Why Flood?

Why do I need flood insurance? My home has never been impacted by a flood before.

With rising water levels many that have never been impacted before are now seeing the impact. A typical homeowner’s policy will not cover flash flooding where water comes into your home through the foundation or lower-level and ground level openings. If you are not in a flood zone, rates can be reasonable. Sometimes you can even add additional coverage to your home policy to cover some flood losses. Contact one of our agents today to get a quote. Also check out www.floodsmart.gov for free information and resources.

By Tiffany Mulqueen

Matt Jeske

Cloud services provider and consultant, hosted email, online backups, document management, website hosting and domain name registrations, graphic design and IT consulting services to small businesses of the Twin Cities and western suburbs. Give your clients, prospects or members the ability to access details on your products, services and resources from the comfort of their home, office chair or on the road. Expand your client base beyond ridiculously expensive local newspapers, publications and directory listings. MNgeek offers affordable rates on web, domain names, IT and cloud consulting services with all of the necessary web hosting and expertise.

“Click-it...or Ticket”. In Minnesota we’ve seen these highway signs for nearly 37 years. But, something caught my eye while traveling in North Dakota recently. While Minnesota has-had a law stating that you may be pulled-over for not wearing a seat-belt since 2009, North Dakota is establishing a primary seat belt law this summer. Prior to 2009 in Minnesota, and 2023 in North Dakota, the primary reason for being pulled-over could not be for a seat belt violation. Drivers could still be required to pay a fine of between $25 and $100 if they were not wearing a seat belt during a traffic stop due to other reasons. Now, you may be fined even if no other law is broken.

Seat belt compliance has steadily gone-up since those early days...now to nearly 92 percent. I’ve had friends, family and acquaintances killed in traffic accidents. Many of them were not belted in. Many statistics show that your chance of surviving a serious traffic accident increases by 45 to 50 percent by “clicking it”. Drive safely.

By Greg Thomes

Matt Jeske

Cloud services provider and consultant, hosted email, online backups, document management, website hosting and domain name registrations, graphic design and IT consulting services to small businesses of the Twin Cities and western suburbs. Give your clients, prospects or members the ability to access details on your products, services and resources from the comfort of their home, office chair or on the road. Expand your client base beyond ridiculously expensive local newspapers, publications and directory listings. MNgeek offers affordable rates on web, domain names, IT and cloud consulting services with all of the necessary web hosting and expertise.

Have you noticed an increase in your auto insurance premium?

A few reasons for the premium increase are due to the rising claim cost, supply chain constraints, labor shortages, increase in new/used car prices and weather conditions.

A few ways to reduce the premium –

  • Make sure the use of your vehicles are correct - pleasure use, number of days driven to work per week, number of miles driven to work one way, farm use and business use.

  • Increasing the deductibles will reduce the insurance premium and eliminate minor claims.

  • If you have a young driver (usually under the age of 25) in the household who is a student and has a 3.0 grade point average or B average or better, they may be eligible for the Good Student discount. The young driver may qualify for the student away at college without a car discount.

  • If you are 55 or older, you can reduce your premium about 10% by completing the Defensive Driving Course. For more information check your community education books or visit www.driverdiscountprogram.com. The courses can be taken in a classroom setting or on-line.

If you complete the course, you must provide your insurance agent with a copy of the certificate.

By Ann Valley

Matt Jeske

Cloud services provider and consultant, hosted email, online backups, document management, website hosting and domain name registrations, graphic design and IT consulting services to small businesses of the Twin Cities and western suburbs. Give your clients, prospects or members the ability to access details on your products, services and resources from the comfort of their home, office chair or on the road. Expand your client base beyond ridiculously expensive local newspapers, publications and directory listings. MNgeek offers affordable rates on web, domain names, IT and cloud consulting services with all of the necessary web hosting and expertise.

What is a health insurance OEP & SEP?

In the insurance world we often talk using a lot of acronyms. When applying for individual health insurance you may see OEP and SEP. OEP means open enrollment period, this is the one-time limited period per year that an individual can enroll in a health insurance plan or switch to a new carrier or plan. The open enrollment period typically starts in fall and lasts about six to eight weeks (check with your agent for official OEP dates). SEP is a special enrollment period. This is an enrollment time period for people due to a special circumstance (life event), getting married, having a baby, losing other health insurance coverage or moving out of the area. The SEP gives an individual 60 days from the qualifying life event to enroll in a health insurance plan.

At the Thomes Insurance Agency we can help you navigate the individual health insurance enrollment process, call us today at 763-682-1591.

By Lana Fabel

Matt Jeske

Cloud services provider and consultant, hosted email, online backups, document management, website hosting and domain name registrations, graphic design and IT consulting services to small businesses of the Twin Cities and western suburbs. Give your clients, prospects or members the ability to access details on your products, services and resources from the comfort of their home, office chair or on the road. Expand your client base beyond ridiculously expensive local newspapers, publications and directory listings. MNgeek offers affordable rates on web, domain names, IT and cloud consulting services with all of the necessary web hosting and expertise.

Pumpkin Poke Cake

12 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 – 15 oz. can Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

  • 1 jar of caramel sundae sauce

  • 1 box yellow cake mix

  • 1 – 8oz tub Cool Whip

  • 1 tsp Pumpkin pie spice

  • 1 – 14 oz. can Condensed milk, sweetened

  • ½ bag Heath bits

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, spice and pumpkin puree until a smooth batter forms. Yes, just the 3 ingredients for the batter. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Use the bake time according to the directions on the cake mix box (approx. 23-28mins). Remove cake from oven, cool completely. Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the top of the cake.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake. This should fill in the holes and soak into the cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove cake from the refrigerator and spread the cool whip evenly over the top of cake. Sprinkle on the heath bits. Drizzle caramel over the heath bits, using about ¼ jar of caramel. Refrigerate for about 3-4 hours before eating. Best when refrigerated overnight. Keep any left-over cake refrigerated.

By Alison Johnson

Matt Jeske

Cloud services provider and consultant, hosted email, online backups, document management, website hosting and domain name registrations, graphic design and IT consulting services to small businesses of the Twin Cities and western suburbs. Give your clients, prospects or members the ability to access details on your products, services and resources from the comfort of their home, office chair or on the road. Expand your client base beyond ridiculously expensive local newspapers, publications and directory listings. MNgeek offers affordable rates on web, domain names, IT and cloud consulting services with all of the necessary web hosting and expertise.

Should you file a hail claim?

First and foremost, it is your responsibility to prevent further damage. Take pictures, keep any receipts and you can make temporary repairs.

Inspect your property such as the gutters, siding, windows, and top of the air conditioner unit. Vinyl siding can be brittle and softer metals would show damage first. Don’t mistake “splatter” as damage. Splatter is when hail is soft and breaks apart right away when it hits the ground or structure. It leaves a splotchy or staining look.

Leave the roof to a professional contractor to look at. Use a local or a recommended contractor from someone you know.

Be sure to write down the date of loss and approximate time. The insurance company will need to know the date of loss. The size of the hail is also important. Generally quarter size hail is when you may start to see damage but other factors like duration, velocity, pitch of the roof, or the previous condition of materials could affect the outcome.

Don’t wait too long time to report for there is a time limit on reporting a claim just as there is a time limit you will need to complete the repairs.

When in doubt, report and discuss with an agent.

By Amy Kelley

Matt Jeske

Cloud services provider and consultant, hosted email, online backups, document management, website hosting and domain name registrations, graphic design and IT consulting services to small businesses of the Twin Cities and western suburbs. Give your clients, prospects or members the ability to access details on your products, services and resources from the comfort of their home, office chair or on the road. Expand your client base beyond ridiculously expensive local newspapers, publications and directory listings. MNgeek offers affordable rates on web, domain names, IT and cloud consulting services with all of the necessary web hosting and expertise.

Getting ready to send your kids back to School!

Summer flew by and now it is time to send your kiddos back to school.  As we all know September is a month full of adjustments.  New teachers, new schedules, new classmates, etc.  We all know how this month can go for kids and parents so here are some tips that might help with these big adjustments:

Start practicing your school morning schedule a week before school starts.  Set an alarm to wake the kids up at the time they will need to get up for school and run through the morning routine so they understand what time they need to be out of the house in the morning before school starts and hopefully you and your kids will have an easier time adjusting to the early morning chaos during the first week of school.

Start having conversations with your kids about the upcoming school year and how much fun they will have.  Make sure you take your time at the school open house and let your child ask their new teacher(s) all the questions they are curious about. This will help their nerves and will hopefully get them excited.

Be sure to take your kids shopping for snacks they can take to school for snack time and let them take the lead on planning what they want for breakfast the first week of school. If kids are happy to eat breakfast, they tend to eat faster so they will make it to the bus on time! 😊

We hope you and your kids have a great start to the school year!

by Lynn Radmacher



Matt Jeske

Cloud services provider and consultant, hosted email, online backups, document management, website hosting and domain name registrations, graphic design and IT consulting services to small businesses of the Twin Cities and western suburbs. Give your clients, prospects or members the ability to access details on your products, services and resources from the comfort of their home, office chair or on the road. Expand your client base beyond ridiculously expensive local newspapers, publications and directory listings. MNgeek offers affordable rates on web, domain names, IT and cloud consulting services with all of the necessary web hosting and expertise.

Down Hill Mountain Biking

I recently experienced downhill mountain biking at Giants Ridge Bike Park in Northern MN. Never tried it before, but great fun was had with some friends. Hesitant on trying? I would go ahead and give it a whirl. From a beginner myself there was a lot of beginner trails to start out on and get comfortable with. They say “Pre-Ride, Re-Ride & Freeride” Pre-Ride – Wake up the brain and body inspecting the trail and get comfortable. Re-Ride – Lap the trail couple times getting a good flow of the trail’s features. Freeride – Start small and work your way up to a faster pace. Bikes are light weight easy to maneuver and control going down. Catch a little air on some of the more difficult trails, get a little adrenalin pumping. I’ll be going back that’s for sure!

Thank you,

Blake Miller

Turkey Roll-ups Recipe

Have you have you tried the pre-made turkey/cranberry roll ups with from your grocery store? They're delicious! I found this recipe on Pinterest several years ago. The ingredients calls for whole berry cranberry sauce in which you combine with softened cream cheese. If you are looking for a new recipe, these are great for your next party!

Turkey Roll Ups

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Servings 16

Ingredients

  • 8 oz cream cheese softened

  • 1/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

  • 8 -10-inch flour tortillas

  • 3 pack of romaine lettuce, cut into 4 inch pieces

  • 16 slices deli turkey

  • 16 slices Swiss cheese, halved

  • 2 medium tomatoes halved and sliced

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and the cranberry sauce evenly.

  2. Lay one tortilla flat on a large cutting board. Spread a thick layer of cream cheese all the way to the edges.

  3. Layer 3 lettuce leaves down the middle of the tortilla.

  4. The next layer, put two slices of turkey and 4 pieces of Swiss cheese on top of the lettuce. Then add several slices of tomatoes.

  5. Starting at one end of the tortilla - roll tightly towards the filling. Keep rolling until the filling is tightly wrapped. Wrap each completed turkey rollup tightly in plastic wrap

  6. Continue the process with each tortilla. Chill the wrapped rollups in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving time.

  7. To serve, trim any unfilled ends away. Slice each tortilla into 8 equal pieces.

By

Alison Johnson

Do I need insurance for my home-based business?

Since the pandemic we are seeing an increase in homeowners starting their own business out of their homes.   YES - in most cases some form of business insurance is needed. Most homeowners will find that their homeowners or renters policies have a business exclusion. 

Coverage available for home-based businesses include:

Business personal property – covers your office equipment, furniture, business computer, items held for sale, etc.

Liability Insurance - Protects you if someone visits your home for business purpose and becomes injured, for example - trip and fall by a person coming to your home to pick up a product sold to them.

Products – Are you making items to sell? Products liability can cover you for damage your product causes to a person or property.

Cyber – Protects your business from the cost of a data breach, malicious software and other cyber threats.

Business auto – Covers a vehicle used in the course of the business for deliveries, sales calls and more.

Workers Compensation – Required by law if your business has employees.

There are many other business insurance coverages available. Contact our office to discuss your home-based business and what insurance coverage is right for your new venture.

By Lana

Can you be bored in Beautiful Maui?

My husband and I recently spent 14 days in beautiful Maui.

There are many things you can see and do – my top five favorites are:

  • Snorkeling – discover reefs, fish, turtles and other sea life in the Pacific Ocean.

  • Road to Hana – you will see rainforest, waterfalls, pools, winding and narrow one-lane roads.

  • Luau – is the Hawaiian word for “feast”. Taste Hawaiian food and drinks. Featuring music and cultural performances.

Enjoy the 80+ degree sunny days on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean or swimming pool. Remember to bring your sunscreen.

My favorite thing to do is whale watching especially watching a Mama and Baby whale and sometimes an Escort. Whales can be seen from the shorelines, boats or catamarans, hotel or condo balconies. Common actions of the whales – Breaching (whale will throw it body out of the water), Blowing, Tail Slap, Tail Throw, Pec Slap and Spyhopping.

Other things you may see in Maui - sea turtles, roosters and chickens, geckos, plants and trees. The Moneypod tree is my favorite. You can go to the Maui Swap Meet and other craft fairs where you can purchase items from vendors.

There are two commons words that you will hear in Maui…

  • Aloha which means hello and goodbye

  • Mahalo which means thank you

If you are in Maui and are bored - grab a beach chair, beach towel and a good book and head for a beach and let the whales entertain you.

Winters here and I want to park in the garage…. Garage Organizing tasks!

Who has an organized garage…? I’ll wait…? I don’t think there is anything more on the back burner than my garage being organized – often can be a catch all for me, a holding station for stuff that has no calling for the house, or things you just can’t find yourself to toss just yet.

Its December and I want to park my car in the garage, but where do I even start on the daunting task of organizing the garage? I organized it and so can you!

Start with a plan – Before tearing it to pieces, make sure there is a method to this madness. Not saying this guy is a professional. Create categories to group things like Sports Gear, tools, garden equipment, automotive items etc. Temporary zones can help as well – Stack for donations, stuff to throw and stuff to put in storage.

Don’t have to do all at once – Feeling overwhelmed yet? Box things up, go through now or later. Items used frequently keep them in the garage, put on the shelf for ease of use. Stacking Boxes or bins on the floor is not a good idea. At some point you’re going to want what’s in the bottom bin.

Stay on top of it. You may find yourself falling down the same road in the future. Be vigilant, anytime you bring something new in the garage make sure to place in the right area or put away. When you use something put it back.

You probably feel good now, enjoy the new space! Now go put your vehicle in the garage during these cold days. It deserves it!

by Blake Miller

Matt Jeske

Cloud services provider and consultant, hosted email, online backups, document management, website hosting and domain name registrations, graphic design and IT consulting services to small businesses of the Twin Cities and western suburbs. Give your clients, prospects or members the ability to access details on your products, services and resources from the comfort of their home, office chair or on the road. Expand your client base beyond ridiculously expensive local newspapers, publications and directory listings. MNgeek offers affordable rates on web, domain names, IT and cloud consulting services with all of the necessary web hosting and expertise.

Reasons to Call Your Insurance Agent

Everyday circumstances can impact your insurance coverage. Here are some reasons you may not think to contact your insurance agent.

  • Change in Occupancy—The Homeowner’s policy contract is based on it being owner occupied. If the owner no longer occupies the home and it is vacant or rented out to others, the policy must be rewritten.

  • Child Going Away to College—If your child goes away to college more than 100 miles away from home without a car, it may be possible you can receive a discount on your auto policy.

  • Purchasing a Dog—You should check with your agent if your insurance company will accept a breed of dog that you may be considering.

  • Association Living—Your condo policy might need changes if your homeowner’s association makes changes to the association master policy.

  • Working from Home—Your auto policy may need to be adjusted for the amount of miles you drive. On the homeowner’s policy, there may be limited or excluded liability and/or business property.

by

Amy Kelley

Greg's Blog

New Home Construction

New Home Construction

While many things slowed-down during the past year, one item sped up greatly. The cost to build/re-build increased up-to 100% in many instances. We hope this article will give you the initiative to check-out the property limits you have on your insurance policies.

The National Association of Home Builders puts the average cost to build a home in the US at $485,128. The cost to construct an average home is well over $100 per square foot. Many cases this cost is closer to $200 per square foot. The construction material costs for 2021 continues to change. We don’t see this trend changing until American workers and the rest of the world gets back to producing and shipping materials.

Don’t wait for the high building costs to subside. Contact Thomes Insurance Agency to see if your home is adequately insured.

By Greg Thomes

Spring has Sprung and Gardening has Begun

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As an emeritus Master Gardener with the University of Minnesota, I have been asked thousands of questions about gardening in my 26+ years of volunteering my time to assist Minnesota Gardeners. There are hundreds of resources for the home gardener, covering topics such as growing annuals, perennials, vegetables, trees, shrubs, identification of insects whether friend or foe to the garden, and what to plant where.

One of the most inquired about topics is how to create a beautiful, lush, and weed-free lawn. Here is a link to the research-based information compiled by the experts at the UofM - https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/lawn-care-calendar. This page also contains links to other gardening topics, from how-tos to diagnostic and identification tools. I encourage all gardeners, whether beginner or novice, to utilize the plethora of information that is provided by the University’s Extension Service on this website. Even a 26-year veteran like me can learn something new!

by Sheryl Goldberg

Matt Jeske

Cloud services provider and consultant, hosted email, online backups, document management, website hosting and domain name registrations, graphic design and IT consulting services to small businesses of the Twin Cities and western suburbs. Give your clients, prospects or members the ability to access details on your products, services and resources from the comfort of their home, office chair or on the road. Expand your client base beyond ridiculously expensive local newspapers, publications and directory listings. MNgeek offers affordable rates on web, domain names, IT and cloud consulting services with all of the necessary web hosting and expertise.

Travel Minnesota

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Thinking about traveling within the Minnesota borders? "Explore Minnesota" can send you free travel guides. You may find some great unfamiliar places or outdoor activities to explore for you and your family. My family loved camping at William O'Brien State Park. There are 12 hiking trails to explore. The campground is right along the St. Croix River. You can fish along the some of the cliffs or take your canoes. It is so beautiful and peaceful on the river!

Explore Minnesota is a great resource where you can find almost anything to do from camping at State Parks to Attractions & Entertainment. You can request to get mailed travel guides by selecting by specific regions or view them online. There is also a Kid-Friendly Outdoor Fun and Pet-Friendly Travel website links to check out. Be sure to call ahead of time to make sure that business is operating or maybe they've changed their hours due to COVID-19.

By Alison Johnson

Homeowner Policy Types

The Homeowners Insurance Policy is a package policy the combines property and liability coverages into one policy. The Home must be owner occupied (except for the Form HO4). The policy can be customized to fit the homeowners needs by adding endorsements. There are six available polices.

The most common is the Special Form HO3 which provides coverage for the dwelling, detached other structures, personal property, loss of use, personal liability, and medical payments to others.

The Comprehensive Form HO5 is similar to the Special Form HO3 but provides broader insurance coverages for personal property.

The Contents Broad Form HO4 is for someone who rents an apartment or a house. The policy provides insurance coverage for personal property, personal liability, and medical payments to others.

The Unit-Owners Form HO6 is for someone who lives in a townhouse or condominium. The policy provides insurance coverage for the personal property, personal liability and medical payments to others. The unit is usually insured by two insurance policies - the Association Master Plan policy and the Unit Owners HO6 policy. Depending on the Association Master Plan policy, you can add dwelling and loss assessment coverages.

The Broad Form HO2 and Modified Coverage Form HO08 - are usually used for homes that do not fit insurance companies underwriting guidelines for the Special Form 3 and HO5 forms.

The coverages are not as broad. Usually the homes are in below average condition.

By Ann Valley

Insure Your Love-February is Life Insurance Awareness Month!

Roses are red, violets are blue, it’s time to review your life insurance, because we are here to protect you!

When is it important to review your life insurance plan?  It is a good idea to review your life insurance at the following stages in life. This will help ensure you have enough coverage to protect the ones you love.

  1. Getting Married

  2. Having a Baby

  3. Buying a Home (Co-signing a large purchase)

  4. Starting a Business (Multiple owners & key employees)

  5. Financial Planning/Retirement Planning

Matt Jeske

Cloud services provider and consultant, hosted email, online backups, document management, website hosting and domain name registrations, graphic design and IT consulting services to small businesses of the Twin Cities and western suburbs. Give your clients, prospects or members the ability to access details on your products, services and resources from the comfort of their home, office chair or on the road. Expand your client base beyond ridiculously expensive local newspapers, publications and directory listings. MNgeek offers affordable rates on web, domain names, IT and cloud consulting services with all of the necessary web hosting and expertise.

MY AUTO INSURANCE POLICY CAME IN THE MAIL – NOW WHAT?

What happens at your home when you receive your auto renewal packet in the mail?

  • Do you open it and pull out the id cards?

  • Do you throw it, unopened, in a basket or cabinet to look at later?

Yes, it is very important to pull out the new id cards to put in your vehicle before the expiration date but what else should you do with that packet of paper?

  1. Verify your address and phone number are still correct.

  2. Review the vehicles listed and their coverage.

    1. Are your vehicles getting older, do they still have enough value to pay the premium for physical damage coverage?

    2. Do you need higher liability limits to cover your assets?

  3. Are there any banks/loan companies list? If so, are they still correct or is your vehicle now paid off and the bank needs to be removed from the policy?

  4. Review the drivers in your household – is your son/daughter now married and in their own home with their own vehicles and insurance?

  5. Has the usage of the vehicles changed? Are you now retired and no longer driving to work?

It is important to review these items in a timely manner to keep you properly protect and create less hassle for you if a claim were to occur.

By Lana Fabel