Posts

Smart Homes Are Closer Than Ever

0 Comments

New Home Technologies

Smart homes may seem like something straight out of a science fiction movie. However, they are closer than ever before. With all the new home technology trends that are emerging, life at home is becoming easier than ever. Make sure to look out for these 2015 home technology trends to help bring your home into the future.

  • Nest Thermostat – programmable thermostats have been around for many years and can help you save hundreds of dollars on your energy bill each year. The Nest Thermostat has taken it a step further by learning your preferences, and then programming itself to follow them. You can also control the Nest Thermostat with your smartphone, ensuring that you always come home to a house that is the perfect temperature.
  • Keen Vent – along with thermostats, vents are now smarter than ever. The Keen Vent replace the existing vents in your house, and will open and close on their own to help reduce the amount of hot or cold spots throughout your house. As an added bonus, the vents come in a variety to beautifully designed vents.
  • Aros Smart Window Air Conditioner – window air conditioners may seem outdated, but they are making huge leaps into the future. The Aros system will learn your location and schedule by connecting to your smartphone, and will turn on the air right before you arrive at home to ensure that you do not walk into a hot house.
  • The Echo – much like Siri on iPhone, Amazon’s new personal assistance technology uses a voice recognition system that allows you to ask her questions from anywhere in your house, such as the weather for the day. It also has the ability to play music throughout your whole house.

For all of your homeowners insurance needs throughout the Conejo Valley to ensure that your home has the right amount of protection now and when smart homes are a reality, contact Cappuccino Insurance Agency in Westlake Village, California.

Happy National Nutrition Month!

0 Comments

Healthy Eating Tips

March is National Nutrition Month, which is the best time to see what small changes you can make in your life to become a little healthier. National Nutrition Month was started to help bring attention to the need to make healthy food choices every day and find ways to add physical exercise to your daily life.

To help you make healthy nutrition choices this month, keep these healthy eating tips in mind.

  • Do not avoid carbs all together, but make sure to choose good carbs. The best way to find good carbs is in whole grains.
  • Pay attention to the package that your protein comes in. Poultry, fish, nuts, and beans are your best bet when looking for healthy proteins to add to your diet.
  • Look for foods that have healthy fats, while limiting your intake of foods that are high in saturated fat, and completely avoiding foods that have trans fat. Fish, nuts, and plant oils are some of the best sources of healthy fats.
  • Eat more vegetables and fruits throughout the day. When loading up on fruits and veggies, look for a variety of colors, including yellow, dark green, red, and orange.
  • Water will work the best to quench your thirst. Pass on sugary drinks, such as soda, and limit the amount of juice and milk that you drink each day.
  • The less salt your have in your diet, the better. Look for fresh foods that are not processed to help keep your salt intake low.
  • Adding a daily vitamin to your nutrition plan can help to ensure that you are getting the recommended nutrients. Extra vitamin D can help to add an extra healthy boost.

For all of your Conejo Valley insurance coverage needs to ensure that you stay healthy and safe, contact Cappuccino Insurance Agency in Westlake Village, California.

Benefits of Working With an Independent Agent

0 Comments

Independent Agent Advantages

Trying to find the right insurance policy to invest in, whether it is to provide protection for your home or your car, can be confusing and stressful. With all the different insurance policies that are available, it can be difficult to make sure that you invest in the right policy that will provide enough protection for your needs. Luckily, working with an independent insurance agent can help to make the process much easier and smoother. There are many benefits of working with an independent agent, including:

  • More choices – independent insurance agents will be able to show you many more choices of insurance policies since they do not just work for one insurance company. Independent agents work with many different affiliates, which allows them to offer you policies from many different companies.
  • Save money – since independent agents are able to offer you more choices, they can offer different policies at various different price points. Offering plenty of policy choices with different prices will help to ensure that you choose the right policy that will fit your budget.
  • Claims help – your relationship with your independent agent does not stop when you buy a policy. They create a long lasting relationship in order to help you with any insurance needs that you may have, including making a claim. If you ever have to make an insurance claim, they will be able to help you through the entire process to ensure that you are not taken advantage of.

For all of your insurance coverage needs throughout the Conejo Valley, contact the insurance experts at Cappuccino Insurance Agency in Westlake Village, California. As an independent insurance agency, we will work with you to ensure that you have the right amount of protection, all at the right price to fit your budget.

Why You Need a Renter’s Insurance Policy

0 Comments

The Importance of Holding Renter’s Insurance

Renting a home is a great way to have a space of your own, even if you cannot afford to buy a house. However, just like owning a house, renting a home comes with a lot of responsibility, including making sure that you are protected with the right insurance policy. Investing in a renter’s insurance policy is the best way to ensure that you and your assets are covered in case of an unfortunate situation.

Even though your landlord will have an insurance policy for your home, it will not provide you with enough protection. Landlord’s insurance policies only provide coverage for the structure of your home, not for your assets that you keep inside the property. The only way to protect your assets is to invest in a specific renter’s insurance policy.

A renter’s insurance policy will provide coverage for your assets if they are damaged in a variety of disasters, including fire and theft. Renter’s insurance will also provide you with liability coverage. Liability coverage will offer financial protection in case someone is injured while visiting your home. If someone slips on the stairs in your home and sues you for their injuries, the liability portion of your renter’s insurance policy will cover the cost of the lawsuit to ensure that you are not left financially devastated.

While you may not think that you have anything valuable enough to cover, consider your game console or flat screen TV. If your TV or game console was damaged in a fire and you do not have a renter’s insurance policy, you would be responsible for replacing those precious items. A renter’s insurance policy would cover the cost of replacing many of your assets that were damaged.

For all of your Conejo Valley renter’s insurance needs, contact Cappuccino Insurance Agency in Westlake Village, California.

Football Party Safety Tips and Delicious Recipe

0 Comments

Your Guide To The Perfect Super Bowl Party

The last of the football playoff games are here, which means the Super Bowl is just a few days away. While you are routing for your favorite team, keep these safety tips and delicious recipe in mind to ensure that you and all of your friends can thoroughly enjoy the game.

Safety Tips

  • Never allow any of your friends to drink and drive home after the game. Make sure everyone has a sober ride home. Encourage all of your friends to stay after the game for a while to sober up.
  • Make sure to serve plenty of food throughout the game. Eating is one of the best ways to slow down intoxication. Also, make sure to serve non-alcoholic beverages to give your guests more choices when they are looking for something to drink.
  • If you are not sure if your food is contaminated from sitting out, throw it away. It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes food poisoning.

While keeping everyone at your party safe, try this delicious popcorn nachos recipe to keep everyone full and satisfied!

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 gallon popped popcorn
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, mix together the crushed red pepper, butter, paprika, and cumin.
  2. Put the popcorn in a large bowl and sprinkle it with the butter mixture and cheddar cheese. Toss well and enjoy!

Having the right homeowners insurance is the best way to ensure that you are protected in case of any unfortunate incident during your football party. Contact the insurance professionals at Cappuccino Insurance Agency in Westlake Village, California for all of your Conejo Valley home insurance needs.

Open Enrollment Deadline Is Almost Here

0 Comments

Don’t Miss The Open Enrollment Deadline

Have you already signed up for health insurance for 2015? If you have not, there is no better time than now since the open enrollment period deadline is on February 15th. If you do not sign up for health insurance through open enrollment, you will be left without coverage for the entire year and will have to pay much heavier fines than in the past.

If you had enrolled in health insurance for 2014 through open enrollment, you have the opportunity to simply renew your policy for 2015. However, you should take the time to look at all the policies that are available since your policy may have changed, leaving you with less coverage and higher premiums. If you were automatically enrolled in a plan that has already began its coverage, you still have the opportunity to switch your plan any time before February 15th.

If you do not sign up for health insurance before February 15th, you will have to face very high penalties. The penalty for not having health insurance in 2015 is either $325 per adult in your household and $162.50 per child, or 2 percent of your total household income for the year (whichever amount is higher). The penalty will be paid through your 2015 federal income tax. Since federal income taxes are not typically filed until the following year, you will most likely pay the fine in early 2016.

The only way you can sign up for health insurance outside of the open enrollment period is if you have a qualifying life event. Some of the most common qualifying life events include getting married or divorced, moving your permanent residence to a different state, or leaving incarceration.

For all of your Conejo Valley health insurance policy needs for 2015 and to ensure that you have the right amount of coverage, contact the insurance professionals at Cappuccino Insurance Agency in Westlake Village, California.

Congratulations To Our Winners!

0 Comments

Insurance Referral Winners

Congratulations to our insurance referral winners! Karrie G in 1st place who won a brand new iPad, Mark A in 2nd place who won a $100 Target gift card, and Blair T in 3rd place who won a $50 gift card! The winners were picked on December 2nd and are now enjoying their prizes!

If you want to enter to win one of these great prizes, there is still time. The new promotion period started on December 1st and will end May 31st. The winners will be chosen on either May 31st.  It is very simple to enter yourself into the competition! All you have to do is refer a friend or family member to Cappuccino Insurance Agency and if they give us a call for a quote, you are entered to win one of the great prizes! Just for referring a friend or family member, you will get a $10 Target gift card automatically!

For more information on how you can win a brand new iPad, and for all of your insurance coverage needs throughout the Conejo Valley, contact the insurance professionals at Cappuccino Insurance Agency in Westlake Village, California.

Happy New Year From Cappuccino Insurance Agency!

0 Comments

The Team At Cappuccino Insurance Agency Wishes You Happy Holidays & A Happy New Year!

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to serve you for your insurance needs in 2014. We have been grateful for a wonderful year with our valued clients like you in Westlake Village, Conejo Valley, and all of California, and are looking forward to continuing to partner with you in 2015.

For comprehensive coverage and competitive rates for all of your insurance needs in the New Year, contact our team today. We want to offer you the best coverage for your home insurance, auto insurance, renters/condo insurance, life insurance, and commercial insurance. Whether you are due for your annual review or want to rework your policies from the ground up, we can meet your insurance needs in 2015.

We Send Warm Wishes To You and Yours For 2015 And Beyond!

 

2015’s Top Safety Picks

0 Comments

Which Cars Measured Up To This Year’s Safety Tests?

Each year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tests the year’s cars by running them through rigorous crash tests. They have released the champions for 2015, with the Hyundai Genesis emerging as the forerunner with perfect scores. Take a look at this year’s seven safest rides on the road.

  1. 2015 Hyundai Genesis: This luxury car excelled in the crash tests, even stopping the car moving at 25 mph before it hit a solid object with its automatic brake function.
  2. 2015 Subaru Legacy: Surpassing the safety of last year’s model, the 2015 Legacy earned high marks on every crash test it endured. Especially notable was its “superior” rating for the optional collision warning system Subaru offers.
  3. 2015 Chrysler 200: Also scoring high in every test, the Chrysler 200 was noticed for its auto brake collision warning system that helped it earn a “superior” rating in front crash prevention tests.
  4. 2015 Volkswagen Golf/GTI: With “good” scores in the side crash test, rollover test, roof test, head restraint test and small overlap front crash test these smaller Volkswagen cars both earned Top Safety Pick titles.
  5. 2015 Hyundai Sonata: This midsize car earned a “good” rating in the majority of its safety tests, and with a mid-range price tag it is sure to become a popular pick this year.
  6. 2015 Subaru Impreza WRX: This famously fast car will keep its passengers safe, as it earned a “good” score on all of its safety tests.
  7. 2015 Honda Fit: When this car failed to pass the small overlap front crash test, its engineers redesigned its bumper. After running the tests again, the car received high enough ratings to be named a Top Safety Pick.

Let Cappuccino Insurance Agency in Westlake Village, California protect you in ways even your car cannot with a great insurance policy. Our dedicated team is committed to getting you the coverage you need for the most competitive rates. Contact us today for all of your Conejo Valley auto insurance needs!

Do You Need Renters Insurance?

0 Comments

Get The Protection You Need For Your Residence

With homeowners insurance almost constantly marketed, it can be easy to think that you do not need to secure an insurance policy while you are a renter. If, however, a situation should arise where you need liability insurance, lacking coverage could create a financial situation that could be too much for you to handle. Safeguard your residence and your livelihood by securing renters insurance today.

When choosing a renters insurance policy, make sure you select one that will cover both your liabilities and the contents of your home. If you are unsure about the coverage you need, estimate the amount of personal property you have in your rented space. Include clothing, furniture, electronics, landscaping equipment, appliances, jewelry, tools and any other valuables. Make sure that your policy would cover the cost of replacing all of your belongings. If you are not sure about how to get them covered, contact your insurance agent today so you can avoid a gap in coverage that could cost you down the road.

If you were not expecting the additional expense of renters insurance, do not worry. These policies are generally very affordable, running between ten and twenty dollars a month. In most cases, the policy will also cover other adults living in your residence with you. You can also explore adding extra coverage, such as water and sewer coverage or pet damage coverage, without expecting your premium to increase by a large amount.

To learn more about the options for renters insurance that is available to you, contact Cappuccino Insurance Agency in Westlake Village, California today! We can offer you comprehensive coverage at competitive rates. Call us today for a free assessment of your coverage needs so you can get the right policy for your lifestyle. Whether a renter or a homeowner, you deserve the peace of mind that great insurance coverage will bring.