COUNTRY Financial®

We put together some information to help you understand the basics of a homeowners policy so you’re better prepared when you need to purchase or switch insurance providers. This information is not specific to COUNTRY Financial and is meant to provide a general overview. ◾ What is home insurance? Home insurance is protection for your home and possessions. You pay your home insurer a premium and in exchange, they agree to pay for the cost to repair or rebuild your home if it’s damaged or destroyed by a covered event (these are outlined in your policy). ____ ◾ What does home insurance cover? Home insurance provides protection against damage caused by sudden and accidental incidents. A standard home insurance policy will usually include three main types of protection: ____ ◾ Dwelling Coverage Designed to repair or rebuild your main home structure, dwelling coverage is the main protection provided by home insurance. ____ ◾ Personal Property Coverage Personal Property Coverage allows you to replace items such as electronics, furniture, clothing and other belongings. ____ ◾ Liability Coverage Liability Coverage provides financial protection for you if someone is injured on your property or a member of your household causes damage to someone else’s property. Umbrella insurance is added liability coverage that goes beyond the limits of your existing car and home insurance. ____ ◾ What is a covered loss? Covered losses are events, sometimes called perils, covered by homeowners insurance. Talk to your insurance agent about the covered losses contained in your specific home policy. ____ ◾ How much is home insurance? Factors affecting the cost of home insurance include: Location, age, size and condition of your home ____ ◾ How can I be sure I’m covered for a home insurance claim? You choose how your property will be valued if you have a claim, and that affects the amount of coverage you have to rebuild. While it may vary by home insurer the levels of protection are actual cash value and replacement cost. ____ Learn about our home insurance coverage https://lnkd.in/gtNhBRZb

Why should you consider a career in the insurance industry? Andrea Thorpe, Chief Experience Officer at COUNTRY Financial, shares how insurance careers can provide a sense of purpose from helping others. https://lnkd.in/g5B_ZeYZ Learn more about careers at COUNTRY Financial at https://lnkd.in/eDgDnb2E #ExperienceMore #COUNTRYCareers #InsuranceCareers #InsuranceJobs 

A huge thank you to @NerdWallet for naming us one of the 6 best home insurance companies for March 2024 and awarding us 5 out of 5 stars! But what does that mean for you? Let’s start with all the ways you can customize your policy so you get exactly what you need. We offer Sump Pump Failure/Back-up of Sewer or Drain Coverage* and Identity Theft Expense & Advocacy Service just to name a few. Among our clients’ favorite add-ons? Our replacement cost coverage. Let’s say the cost to rebuild your home is more than what your policy limits. Our Additional Replacement Cost** coverage means you’ll be able to rebuild your home at today’s prices. It’s like inflation protection. -- At @COUNTRYFinancial, you can expect more protection, more options and fewer worries. -- Want to read the @NerdWallet review? https://lnkd.in/du5EQAJu * Eligibility requirements may apply. ** Property must meet age and condition requirements, which vary by state.

2023 Lookback: As the U.S. experiences more severe weather this spring, Jesse Kohlbecker, Vice President of Claims and Client Services at COUNTRY Financial, looks back at the 2023 response to the company’s largest claims events in its history, and what it means for clients and claims response in the future. https://lnkd.in/gsFTe8wK #ExperienceMore #ClaimsCareers #HomeInsurance #StormResponse #StormClaims #HomeInsuranceClaims

Jamie Green made the decision to become a COUNTRY Financial Insurance Agent three years ago. We’re so glad she did! This was new territory for Jamie, but the ongoing training COUNTRY provides set her up for success from the start and will continue throughout her career. Jamie recently attended a full-scope workshop and walked away with new connections across the company and tools to help her reach goals, provide the best service to her clients, and support her journey to live out our vision to "enrich lives in the communities we serve." If you’re interested in an agency career at COUNTRY Financial, visit https://lnkd.in/e7w-aHu #ExperienceMore #CareersAtCOUNTRY #InsuranceAgent #InsuranceAgentJobs #InsuranceAgentCareers #InsuranceCareers 

Don’t wait until you’re under a severe weather alert to gather supplies and make a safety plan. Start preparing today with these tips. ✔️ Have an emergency plan. • Decide what your family will do if severe weather is headed your way. For storms and tornadoes, plan to seek shelter in the safest place in your home. That could be a basement, crawl space, internal closet, or bathtub. • If you had to evacuate, where would you go? Identify family members or friends who live far enough away for you to get beyond the path of a hurricane, wildfire, or other natural disaster. Tell them you’d like to include them in your emergency evacuation plan and make sure they’re willing to take you in. • If you have young children, walk through your plan with them, including how they should take shelter in your home. --- ✔️ Build an emergency preparedness kit. Put together a supply of essentials and safety items in an emergency kit. Start with the basics: • Three-to-five-days' supply of bottled water and nonperishable food • Battery-operated flashlight • Battery-operated radio and weather radio • Extra batteries • A first-aid kit • Cell phone charger or battery source for your phone • Personal hygiene items • Blankets or sleeping bags • Download the FEMA app on your phone for real-time weather and emergency alerts. --- ✔️ Gather important personal information. • Make sure you have phone numbers of neighbors, family, friends and utility companies in your phone. • Keep copies of your insurance and property information in your emergency kit. Many insurers, like us, make this information available through their app. If you’re a client, download our COUNTRY Financial mobile app so these documents are easily accessible. • Check to see if your healthcare provider offers online resources to store your medical information so it’s easy to access from your phone. • Keep critical documents, like birth certificates, in a safe or another location you can get to if your home is damaged or destroyed. --- ✔️ Make sure your home and possessions are covered. • Create a home inventory with your phone. Save it to the cloud and email a copy to your insurance agent. • Meet with your insurance agent yearly to review your home insurance policy. • Check your emergency fund to make sure there’s enough to cover your insurance deductible in case you experience major damage to your home. --- Learn more about severe weather preparedness here: https://cfin.us/4aVZ7AT

Congratulations to the COUNTRY Financial Scholars from Heartland Community College for completing this year’s program! We hope you gained valuable knowledge and experience to help in your career journey. And we’d like to give a shout out to the COUNTRY employees who serve as mentors. You truly help others in our community #ExperienceMore! 

We’re celebrating National Volunteer Week! At COUNTRY, serving our community is not just something we do; it’s part of who we are. That’s why we’re dedicated to fostering a culture that allows employees to give back to causes they care about. In 2023, COUNTRY employees donated more than 20,000 hours using their Volunteer Time Off benefit. As we honor National Volunteer Week, we want to hear from you! What organizations do you volunteer with? Share in the comments below and tag them. #ExperienceMore #NationalVolunteerWeek #Volunteer #VolunteerTimeOff

Supporting farmers: COUNTRY employees participated in a fly-in with the Crop Insurance Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) on April 12 to educate Congress on the importance of protecting, preserving and improving the crop insurance program. As part of the Illinois Farm Bureau family of companies, COUNTRY is committed to helping farmers protect their livelihoods with proper farm and crop insurance coverages and planning for the future of their farm. Thank you to Lindsey Rinkenberger, Director of Commercial/Agribusiness Operations at COUNTRY, for her service as Board Chair of CIRB, and congratulations to John Grant, Agribusiness Underwriting Operations Manager; and Brian Davis, Crop Product Analyst; for completing CIRB’s Emerging Leaders program. Learn more about the fly-in at https://lnkd.in/gKzeNyUM  

Thank you to US News and World Report for publishing this informative article on what homeowners can do to prevent damage from severe spring thunderstorms, featuring tips from Jesse Kohlbecker, Vice President of Claims and Client Services at COUNTRY. Kohlbecker also recommends homeowners meet annually with their insurance representatives to check on their home insurance coverage. https://lnkd.in/dZDZ8aaG #ExperienceMore #HomeInsurance #HomeInsuranceClaims