Snowmobiling is a wonderful way to enjoy winter in Northern Michigan, however without proper precautions it can also be very dangerous. To help keep you safe we've compiled a list of important snowmobile safety tips. Be sure to also have a conversation with Frankfort Insurance on snowmobiles and insurance. If you haven't specifically purchased snowmobile coverage you're probably riding uninsured!

1. Take a snowmobile safety course.
2. Know the weather and trail conditions before leaving.
3. Wear appropriate clothes and protective gear.
4. Be sure your snowmobile is mechanically sound.
5. Leave a route plan with friends or family.
6. Ride with a buddy.
7. Carry an emergency kit including a phone.
8. Stay alert at all times and do not speed.
9. Never drink and snowmobile.
10. Know what insurance coverage you would have if there was snowmobile accident?

Source Material:
“Snowmobile safety tips” https://www.markelinsurance.com/snowmobile/resources/snowmobile-safety-tips
Web. February 2018.

Northern Michigan has been a summer getaway for many years. Back in the early days trains, passenger ships and carferries brought vacationers from Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit to our doorstep. Rooming houses and hotels, like the grand Frontenanc Hotel were built to hold the visitors and local entrepreneurs began renting out their homes in downtown Frankfort for the summer. As the area around Crystal Lake became developed simple cottages sprung up and those former visitors put down seasonal roots. The vacation paradise we now know was born.

Now, many decades later, the homes in town and cottages around the lake have been remodeled, rebuilt and expanded. Many of these properties have been passed down through the family or have grown to be jointly owned by many relatives. As back in the early years families are renting their homes or cottages to visitors on a short term basis.

What does this history lesson have to do with insurance? It's the intro to a scary insurance issue that is hiding just below the surface of Northern Michigan. The insurance polices that these families have to protect their properties actually provides no protection for rental!!

Most homes or cottages in Northern Michigan are protected by a homeowners policy. These insurance contracts are specifically designed for owner occupied homes. In the event of a major claim, such as a fatal fire, the fact that the home is occupied by a short-term renter would most likely negate the policy coverage in full! Not only would there be no coverage to repair or rebuild the home but there would be no liability coverage to protect the owners from a lawsuit over the fatality in their home.

A scenario such as this could destroy an individual family financially, permanently fracture the extended family and end in the loss of and extremely valuable and cherished family asset.

Don't allow your family history to be put in jeopardy. If you ever rent out your home or cottage you need to discuss this fact with your agent immediately and put into place coverage specifically designed to protect your family. Your ancestors had the foresight to put down roots here, be sure this generation has the foresight to strengthen those roots rather then to allow them to disappear.

Author: Andrew Johnson, Frankfort Insurance

Have you heard of Lifestyle Insurance?  I'm sure your answer two this question is no. But in reality we've all heard of “Lifestyle Insurance”, just under a less descriptive name- life insurance.

So why call it Lifestyle Insurance?
Because in buying a life insurance policy it's your family's “Lifestyle” that you're really trying to protect. You want to ensure that the style of life your family is accustomed to is not interrupted if you were gone. The passing of a family member is difficult enough for a spouse or children to live through, but add in the negative effects of a financial crunch and lives could be forever impacted. The loss of the family home, the need to relocate to take a job or the loss of family vacations are all major changes in Lifestyle.

So lets look at your Life(style) Insurance needs in a different way. Frankfort Insurance and our partner Houlmont & Associates have the experience to help you select the life insurance product that can ease your mind and protect your family going forward. Visit our website for more information or use the button below to start the process to protect your family's lifestyle!

For many Americans the "Memorial" part of Memorial Day is not revered as it should be.  Not because we intend to ignore the sacrifices of those who came before us but because we haven't learned how to observe the day.

• Educating your children, family and friends about Memorial Day and how to observe the day.

• Wear a Memorial Day or American Flag button during the month of May.
• Visit a cemetery and commemorate the heroes who served and those who fell in our defense.
  
• Fly the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon on Memorial day as it is a day of “National Mourning”.
  
• Participate in the “National Moment of Remembrance” at 3:00pm local time, to pause and think upon the meaning of the day.
  
• Donate to a worthy cause to help assist the widows and orphans of our fallen heroes and to aid our disabled veterans.
  
  

By participating in these action you will educate other Americans and increase the reverence for this day. We are the beneficiaries of those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom and liberty and they deserve to be memorialized appropriately.

God Bless America

More information can be found at the Memorial Day Foundation

By: Robert W. Parker, Attorney

Robert is a seasoned attorney with over 30 years of experience representing landowners, developers, business owners, lenders, municipalities, and individuals throughout Michigan.


How to handle the disposition of the family cottage upon mom and dad’s death has become a cottage industry.   Parents discover that, while their children may have expressed an interest in keeping the cottage in the family after their parents’ deaths, not all of the children have the same level of interest.   Some live far away and thus aren’t able to use the property as often as their siblings and still other children may not have the financial ability to shoulder their share of expenses.

Unless carefully planned, the outright gift of the family cottage to the children can, unintentionally, create strife and discord amongst family, especially when mom and dad aren’t around to referee.

Swirl into this issue the possible “uncapping” of the property’s taxable value when it is transferred to the next generation. The “uncapping” of the property’s taxable value poses a challenge due to the fact that if the property taxes suddenly increase, the family may discover that they aren’t able to afford the taxes, let alone the cost of maintenance.

The process of passing down the family cottage, which seems fairly straight forward at first, can become quite complicated, very quickly.  

We have found that this process can be easily facilitated and many problems avoided if the parents leave a blue print as to how the family cottage should be owned, transferred and how future decisions should be made through the creation of cottage trusts or cottage limited liability companies. 

The issues to consider when creating a cottage trust or cottage limited liability company are:

• Do the parents have exclusive rights to possession while alive?
• Upon mom and dad’s death does each child need to contribute equally to the cost of maintenance, insurance and taxes?  Or should each child’s contribution be a product of their usage?
• What if a child doesn’t pay their share of expenses?  What mechanism is there for collection?   
• Should there be “rules” regarding usage?  Pets?  Guests?   Do parents need to be present when young adults use the property?
• Is a child’s interest in the property considered an asset for purposes of divorce or bankruptcy?
• What happens to a child’s share of the cottage when he or she dies?  Does it go to whom they designate, i.e. their spouse or children?  Or does their share go to their siblings?
• How do we avoid the uncapping of the property’s taxable value upon the death of mom and dad?  What about when a child dies?
• What if a child wants or needs to sell their share?  How is that accomplished?

As demonstrated above, each case poses issues specific to your family’s current circumstances, and plans that work for one family may not be appropriate for your family. Attorneys can assist in guiding you through the various options available and choose the plan that works best for you and your family.

© 2014 Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge

Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge
101 N. Park St.
Ste. 100
Traverse City, MI 49684
231.929.4878

Michigan College Planning  is a company out of Traverse City MI.  Vicki and Matt have been assisting and educating individuals and families with retirement planning, insurance planning and other financial goals. Their interest in College Planning began when they noticed that students and parents were struggling to find a way to pay for a college education without taking on a great deal of debt or dipping into their retirement resources. Their goal of helping families plan for a secure and debt free future, which was not possible with the student loan debt that so many clients were taking on, led them the specialty of College Planning and Funding. They have undergone extensive training and are Registered Licensees of College Planning Relief, a College Planning Relief Specialist.

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In February the Insurance Bureau of Canada conducted a survey of homeowners on their perception of the chances of having a home claim. When asked if they thought their home was at risk of suffering damage from wind, hail, earthquake or water/sewer back-up, more than 65% of the homeowners felt that their home was not at risk.   In reality, these four events damage millions of homes every year.

The study went on to say that only 8% of the homeowners were concerned about a back-up of a sewer or drain. In fact 81% of these homeowners thought that their policy automatically included coverage for water/sewer back-up, however that's not the case!

So lets backup (no pun intended) and briefly define what we're talking about. “Back-up of water and/or sewer” is when water or sewage comes back up through a drain, such as a floor drain, sink, toilet, etc., and causes damage to your property which requires cleanup and/or repair.

Damage like this, as you can imagine, can be pretty ugly and require careful cleanup to protect against potential mold growth and illness. In the case of sewer backup this is definitely a job for a professional cleaning company!

What can be worse than the mess, as the Canadian study showed, was that many homeowners believe this type of damage is automatically covered in their home policy. On the contrary it is actually specifically excluded. However this lack of coverage can be changed by purchasing an endorsement (addition to the policy) that provides coverage for this type of damage. Coverage amounts for this endorsement usually start at $5,000 and can help with cleanup and repair of the damage and can be increased in $5,000 increments.

So, lets pose the question from the title of this article again. What do you know about water & sewer backup? Hopefully you now know enough to consider the potential risk of damage like this and understand enough to make an informed decision regarding your need for additional coverage.

Author: Andrew Johnson, Sources: Insurance Bureau of Canada
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1339225/home-insurance-a-loss-doesn-t-only-happen-to-others

This is the very first post on our insurance agency blog. We're not quite sure what we're going to write about here, but the plan is to create helpful content for customers and prospective clients about information that is relevant to you.

Here are a few of the topics we plan to be writing about:

• Answers to clients' frequently asked questions.
• Helpful information about insurance shopping.
  
• Safety and Health Tips and Ideas.
  
• Local Community Information.

You can also connect with us and follow along with our posts on Facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/FrankfortInsurance