Protecting Your Home

This is the time of year that flyers are left at homes for lawn maintenance, window cleaning etc. Before you call someone you don't know to work around your house, you need to find out if this person is trustworthy. These kinds of businesses can be a front for scam artists and burlgars. You should investigate these people:

First, look the business name up in the Alaska Divsion of Corporations website "Business License Search": http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/occ/. The business license will tell you the name of the person running the business.

If you can't find a business license and the person isn't using his/her real name, don't use them.

Second, if the business license shows that the owner is a corporation, look up the corporation name to find out who owns it on the same Alaska Division of Corporations website: http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/occ/

Third, once you have the name of the owner of the business, go to the Alaska Court sytem website to find out if the owner has any criminal charges: http://www.state.ak.us/courts/. Look in the "Trial Court Cases" search.

Once you have researched this person and discovered if he or she has a criminal history, you can make a decision about whether you want to risk having that person around your home, seeing what you own, who lives there and what your patterns are.

If you are still interested in using this person, then you should request references and call the reference. Make sure that the reference is a responsible member of the community and find out how the reference knows them, how long, how familiar the refernence is with the person and if that person provided any services to the reference.

Automobile Insurance

Today we will talk about automobile insurance. Alaska law requires all drivers to carry liability in the minimum amount of $50,000/$100,000 limits. The purpose of liability insurance is to protect the driver and his assets in the event that he is found liable for causing an accident. You may also purchase:

• Medical Payments Benefits. The minimum limit sold is $5,000. Medical Payment Benefits will pay the medical bills of the passengers and driver in your vehicle.
• Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists Benefits. This coverage protects you when the at-fault driver has no insurance or is underinsured. Limits are a maximum of $1,000,000/$2,000,000.
• Comprehensive/collision. Comprehensive and collision pay for the damage to your vehicle.
• Gap Insurance. Gap insurance will pay off the loan of your vehicle if, when it is totaled, you owe more than the fair market value.

Investment Advisors

Last week Al Biss from Edward Jones joined us the radio show to explain Ponzi schemes and the GM bail out.