston, MN

Lanesboro, MN

Mabel, MN

Horihan Insurance is licensed to do business in Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Iowa