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Writing a check for car insurance isn’t your favorite thing in the world.  We get it. . You’d much rather be spending the money on a fancier car, a nice vacation, or that pony the kids keep begging for. Spending your hard-earned money on auto insurance is necessary, but you’re always looking for ways to save some of it for the fun stuff. Here are a few tips to help you get great coverage—while paying less:

1. Drive Safely. Seems obvious, but it’s true. If you get into fewer accidents, your premiums are lower. We also offer First Accident Forgiveness and Rate Lock so one little mishap won’t send your payments through the roof. Talk to us for details.
2. Bundle: When you insure more with one company, we’re able to cut you a break on your premiums to thank you for your loyalty. Whether that means insuring multiple cars with us or buying life insurance or property/ casualty insurance with us, buying in bulk saves you money, just like in one of those big warehouse clubs.
3. Discounts: Ask us about what discounts you qualify  for—you might be surprised! From discounts for college students and drivers 55+ to safe driver discounts, you can save in so many ways.

At Rossbacher Insurance, it’s our job to keep you safe and covered—but great coverage doesn’t have to break the bank. Call us to find out how we can help you reduce your premiums while keeping the level of protection you have learned to expect from Rossbacher Insurance.

Some people think that annuities are expensive, that you need to have thousands of dollars in the bank to buy into an annuity. While there are some annuities that require a large single payment, Rossbacher Insurance offers many other options that can fit into many budgets:

• Flexible Premium Deferred Annuity (FPDA): Think of the FPDA as the “pay as you go” model of annuity. Rather than a large single payment, this annuity is funded over time with either scheduled or intermittent payments into your account. This allows you to fund the account slowly without a large initial payment, and can be a great choice for building a retirement account. You can enter a FPDA for as little as $300.
• Single Premium Immediate Annuity (SPIA): If you need an immediate source of income, an SPIA may be right for you. It does require an initial payment, but you begin receiving income right away with no waiting. These payments can be limited to a certain period of time, or can keep paying out for the rest of your life.
• Single Premium Deferred Annuity (SPDA): If you have $10,000 or more to invest in your future, an SPDA is an option. Choices include 3, 5 or 7-year guaranteed payout terms. Depending on the amount of the deposit, there may even be a first year bonus.

Don’t be scared away from annuities because you don’t have thousands to invest. Call us today, and let’s talk about whether an annuity fits your needs and your budget.

Demystifying Life Insurance

 Do your eyes start to glaze over whenever anyone starts to talk about life insurance? Term life, whole life, universal life, what does it all mean? And the chances of you ever needing to use it are so low, why bother learning all the jargon?

Think again. Life insurance is a crucial planning tool for the people you love. Whether it’s making sure that your kids can go to college, your spouse is taken care of or just leaving some extra money behind to your heirs, you can’t ignore life insurance. So let us make understanding it a little easier.

There are three major types of insurance we offer: term, whole and universal. All are great policies with different purposes. Let’s break it down:

• Term Life is life insurance that you purchase for a specific period of time, in increments of 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. Maybe you want to have a policy as long as the kids are still in school, or until your mortgage is paid off. Term life lets you make sure there’s enough money for all of these things without a lifetime commitment.
• Whole Life lets you adjust how you use your life insurance policy as your needs change. While you’ll always receive death benefits, a whole life policy also includes a cash value that you can draw upon. Maybe it’s to pay medical bills or to help out with retirement—it’s there for you to use as you need, and to adapt over time.
• Universal Life is a balanced plan offering you a strong death benefit protection as well as plenty of opportunities for investing and growth on a tax-deferred basis.

Still confused? Sit down with us and let’s talk about which of these kinds of insurance fits your needs, both today and in the future. Don’t leave things to chance: protect your family.

Everyone probably remembers their first fender-bender.

(I won’t forget mine, I was 16 years old, and on my way home from an indoor soccer game in January.  I was sure the wipers could do a good enough job of cleaning the snow off my van so…. I started the drive home.  On my way out of the parking lot… I drove through a nice metal gate (which I could not see.) Fortunately, I was driving our families mini van and not a car because I put a nice hole in the hood and not in my head!)

Everyone has a first accident sooner or later…and sometimes the second isn’t far behind. If you have a young driver in your home, those rate increases can get pricey in a hurry. Consider ERIE  Rate Lock^SM. It’s as simple as can be: your rates don’t increase. Period. No matter how many fender benders, crashes or speeding tickets your teen might get into, your rates won’t inch up even a penny.

Your rates only increase when something changes in your policy—for instance, a new address or adding or subtracting drivers and vehicles from your plan. Otherwise, you won’t be punished because your teen made a rookie driving mistake.

Give Rossbacher Insurance Service a call today at 1-814-664-7744, and let’s talk about how ERIE Rate Lock can help you…and your new driver.

ERIE Rate Lock does not guarantee continued insurance coverage. Insured must meet applicable underwriting guidelines. Premium may change if you make a policy change.

Demystifying Car Insurance Rates

Have you ever compared your car insurance rate with a friend or family member and found it wildly different—even if you both use the same insurance company? It’s not that your carrier likes one of you better than the other. In fact, the way rates are determined is based on many different factors—some obvious, some you might not expect:

•   Accident History and Driving Record– Okay, this one’s a given. If you’ve had many accidents in the past, you’re likely to have more in the future, and your insurance rates will be accordingly higher to make up for the risk. The same logic applies if you have a slew of speeding tickets or other traffic violations on your record—higher risk, higher price.
• Mileage and Vehicle Usage– This factor boils down to simple probability: the more you drive, the more likely you are to be in an accident.
• Vehicle Make and Model– This factor tends to surprise a lot of people, but it is an important part of your insurance rate. Some cars are just safer than others, while some tend to crumple if you look at them sideways—which affects risk, and in turn, rates.
• Demographics–   Demographic information  is a very good predictor of who are the most—and least—safe drivers out there.
• Insurance Score– You probably knew you had a credit score, and that all-important number helps us calculate your insurance score. Believe it or not, there’s a strong relationship between how you manage your credit and your likelihood of loss in a car accident, which is why we take it into account when calculating your rates.

We hope this helps shed some light on how auto insurance rates are calculated, but if you’re still confused, give us a call at 1-814-664-7744. We’ll not only help you find a great  Insurance rate, we’ll also help explain it—and how you can lower your costs.

Fire is man’s oldest ally — and our oldest enemy. We use it for cooking, for warmth, for electricity and light, but sometimes, it can turn on us. More than 3,500 Americans die every year in house fires, and more than 18,000 are injured. Take the time to protect your family and your home from fire damage with a few simple tips:

• Electrical fires: A little common sense can go a long way in keeping your home safe from electrical fire. Don’t overload circuits, and immediately unplug any device that sputters, sparks or smokes. Don’t run cords under rugs or other flammable items.
• Kitchen fires: Fire cooks our food, but it can all too easily get out of hand. Make sure to never leave a pot on the stove unattended, and keep towels and other flammable items away from burners. Remember that if you have a grease fire, adding water to the flames will only make the problem worse. Keep an approved chemical fire extinguisher in easy reach.
• Smoke alarms: Having a working smoke alarm in your house can double your chances of survival in a fire. Test the alarm every month, and make sure it always has fresh batteries. A great way to remember to change the batteries is to change them when you change your clocks for Daylight Saving Time.

These few simple tips can keep you and your home safe from the ravages of fire. Call us today for more information on fire safety—and how you can receive discounts for being fire wise. We can also talk about bundling in your auto policy, and saving you even more money—and peace of mind.