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Twin Bridges Insurance Agency

1881 Western Avenue, Suite 210
Albany, NY 12203

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Who Needs Life Insurance?

It is obvious that we all need homeowners and car insurance. However, what about the life insurance policy? If you have not purchased one yet, it may be because you are not sure whether you need this policy or not. In order to help you to decide, NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency serving Albany, NY has prepared the list of several categories of people, for whom life insurance is a must: 

Married Couples

Many married people mistakenly believe they do not need life insurance until they have kids. However, it is not true. What if one of the spouses died tomorrow? The other one will be left with many debts, including mortgage, car loans, credit card payments, and others. In addition, there are still the utility bills to pay. One income might be not enough to cover all these expenses. That is why married people need to think about getting a life insurance policy. 

Empty Nesters

If your children are grown-ups and have their own lives, you might think about dropping your life insurance coverage. However, it is one of the worst things you can do. First of all, your nest might not stay empty too long – the number of grandparents taking care of their grandkids is constantly increasing. For this category of people, life insurance is important because it is a guarantee of financial safety for their descendants. Moreover, one of the spouses will also need financial help once the other one is gone.

Families With Kids

Most families today are able to survive only with two incomes. If one of the spouses suddenly dies, the family might not be able to meet all the financial obligations – from paying the mortgage to covering daily expenses. Therefore, if you are not sure that your family will be able to keep the same standard of living after your death, you need to get life insurance to protect them. 

We know how confusing and complicated shopping for life insurance can be. The agents of NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency are always ready to help and provide you with all the necessary information. If you are from Albany, NY and you need consultation on life insurance, give us a call today or visit our website. 

Is Your Business a Safe Working Environment?

As a business owner in Albany, NY, you should make workplace safety a priority. By looking after the safety and wellbeing of your employees, you’ll earn their loyalty and trust. Loyal workers are more likely to remain with your company over the long haul. The following tips from NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency can help you establish a safer, healthier work environment.

Implement Safety Policies

Implement safety policies and make sure they’re carried out in your business environment. Appoint someone in charge of evaluating and overseeing these policies to ensure they’re effective in meeting safety objectives.

Pinpoint Health Hazards

Pinpoint health and safety hazards and look for ways to reduce risks that can cause accidents. Get input from your employees on practices that threaten their health or safety in the workplace and take measures to correct them.

Provide Workers with Safety Gear

If your workers need safety gear or equipment, make sure they have the products they need for the job. This includes earplugs, safety glasses, gloves, helmets, and other gear that corresponds to their job. Make sure your workers are instructed on the use of safety gear to protect them from harm.

Reduce Stress in the Workplace

Maintain reasonable work schedules and deadlines to avoid stress in your business environment. Encourage supervisors to establish a good rapport with their team and keep lines of communication open to avoid problems with gossip or discontent.

Purchase Worker’s Comp Insurance

Make sure your business has worker’s comp insurance coverage to protect your employees against accidents on the job. Worker’s comp is an essential aspect of your commercial insurance policy and is required coverage for businesses in Albany, NY.   

For more information about worker’s comp and other commercial insurance options, contact NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency today.

Tips for Improving Your Life Insurance Coverage in Albany

When you think about life insurance, you probably think of it as a necessity to protect the people that you love the most. It’s difficult to think much past that, partly due to the subject matter and partly because life insurance policies are complicated things to try and untangle.

But ignoring your policy can end up putting you in a worse spot, especially if you were unaware of certain terms of your coverage. NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency wants to give the people of Albany, NY a little more information about how to approach this sensitive topic. 

Check the Limits 

Your policy may have time limits where coverage will expire. Most people use this in the case of their dependents and may terminate coverage when their youngest child comes of age. But a lot can change between the time you set up your first policy and the time that it expires. If you do decide you want coverage to extend after a certain date has passed, opening up a new policy may require more effort to do. 

Savings and Loans 

You may also want to consider how your retirement plan is shaping up as you age. If you take out life insurance coverage for a young family at a young age, you may not even consider the possibility of using your coverage as a makeshift savings account. However, many people enjoy having a safety net in case they need to borrow for potential emergencies. 

If you want to understand more about life insurance policies that can be used in Albany, NY, call NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency today. We’re here to make the process simple enough so you really know what you’re getting into before you settle on a plan. 

How To Shop For Commercial Insurance

Are you planning to purchase commercial insurance? We offer commercial insurance at Twin Bridges Insurance Agency in Albany, NY. However, we advise our customers to follow the steps below in shopping for commercial insurance.

Start by assessing your risks

Remember, you’re purchasing commercial insurance to cover your business risks. So, you need to assess all your business risks. What exactly are your kinds of risks? The kind of business you do will determine your risks. Are you constantly on the road? Do you face the risk of accidents? Do you face litigation risk? Let us know your risks. We will help you decide on the best commercial insurance coverage for your business.

Compare the cost against coverage

We have different types of commercial insurance coverage and each of them differs in cost. We have observed that most business owners consider cost more. That’s why we will advise you not to consider only cost. Compare it against coverage. The more the coverage, the higher the cost.

If you base your choice on low cost, you could select a type of coverage that does not cover much of your business risks. And if the unthinkable happens, your business may not survive it.

Review your commercial insurance every year

We believe that your business will grow and expand with time. Unfortunately, the business expansion comes with extended liabilities. So, you need to re-assess your risks every year and also review your commercial insurance.

For instance, if you run a construction company and you had only one excavator at the time of purchasing your commercial insurance, if you purchase another excavator or any other heavy machinery, you must review your insurance because your existing insurance will not cover your new acquisition(s).

At Twin Bridges Insurance Agency in Albany, NY, we offer professional guidance to all our clients at no extra cost. So, you can contact us anytime or explore our website.

Three reason to choose whole life insurance

Whole life insurance is one of two major types of life insurance available. You need to learn about insurance types available from providers in Albany, NY like NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency to find the best policy type for your unique needs.

The following are three reasons why you might want to choose a whole life insurance policy.

The policy will never expire.

A lot of those who are on the market for life insurance want to have life insurance that they can depend on permanently. Term life insurance is temporary and will only offer coverage for a given period of time. On the other hand, a whole life insurance policy is permanent. This means that the policyholder can count on coverage and won’t be disqualified from renewing a policy down the road because of age or health problems. 

The policy accumulates cash value over time. 

Those who take out a term life insurance policy lose all the funds that they put into the policy if they outlive the policy life. However, those who take out a whole life insurance policy get back the money they invest in the insurance policy because the policy accumulates value like a savings account. 

You can borrow against the policy. 

As a whole life insurance policy accumulates value, this value can be borrowed against by the policyholder. This means that a whole life insurance policy provides a good source of emergency funds or extra funds the policyholder can use as they see fit. 

If you want to get more information about whole life insurance and other life insurance options in Albany, NY, get in touch with us at NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency to learn more. 

Three questions to ask your commercial insurance representative

Protecting your business in Albany, NY with commercial insurance is important. It’s also important that you ask the right questions before committing to a particular commercial coverage option. 

You should ask us the following questions at NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency when selecting your commercial insurance policy. 

Which commercial insurance coverage types are most important for me?

One of the most important things to realize is that there are many different types of commercial coverage to consider. These include general liability, errors and omissions, and workers’ compensation coverage. 

Our representatives have worked with many business owners to find the right commercial coverage. They can provide you with advice on what coverage types companies like yours need. 

How can I bring down my commercial insurance costs?

You may be able to bring down your insurance costs in a variety of ways. You could choose a higher deductible to bring down costs. You might also be able to get a discount by purchasing multiple insurance types from the same provider.

If you’re insuring commercial vehicles, you may be able to reduce costs by hiring employees with good driving records.  

What are my payment options?

Most providers will give you the option to pay in a lump sum or per month. You should enjoy a discount if you pay your entire premium upfront. Therefore, it’s a good idea to pay upfront if you can afford it. 

Careful research is important for finding the best commercial insurance policy in Albany, NY for your needs. You can get more information about commercial insurance by contacting us with your questions at NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency. 

Things that can nullify a life insurance policy

Buying an insurance policy is something that people do to offer protection to the people who depend on them. When your loved one passes away chances are that you are counting on that life insurance policy to be able to maintain the lifestyle that you currently have. Nothing could be worse than having the insurance company deny your claim. It could leave you in Albany, NY in a very precarious financial situation. When it comes to life insurance the team at NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency can help you to make sure this doesn’t happen to you. 

When you purchase a life insurance policy you will be asked to fill out a lot of paperwork. You will be asked questions that you may be tempted to avoid answering or to answer untruthfully. This is a very bad idea. It is considered fraud and it is one of the things that can nullify a life insurance policy. Don’t give incorrect medical information or lie about any hobbies that you have that might be considered risky. 

When times are tough financially you can be tempted to let your life insurance policy lapse. You may miss a payment or two. This will nullify your policy but most companies are willing to work with you if you are in a temporary bind. It is important that you talk to your company and come up with a plan to keep the policy in force. 

If you are going to be living outside of the United States check with your insurance company to make sure that they will honor your policy if you are living in a foreign country. 

Life insurance offers needed coverage. The agents at NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency in Albany, NY would love to sit down and talk to you about the coverage you have and what you may need. 

 

Ways to Make Your NY Business More Energy Efficient

Has your utility bill skyrocketed at your Albany NY business? If so, maybe you are looking for ways to get that energy bill down throughout the year. There are some ways to make your New York business more energy-efficient, and we have these tips for you at NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency. 

Window Upgrading

For most Albany, NY businesses who may be in some older construction, they see a significant difference in their energy efficiency immediately after upgrading the windows. These upgrades seal the energy inside the business and prevent it from releasing outside. Maintaining the heat inside the business will keep it warmer longer and decrease the energy used around the clock.

Temperature Maintenance

Stabilizing the interior temperature within your office will allow the HVAC system to properly operate and maintain a steady temperature. When the temperature is constantly shifted up and down by employees throughout the year, the system has to work twice and hard to keep up and can force it to utilize much more energy than it should. 

Integrate Solar Panels 

While it may be too much of a transition at once, slowly begin introducing solar panels to your business to assist with the energy and reduce the amount of electricity that is used during the workday. Since solar panels can be a bit pricey initially, some small business owners in the area have decided to purchase one panel at the time and seeing benefits in their energy bill now. 

Include Commercial Insurance

Because you should have it, commercial insurance is available for businesses in Albany, NY through NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency. Our team not only wants to help you get energy-efficient, but we want you to have the security you need for your business. Call us today for more information. 

Choosing the Right Commercial Insurance Policy

The right commercial insurance policy can make the difference between a catastrophic event crippling your business and being able to bounce back without a huge effect on your bottom line. If you are a business owner in the greater Albany, NY area then it’s time to come talk to the team at NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency. We are here to help you navigate the sometimes confusing and stressful process of choosing the right commercial insurance policy. It is incredibly risky for a business to be underinsured as the right insurance policy can make all the difference when it comes to outlasting the competition.

The Right Commercial Policy for Your Business

Determining the right commercial policy for your business is a unique experience because every business is different. There are a few features that make sense for most companies, such as protection for their inventory, vehicles, and equipment, in addition to coverage for their property. In addition, having protection from business interruption due to a covered event can be a lifesaver when it comes to overcoming the many unforeseen issues that can occur. When a company has the right commercial insurance policy, they can rest assured that a covered catastrophic event is much less likely to put them out of business! While there are no guarantees for the future, it makes sense to be as prepared as possible. When you have the right policy in place you are reducing the risk of your company going out of business due to an unexpected event.

The team at NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency is proud to serve the insurance needs of the greater Albany, NY business community. If you are looking for an insurance agency that is knowledgeable and responsive to your needs call or stop by today!

Factors That Affect the Costs of Your Life Insurance

Life insurance rates can vary widely from individual to individual. If you live in Albany, NY and have been curious about the things that can affect your life insurance rates, read on for some informative facts from NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency.

Age

One of the biggest factors that can influence your life insurance rate is your age. By and large, younger people have less expensive life insurance rates than older people.

Health Status and Family Health History

If you are generally in good health, you will enjoy lower life insurance rates than someone who deals with troublesome health conditions. A family history of some diseases may increase your insurance rates.  Some things, like whether or not you have had cancer or whether your mother had breast cancer, you can’t help. However, other things you may be able to change. You can try to lose weight, lower your blood pressure, and keep tabs on chronic health problems before they cause long term damage to your body. Doing these things may improve your life insurance rate.

Driving Record

Having a good driving record leads to lower auto insurance rates, and it may also affect your life insurance rate. Your driving record reflects how careful you are, so having fewer tickets and accidents means a lower risk for the life insurance company and a lower rate for you.

Occupation

Some occupations have a higher risk of death. If you are a police officer or fireman, your job is riskier than someone who works as an accountant. Additionally, if you work in a more dangerous location, your premium may be higher.

Some things, like your age, occupation, family health history, and health status, you may not be able to change. However, other things, like your weight, driving record, and fitness status you can change. By making small changes in your lifestyle, you may be able to reduce your insurance premiums. If you have questions about your life insurance rate in Albany, NY, contact NY Twin Bridges Insurance Agency today.