Is your Clunker worth any cash?

The ads are beginning to run on T.V. The cash for clunkers program has begun, and you may be wondering how it works and how it can benefit you.

First you need to find out if you have a clunker at all. I looked out the window at my 1991 Buick and was pretty sure I did, but when I went to http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm I was shocked to learn that I didn't!

You see my buick had a combined MPG of 19 when it was new, and passenger cars must have a combined MPG of NO MORE THAN 18... So I was out of luck.

If your clunker was rated at less than 18MPG when it was new, and your car is less than 25 years old, is driveable and you have owned and insured it for at least a year you may be eligible to trade it in on a new car and get up to a $4500 credit!

A couple of things to watch out for though... your clunker may be worth more than $4500 so be sure to check http://www.kbb.com/ before you make the deal. Also, know that your car will not be resold. In order to participate in the program your clunker has to be destroyed.

Also, you will have to buy a brand-spanking-new car and take on the financing associated with it. Trading in your old car on a gently used one may be a better deal.

Also, there are some limits on the new car you can purchase. It has to have a sticker price of $45,000 or less and it has to have a fuel economy rating of at least 22MPG. If you improve your fuel economy by 4 miles per gallon (clunker got 18, new car gets 22) you get a credit of $3,500. To qualify for the full $4,500 you need to improve your mileage by 10MPG.

Now some trucks, SUV's and Minivans have slightly different rules. The new vehicle has to get at least 18 MPG and can offer as little as a 2 MPG improvement over the old one to qualify for $3,500. With a minimum 5 MPG improvement, you can qualify for $4,500.

So, check it out. If you have been hoping to get a new car or truck that extra credit toward your purchase could come in handy, but don't wait too long. When the money is gone the program ends.

The really phenomenal kids of the Spokane Youth Symphony

I want to use this platform to let you know about one of Spokane's true jewels. The Spokane Youth Symphony is just finishing it's 59th season. These kids work incredibly hard, they are the best of the best.



I hope that you will enjoy the Junior Symphonic Orchestra, under the direction of Julian Gomez Giraldo as they perform part IV. Allegro con spirito from Symphony #29 by W.A. Mozart.

Why I am a JA kid

I remember being a student at Evergreen Jr. High. Yes kids, back in the dark ages we didn't go to middle school, we went to JUNIOR high.. but I digress.

Being a Jr High-schooler I was encouraged to try lots of new things like basketball and 4-H, and Junior Achievement.

Junior Achievement was enlightening. We partnered with Kaiser Aluminum and learned about how their business worked, and about how business in general works. Then, once we thought we understood we were encouraged to develop a product, market the product and see if we could make our business work.

In the end we decided that pizza pans were a product that no home could be without, and it was a product we understood. So Kaiser produced the aluminum pans for us and we sold them. I don't really remember if we sold a lot, and honestly I am not sure that success was the point.

I learned a lot through my experience with Junior Achievement and I believe that JA helped me to get to where I am today. This is why I am an active JA volunteer today. It is my hope that I can help kids understand a bit more about free enterprise, entrepreneurship and business. I hope that I can encourage kids to at least consider the possibility of working for themselves, instead of always working for someone else.

I hope that you will take a moment today and visit http://www.ja.org/ or http://www.jaspokane.org/ to learn about the Junior Achievement program. Spending one day in a classroom in your neighborhood might just be the encouragement a child needs to begin thinking about his or her future in a whole new way. If you would like to volunteer for May 12 at Greenacres Elementary please call me at 509-892-9139 or 509-216-2894.

As for the pizza pan, seems it is long gone now. But you can still order the JA special from Papa John's and they will donate to JA on your behalf.

thanks to callme crochet for the pizza photo!

Spring home checkup

Spring is here and the weather is lovely. I would like to suggest that you consider taking a nice walk.... around the house.

According to the NW Insurance Council, a non-profit trade association, the following home maintenance projects can keep your home in good condition and help save you money on repair bills in the long run. Most of these suggestions will also help you avoid costly insurance claims as well.

• Rake debris away from side of house and other structures.
• Clean out gutters and check downspouts for damage.
• Take down storm windows and check and repair screens before installing.
• Remove plants/trim shrubs around dryer vent.
• Inspect foundation and crawl space for any signs of water intrusion or pipe leaks.
• Remove strainers and clean any floor drains in basement, garage, outside stairwells.
• Inspect the attic. Look for moisture or water stains that may indicate roof leaks.
• Scrub mildewed areas and treat any mildew and fungus on decks

April Fools Computer Virus

Millions of people got up this morning and wondered if their computer would work. Would checking their facebook and email result in lost data or identity theft?

Not only is it wise to have a good anti-virus software installed AND running, it is wise to have a conversation with your insurance agent about coverage for lost data and identity restoration.

Prevention is only half of the equation. It is also important to have the tools in place to deal with the aftermath.

Please call me today at 509-892-9139 to find out more about your protection options.

Talking about annuities...

If you are like most people, you are looking forward to the day you can retire. You are looking forward to days full of play, not work. Or at least you were until the recent uncertainties in the stock market made you wonder if the money you had put away would be enough. Now may be the time to consider moving your retirement money into an annuity. It may just be the safety net you are looking for.

Perhaps annuities are new to you. Or maybe you've heard about them but were told that that the market was a better investment - after all the market keeps going up right? I think that once you understand the basics, you will see that annuities are a very straightforward way to manage your investment, particularly in a volatile market.

Annuities make it simple to get your money in retirement when you need it. They can help you have a steady stream of income even if the stock market does not perform well.

With an annuity you pay money to an insurance company and then, over time, they pay you back with interest! The earnings on the annuity are tax deferred, so you wont pay taxes until the funds are paid out to you. You choose how much to put in, when you want to start getting payments, and how long you want those payments to last. They can even last the rest of your life. You are in control of your money, not the other way around!

With an annuity there aren't many surprises. They can provide an income that you can count on month after month.

If you would like more information on how an annuity might benefit you please call me at 509-892-9139 to set an appointment.

Italian Wedding Ring Soup

When I was modifying this recipe I could not find any whole wheat orzo and bought these wheat pasta rings instead. My creative son John suggested that I change the name of the recipe to Italian Wedding Ring Soup because of the rings! I had to agree, it was a great idea.

• 2 mild turkey Italian sausages
• 32 ounces low sodium, fat free chicken broth
• 1/4 cup Safeway 'Eating Right Kids' whole wheat pasta rings
• 2 tablespoons diced red pepper
• 2 tablespoons diced onion
• 1 teaspoon dry basil
• 1 small can sliced button mushrooms (with juice)
• 1 Roma tomato diced
• 1 cup of raw spinach chopped

Remove the skins from the sausages and cook in a non-stick pan. Break the sausages up to small pieces as they cook. Add the chicken broth, and bring to a boil.

Stir in the pasta, the pepper, onion and basil and mushrooms.

Reduce heat to medium and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender.

Add the tomato and spinach. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings. 243 Calories. 11g fat. 65mg Cholesterol. 998mg Sodium. 13g Carbohydrate. 6g sugar. 26g Protein.

Waldorf Chicken Salad Wraps

• 2T light Mayo
• 3T plain FF yogurt
• 1T lemon juice
• 4 ounces grilled chicken breast chunks
• 1 small gala apple chopped
• 1 stalk of celery chopped
• 10 seedless red grapes, halved
• 7 or 8 butter lettuce leaves
• 1/4 cup walnut pieces

In a bowl mix the mayo, yogurt and lemon juice.

Add the chicken, apple, celery and grapes and mix until coated with the mayo, yogurt blend.

Arrange leaves of butter lettuce on a plate, fill with chicken mixture and garnish with walnuts.

Serves 1. Calories 579. Fat 31g. Cholesterol 76g. Sodium 408mg. Carbs 38g. Sugars 27g. Fiber 6g. Protein 38g.

Home Owner's Insurance Questions

When shopping for Home owner's insurance most consumers consider only 3 factors.

• what is the bottom line price,
• what is the dwelling coverage amount, and
• what is the liability coverage amount.

To be perfectly frank that is like calling a realtor and saying I want to buy a house, I want to pay less than $250K, it should have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

No one in their right mind would make such an important purchase based on only three questions.

Do you know how much coverage you have for your personal property? Is your property covered when it is away from the home? Are there items of personal property, like jewelry or guns that are limited in coverage?

How much coverage do you have if you cant stay in your home after a claim? Will you be able to stay in a hotel of your choosing?

In the event of a loss what are the limits of coverage for things like debris removal, landscaping and fire department charges?

Are there provisions in your policy that guarantee renewal, even after a claim? Are their provisions that guarantee that your rate will not increase because of a a claim?

If you don't know the answers to these questions please contact me at 509-892-9139 for a full review.

And the winner is?????

A question of trust

You know 3 people, Jane, Jayne and Jean. Here is what you know about each of them:

• Jan works at ABC company, a well respected company in town. Regularly she sends you postcards asking you to do business with her.

• Jayne goes to your church, she is active in the PTA and is always there with a casserole in hand when she is needed. Jayne has a reputation for being there when extra hands are called to duty. Jayne works at XYZ, a well respected company in town. You know what she does, but she has never directly asked you for your business.

• Jean is very nice. She is a salesperson and makes no apologies about it. Buying her morning coffee is just another opportunity to close the sale. Every moment she is awake is a chance to make a deal. She works for 123, a company that has a reputation for great prices, but somewhat unpredictable service.

Today you were given a diamond. It is large and clear and well cut. It has a value near 1/2 million dollars. It is your responsibility to take care of it and to ensure that it remains safe.

Unfortunately you cannot keep it with you at all times. You must leave it in a box at home. However, you may choose either Jan, Jayne or Jean to sit with it in your absence. Who will you choose? By the way, Jan, Jayne and Jean can also assign responsibility for your diamond to whomever they choose.

Which of these insurance agents would you trust with your diamond? What if your diamond is your home or your family's future. Your cars, toys and bank account? It really is a question of trust.

Microwave Enchiladas

Edited to add - After I posted this, and just as I finished my enchilada lunch I thought "dang, I should have taken a picture!" Well I did take a picture... and you can see how good my enchiladas were!

Looking for a quick easy bowl of comfort food? Need to clean out the fridge? How about a great meal at work? Try my microwave enchiladas!

Get into the fridge, find whatever yummy leftovers you have... some grated cheese, some chicken, maybe even some green beans or rice! Grab the enchilada sauce and 2 corn tortillas and you are ready to go!

Pour a small amount of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a bowl. About a tablespoon will do. Swirl it around so it covers the bottom of the bowl nicely.

Place a corn tortilla in the bowl add 1/2 of the cheese, and whatever else you have. Place the second tortilla on top and pour more enchilada sauce over the top - about 3 more tablespoons or 1/4 cup total. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, cover and microwave on high for 3 or 4 minutes.

This is such a quick and easy way to use up leftovers. You can use enchilada sauce from a can or mix, I like to make my own.. then I freeze it in single serving bags and just grab one whenever the need for an enchilada fridge clean out strikes!

Win a Starbucks Card!

Want a Starbucks gift card?
Here is what you have to do...

1. Follow me on Networked blogs through Facebook and give my blog a rating. Consider a nice comment too if you can think of one!
2. Leave a comment for me on this post to let me know you read it!
3. On Monday, March 16 I will enter everyone who followed the above directions into a drawing to win a $10 Starbucks card. Don't drink coffee? That's ok, just say so in your comment and we will figure something else out.

Father Daughter Dance

There are several Kiwanis activities that I participate in each year, but my favorite is the father daughter dance. It is such a joy to help provide a venue where these daddies and their little girls can have a wonderful date each year.

It is a ton of hard work, but so worth it when you see all the girls dressed in their finest, and their daddies with eyes only for them.

I am already looking forward to next year's dance. If you are a dad and you didn't come this year, please plan on it for next year... These are the memories that last a girl a lifetime.

to see more photos please go to http://fatherdaughterdance.webs.com/apps/photos/

Grocery Store Snow Story

I was in line at Albertsons a few days ago. The woman in front of me was commenting on how ready she was for spring. Being who I am, I inquired if she had had enough of the snow, knowing full well that all of us have had enough.

She told me that she had lost a portion of her roof during the very heavy snow last December and was currently fighting with her insurance company to get payment for the necessary repairs. "Who are you insured with" I asked. She didn't know the name of the company, only that it was whoever her independent agent placed her with to get her the best price. It was a company that she knew too little about before, and suddenly when she needed them... she knew too much about their claims practices.

I told her that the company I was with had paid all of my client's home claims related to the heavy snows without issue. I encouraged her to give me a call so that next time she would know exactly what was covered.

The bottom line is that choosing insurance based only on price may lead you to find out that the box of benefits is half empty when you need to open it. Take time to read your policy and call your agent with any questions. After the roof collapses from the weight of the snow is not the time to find out it isn't covered under your discount policy.

When you are ready to have a policy that will provide the coverage you want, without rate increases due to a claim give me a call at 509-892-9139. I can help you with that.

Insurance Word For The Day

DEDUCTIBLE: The amount of loss paid by the policyholder. Either a specified dollar amount, a percentage of the claim amount, or a specified amount of time that must elapse before benefits are paid. The bigger the deductible, the lower the premium charged for the same coverage.

The deductible is an amount of money that you must pay toward the repair or replacement of the insured item. For instance, if you have a $500 deductible for collision coverage on your car, and you run into a ditch, you will be responsible for the first $500 in repairs.

The higher your deductible is, the lower your insurance cost will be. It is important to remember, however, that your deductible should not be more than you can easily write a check for on any given day. If spending $500 to fix your car tomorrow would take groceries off the table, or make the rent late then you should opt for a lower deductible. You cannot afford the risk.

I often suggest to my clients that they write a check for their deductible amount today. We can put it in a high yield savings account and then add to that account automatically over time. As the balance on the account rises we can raise the deductible too! With this strategy a client never finds themselves without the funds needed to meet a deductible, and they keep their insurance costs as low as possible.

Another strategy is to choose a policy option with a deductible credit or reward. As you earn more deductible credit, you can raise the deductible. A policy with a $1000 deductible and $500 in deductible credits is often less expensive than a policy with a $500 deductible, and yet the cost out of pocket after an accident is the same!

If you would like to discuss strategies for managing deductibles and insurance costs please call me at 509-892-9139 and we can do a review of your policies.

Is your most precious item covered?

Many people seem almost afraid to have an in depth discussion with their insurance agent. They seem to have a fear that if they tell their agent what they own, their agent will just try to sell them a coverage they don't need. When asked if they have items that might need to be listed separately on the policy they simply say no, not even wanting to know how much that insurance might cost, or how valuable that insurance might be. Sometimes they don't even understand that their are limitations on certain types of personal property, or instances where they might want to avoid having to pay a deductible.

My son has played Viola for 4 years now. Last fall, just in time for the start of High School he spent 3 years of savings on a new instrument. He earned every penny of that money mowing lawns and doing other odd jobs. He was, and is, so proud of his fine instrument. John has always been careful about his instruments in the past, and honestly if I weren't an agent I probably would not have thought about calling to let someone know my son had bought a new viola. But I am an agent, and so I added the instrument to our policy. It didn't cost much, under $10 a year. I figured we would never need the coverage, but didn't ever want him to have to go without the music he loves so much.

I didn't think about that coverage again until Monday. John called me from school. During orchestra class he tripped and fell. He broke his precious viola. It was, potentially, the end of his world. He had a seating audition that evening with the symphony. He was currently participating in the pit orchestra for the school drama department's winter musical. He had a competition coming up in just a few weeks. He HAD to have an instrument.

The greatest pleasure in my vocation is being able to tell an insured that it is OK. That I will help them put their lives back together when tragedy strikes. I have stood with people and assured them after house fires and car accidents. And I have stood with a young man who needed to replace a viola. I was able to tell my son that his viola was covered. That we would have it repaired and that our insurance would cover the bill. I was able to assure him that the instrument he dedicated so much of his time and effort to would soon be whole again and back in his possession. In the meantime Custom Strings was willing to give him a loaner while his viola was fixed.

I encourage you to take a moment to think what items are precious and necessary to you. What would you do if that item were lost, broken or stolen. Would that item be covered by your insurance? Would there be a deductible? If it isn't covered, what can you do to make sure it is?
Insurance is a partnership. I need you to work with me so that I can present your coverage options to you. In the end you will decide what risks you want to take, and what risks you want your insurance to take for you. The key is knowing what decision you've made ahead of time.

When you are ready to discuss your insurance needs call me at 509-892-9139. I am here to help.