Personal Insurance Solutions

Name: Alta Vista Insurance Agency
Address: 2585 Pio Pico Dr Suite 100, Carlsbad, CA, 92008
Telephone: 888-724-2124

Posted on September 3, 2017January 12, 2021 by Seth Arruda

At this point of the process, we are ready to look at different insurance solutions that best meet your needs. Some insurance agents only work with one insurance company. They only have of one insurance product to offer you. The problem with that strategy is that if the only tool you have is a hammer, then all the problems you face look like nails.

Home

The cornerstone of home’s protection is a homeowners policy. Homeowners insurance policies typically cover fire. In California the standard homeowners insurance also covers wind and burst pipes. However, most homeowners insurance policies don’t offer protection for external flood, earthquake, landslide or water seepage. When insuring your property, it is very important to have a comprehensive needs based analysis conversation.

Auto

The typical car insurance policy covers your liability, which protects you from lawsuites. Personal injury insures you if someone else is injured by your vehicle. Property Damage protects other vehicles and others property if you cause damage with your vehicle. Comprehensive protects your vehicle from damage other than collision, for example theft and vandalism. Collision protects your auto if it is damaged in an accident.

Health

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, has made a lot of changes to the health insurance landscape. Covered California is the new marketplace for people living in California, looking for coverage through Healthcare.gov. We are authorized certified insurance agents with Covered California. Whether you are looking for individual insurance, or you want to protect your entire family, we can craft a health insurance solution for todays environment that protects your household. For our clients over age 65 we also offer Medi-gap medicare supplement plans, and medicare advantage plans.

Life

Assessing the need for life insurance can be challenging. Do you need life insurance? Should you buy term or permanant insurance? Do you need to only have life insurance for a specific peroid of time, or do you have a need for life insurance for your entire life?

Carriers

We work with dozens of insurance companies because we are always looking for the best deal for you, our clients. We try to be more diverse in our product offering. By being independent, and not beholden to any one insurance company, we are able to make the best recommendation to you based on what best fits your needs, not the insurance company.

What is an X-Mod?

Posted on September 2, 2017January 12, 2021 by Seth Arruda

X-Mod is insurance jargon for “experience modifier” and is a multiplication factor used to adjust base rates on an employers workers compensation premium. When starting out as a new employer, your business may not be experience rated. This means the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) has not assigned your business an experience modifier. However, the more expensive your class code (the type of work you do) and the more employees you hire, the sooner the WCIRB will come knocking to evaluate your business.

It is extremely important to manage your loss prevention

Q. What does the WCIRB use to determine the experience modifier?
A. They look at your claims and divide it against your premium, to calculate an average against the average number of workers comp.

Many insurance companies will require that your business have an experience modifier, and that it is within an acceptable range for your class code for them to offer competitive workers compensation insurance rates. Insurance companies are looking for businesses that have lower than average loss experience.

In many cases, if you are new in business, have too high of an x-mod due to losses, or are in a difficult line of work, insurance companies may be reluctant to offer coverage.

To find out how your business can lower your loss experience ratio to get access to better rates, download your free special report, “5 Things Every Business Owner Should Know About Workers Compensation Insurance.”

Links of Interest

California Wildfires and Your Insurance Policy

Posted on May 19, 2014January 12, 2021 by Seth Arruda

California Wildfires and Your Insurance Policy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYt4MkBuOWo

Keith Brentlinger

Alta Vista Insurance Agency
1020 South Santa Fe Avenue
Vista, CA 92084

Toll Free: 1-888-724-2124

With the recent wildfires on North San Diego County, it is a great idea to educate yourself about your current insurance policies to make sure you are properly covered in the event of losing your assets. Any questions, please feel free to give us a call 888-724-2124.

If you need to report a claim, please visit our claims page for additional information https://altavistainsurance.com/claims/

Keith Brentlinger from Alta Vista Insurance wants all the victims of the San Diego Wild Fires to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. If there is anything at all that we can do to help navigate your claim at this time, don’t hesitate to contact us at our office. 1-888-724-2124

During this time we have received several calls from our policy holders that they have been contacted directly by their insurance carriers to see if they were okay and if they needed to file a claim.

Our insureds were quite impressed, and so were we that our industry is taking proactive steps in this time of need to help our community.

During our conversations with some of our clients a common question is, “What would happen if my house were to burn to the ground, and every thing is gone? How is that claim going to be settled? What will the claims adjustor need?”

A claims adjustor will need an inventory and some sort of documentation of what you had. One of the easiest ways to have a document of what that includes is to have a video tape inventory of your home.

So when video tape inventorying your home, we suggest that you capture all of your posessions so that when you go through. For example, when you go through your kitchen open up all your cabnets so you can see all your pots and pans. When you’re in your bedroom, open up your dresser drawers. Video tape your closets. If you have a storage shed, or garage, don’t forget to video tape in there. Pretty much, your whole house needs to be recorded.

Another advantage of doing this is it is going to show the materials and finishes within your home. So it is going to verify if you had granite counter tops, the type of cabinetry you had, flooring, bathroom fixtures, etc. All that is very important.

So that leads to another thing, you want to be sure your policy has enough coverage to actually rebuild your home and replace your contents if it was a total loss. What happens sometimes is that people have done major renovations to their homes, or done room additions, and they haven’t let us know, or the insurance carrier, and there is a very good chance there wouldn’t be enough coverage.

We invite you to please contact our office. We’d be glad to review your current home owners insurance, renter’s policy, condominimum policy, mobile home policy, and make sure you have proper coverages.

Or if you don’t have any of those policies, we’d be glad to give you a free no obligation quote on that.

Something else to remember is there is no end to our fire season with the current drought, so what we recommend is that you do this now than trying to do this when you get an evacuation notice from the sherrif’s office or fire department. Because then it is going to be too late.

Again, our thoughts and prayers are with the families in this current situation. And if you need more information please visit our website: AltaVistaInsurance.com/claims

Thank you,
Keith Brentlinger

Vista Teen Outreach Needs Our Support

Posted on November 22, 2013February 2, 2021 by Seth Arruda

The mission of the Vista Teen Outreach is to reach out to Vista teens in need of nutritional assistance. If you are interested in contributing to their cause, email vistateenoutreach@gmail.com or call 442-222-9024. Find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeenOutreach

“We Make A Living By What We Get, But We Make A Life By What We Give” ~ Winston Churchill

Nearly 1 in 5 Children and Teens in America live in homes that struggle to put food on the table. They need our help!

Hi Amanda here from Alta Vista Insurance Agency. We wanted to find an organization this Thanksgiving Holiday that can contribute to a family in need. So we found a great program, we are supporting Vista Teen Outreach Hunger Hurts. We are here today with Debbie Medrano so we can get more information.

Amanda: “So, tell us a little bit about Vista Teen Outreach, and who it helps?”

Debbie: “Vista Teen Outreach is a non-profit organization that provides food and snacks for kids in school to take home. A lot of them are couch surfing with friends, are homeless, or their family cannot afford to put food on the table. We collect donations throughout the community and fill pantries in 11 schools in the Vista School District.”

Amanda: “So this is something that’s just for Thanksgiving Holidays, people can donate all year around too?”

Debbie: “(Yes) All year around we accept collections and we keep the pantry full during the school year.”

Amanda: “And can you tell us the locations for the drop off?”

Debbie: “The drop off locations are Rancho Buena Vista High School in the library, King’s Staionae on Melrose (Now located at 1280 E Vista Way, Vista, CA 92084) and the Vista Chamber of Commerce.”

Amanda: “Yeah! We are very excited to donate all these Thanksgiving delicious treats. And if you guys want more information, we are going to go ahead and put this on our website so that you too can contribute!”

Vista Teen Outreach
PO BOX 2761
Vista CA 92085-2761
PH: 442-222-9024
vistateenoutreach@gmail.com

Drop off locations:
- Sport About, 1310 Vista Way Vista CA 92084
- Kings Stationers, 1280 E Vista Way CA 92084
- Vista Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Vista CA 92084

“Gaps” In Your Winery Insurance Policy

Posted on April 29, 2013January 12, 2021 by Seth Arruda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZHqOH1iI-0

Hi, I’m Dianna Connelly, the winery specialist for Washington and Oregon with Alta Vista Insurance.Today I’d like to talk to you about “Gaps in Coverage.”

Have any of these changes happen at your winery in the past year? Changes:

Hire New Employee?
Purchase New Equipment?
Increase in Production leading to increase in inventory?

Simple questions I know. But I’d like to talk about a concern I find over and over again when reviewing current insurance policies of potential new clients. I call them “Gaps in Coverage”. I define a gap in coverage when they change what they are doing, selling or making, and suddenly there is not enough insurance, or in some cases, no insurance at all to protect the business if a loss occurs.

Gaps can slowly begin any number of ways. For example:

You add or remove a location.
You start selling grapes along with making your own wine.
There is a large change in your annual sales or inventory.
Or new equipment is purchased.

All of these are common changes any business can experience, and each can slowly create a gap in insurance. One common denominator in all the policies: A lack of communication between the winery owner and their insurance broker.

As a wine maker and business owner, think about where you go throughout the day:

Is your insurance coverage following you?
Are you crushing, or taking delivery of your grapes somewhere other than your winery?
Are your products and property covered at that location?
Does your liability follow you if you accidently back your fork lift into their crusher?
Are you using your personal car to deliver finished bottles of wine to customers?

As a winery owner, your focus is on Thursdays Bottling, Saturday’s Tasting Event and, “Will this year’s harvest be on time?” Is your Insurance Specialist, let me focus on other insurance questions to keep those gaps from ever becoming an issue.

Call or email me to discuss your insurance questions today.

Sincerely,

Dianna Connelly
Alta Vista Insurance Agency
(888) 724-2124

Winery Insurance “Glitches” with George and Amanda

Posted on April 18, 2013January 12, 2021 by Seth Arruda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxfbRdkwbCs

Amanda: “Hey Everyone. I’m Amanda Foster, Social Media Specialist with Alta Vista Insurance, and I’m here with George Francis, President of Alta Vista Insurance Agency. Today we’re going to talk about “glitches” in your policy, and why they are important to look over. So George, values change all the time. Is this something that we should be looking in our policy?”

George: “Well Amanda, that’s something that needs to be looked at continuously. A good example of that is when I picked up a new client recently. I talked to him. One of the reasons I was there was specifically because of “Valuation.” I asked him, I said, “So, what do you have in stock at this time?” He took me over to the barrel room and said, “I’m really not sure. But I don’t think it is insured to value.” So we went through it, and no. He wasn’t insured to value. It is something that needs to be undated constantly. Wine comes in. Wine goes out. Values change. At least annually it should be looked at.

The other important factor to look at is your Library wine. If you haven’t taken values in 4 or 5 years, you can be pretty much sure, it is undervalued.”

Amanda: “What about locations? What if you have moved locations, or are adding another location?”

George: “Well again, another glitch that happens is, suddenly we are not crushing at the same location. So, we’ve added a new crush pad somewhere and we have not added (that new location) to the policy. If you’ve got 10,000 Gallons of wine in the vat tank, and you are unfortunate enough to have a loss, there is no coverage. So every location, every warehouse, every press facility, every shipping place needs to be on the policy. And if you’re going to change something let us know that (so we can update your policy).

Amanda: “What about new equipment?”

George: “…I can’t tell you how many wineries I’ve been to that have a new wine bladder press, a new wine grape destemmer, or new tanks. These are things, you buy them, you need them, the crush is going on, and it is something that you need right now. But they need to be added to the policy, or if you do have a loss, they won’t be covered.”

Amanda: “What are some other things people should be aware of in their policies?”

George: “I think one of the big things I look at is transportation. Because policies differ. Some policies give you transportation from the field to the crush pad, while other policies may give no coverage for that. (Example) I had one client who had two gondolas on a flatbed (truck) that decided to go onto the roadway. (Transportation) is important coverage. It’s something you need to make sure you have.

Obviously whenever you’re shipping your wine to a warehouse, or some other location, there needs to be transportation coverage.

The reason we call these “glitches” is because these are simple little things that people don’t always think about. The reason they don’t think about it is because we’ve got to get something done today, and it’s really important for production. But these “glitches” happen, and they are important. Amanda?”

Amanda: “Thank you very much George!”

George: “And thank you for watching. I hope this was helpful.”

Amanda: “Have a great day!”

Please call George at 1-888-724-2124 or visit www.altavistainsurance.com for more information.

7 Things you didnt know about San Diego County!

Posted on December 16, 2011January 12, 2021 by Seth Arruda

San Diego’s North County is a vast, expansive region known for its immaculate beaches, natural preserves and miles of open spaces. It is made up of a collection of unique communities, from the picturesque seaside villages of La Jolla, Del Mar and Carlsbad to the scenic Rancho Bernardo, nestled in a lush valley amidst golf courses and wineries. If you’re looking for opportunities for outdoor activities in San Diego, the north region is the ideal spot. From hiking in Torrey Pines State Park and cycling up Palomar Mountain to surfing or kayaking in La Jolla, there is something for everyone. For a true California experience, take a scenic drive along the Pacific coast on historic Highway 101 and explore a range of picturesque coastal communities as you make your way north from Del Mar to Oceanside.

North County is also home to some of San Diego’s top attractions, including the San Diego Safari Park, LEGOLAND California, Birch Aquarium at Scripps, the Flower Fields at Carlsbad, and the Museum of Contemporary Art La Jolla. A stay in San Diego’s North region puts you halfway between Disneyland and downtown San Diego where the museums of Balboa Park, the Gaslamp Quarter, SeaWorld San Diego and the San Diego Zoo are nearby.

You think you know San Diego, but you have no idea! Here are 7 things you didn’t know about San Diego

1. San Diego is cursed!

How come San Diego hasn’t won a Super Bowl, World Series, or NBA final, ever? One Ruth-like explanation tossed out there: a curse following the trade of Lance Alworth to the Cowboys after the Chargers AFL-championship 1963 season. That’s powerful juju (Ruth only jinxed ONE sport).

2. Jewel wrote her song “who will save your soul” here!

San Diego’s Java Joe’s and Innerchange Coffeehouse were where folk-“Soul” singer Jewel gained prominence. She moved to horsey suburb Rancho Santa Fe, which showed up in headlines when a cult known as Heaven’s Gate committed mass suicide with the appearance of the Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997.

3. Famous residents!

We all know Ted Williams grew up there, but he’s not alone among sports idols raised there. Think Julie Foudy (women’s soccer), Tony Hawk (skateboarding), and WWE’s Rey Mysterio (a.k.a. Oscar Gutierrez). Our guess? Mr. Mysterio is a good hitter too.

4. McDonalds is the best!

The man who made the Golden Arches our nation’s fast choice, Ray Kroc, made San Diego his home. Queasy, unrelated fact: a McDonald’s in the city’s San Ysidro area served as the site of one America’s biggest mass murders in 1984, when a man killed 21 people. It’s a park now.

5. We are huge!

A possible explanation for mellowness: While Boston is crammed into a mere 48 square miles, San Diego (like, Jacksonville, come to think of it) makes Boston look like a geographic dwarf. San Diego spreads over 372 square miles.

6. God Bless our Military!

San Diego hosts the largest naval fleet in the world. The city is home to the majority of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

7. Alta Vista Insurance Agency is old!

Established in 1927, Alta Vista Insurance is a full service Vista Insurance agency dedicated to providing you with superior California insurance policies. As an independent insurance brokerage located in Vista, they have access to a quality assortment of insurance carriers, offering you the best rates throughout California.