Yutz-Merkle Insurance Blog

During a conversation with my friend Rhonda this past weekend, she told me she was going to an Open House her daughter April was hosting to raise money for an Autism Speaks Walk.  While April now has 2 children of her own, it doesn’t seem so long ago that Rhonda and I were new young [...]

Spring is here, bringing along the promise of warmer, sunnier days ahead!  With that promise in mind, we put away the shovels, snow blowers, and skis and begin to bring out the gardening tools, lawn mowers, and bicycles.  Time to enjoy this beautiful season!  I’ve already seen people riding with the

One of YMI’s agents, Kenja, suggested I write a blog about car rental insurance.  I thought, “What a great idea!”  Summer is right around the corner and that means people are beginning to plan vacations.  As much as people realize they may be renting cars when making those vacation plans, many don’t

Our auto policy renewal came in the mail yesterday.  While reading it, I commented to Jim that I sometimes find “insurance terms” confusing.  Of course, being in the industry for so many years, Jim had a hard time relating to that comment.  But, I have found that if I don’t ask for explanations of t

Here is a question we, at YMI, are asked all the time:  “Why is my home insured for $200,000 when similar homes in my neighborhood are selling for only $150,000?”  This is a very sound question for which there is a very sound explanation. Most homeowner insurance policies are based on what is known

What would you think of if someone asked you whether or not you had an umbrella policy?  Would you consider it a silly question about your umbrella-carrying habits?  As in whether or not you take an umbrella out the door based on the forecast or the way the sky looks?  Well…that’s probably not what

We have always been fairly responsible about routine maintenance concerns.  We make sure to visit the dentist every 6 months.  We have our cars serviced regularly – oil changed, tires rotated.  We keep up with home maintenance – the furnace is serviced, the chimney is swept, and the gutters are clea

Parenting is tough!  With so much information being thrown at us from books, grandparents, well-meaning friends, and countless online sources, it’s not surprising we sometimes feel overwhelmed.  I clearly remember my now 25-year-old son asking if he could drive 4 of his friends to the Jersey shore w

The word fraud is used to describe deceit, trickery, or breach of confidence perpetrated for profit or to gain an unfair advantage.  Add the word insurance in front of it and we are now describing a crime – a crime through which a total of 80 billion dollars per year is stolen!  Insurance fraud is [

I can’t multitask!  And I’ll let you in on a little secret – I don’t believe humans (in general) are capable of multitasking.  I think when we attempt to complete several different tasks at once, those tasks are either not completed well or not completed at all.  As a former teacher, I would encoura