Paying bills is a chore than no one likes doing, but at Allstate we have several different options that can make life a little easier for you.

Local Agency

Matt Elwood Allstate Insurance

This is probably obvious, but are you aware that we take several different types of payments including cash, check and credit card? We even accept American Express. The great thing about paying your bill in the agency is that the payment gets applied immediately and we give you a receipt if you want one. In addition, you can make your payment at any Allstate agency if a different location is more convenient.
Our normal business hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. However, if you stop by during non-business hours, we have a payment slot that you can drop your payment in and it will be applied to your account the next business day. We will also call you to let you know we received your payment.

Telephone

We can accept payments over the phone several different ways. Most people like to use their debit or credit cards, which are a great way to pay your bill because you get an immediate confirmation number. We can also take payment with an Electronic Check or E-check. All we need is your routing and checking account numbers to process the payment.
Our agency phone number is (360) 452-9200 or toll free (866) 452-9200

Computer

I know nights and weekends can be the best times to get things done. You can visit Allstate.com/mattelwood 24/7 and sign up for My Account via the customer log-in. Just follow the three simple steps to set up your account. You can access your account immediately upon completing registration. Not only can you pay your bill there, but also view your policy information, sign up for paperless billing, file or check the status of claim and much more.

Easy Pay

This isn’t for everyone, but some people like to put things on auto-pilot. We can set up your account on easy pay so the payment comes out of your checking account automatically every month or on recurring credit card. You will still get notification via email from Allstate as a helpful reminder before the draft occurs each month. I use this option myself and I really like it.

Please keep all these options in mind next time you are paying bills and most importantly, thank you for being an Allstate customer!

We want to take this opportunity to thank you for…

Choosing To Be Our Client,

Listening To Our Recommendations,

And Giving Us The Opportunity To Help You!

Matt Elwood - Allstate Insurance

Referral Rewards Program

We hope you’ll be willing to recommend us to people you know. As our way of saying thank you, you will get rewarded for every referral that you send to us that gets an insurance quote.

When the person you refer us contacts us for a quote and gives us your name, we will give you a $10 gas gift card.

Quarterly Drawing

In addition, every three months we will have a drawing for everyone that sent us a referral for that quarter. The winner gets a $50 gift card to their choice of…

• Restaurant
• Gas Station
• Grocery Store

They also have the option to donate the $50 to their preferred charity. Any donations sent to charity will be sent with a certificate showing the name of the individual that directed this contribution, unless anonymity is desired.

The referral rewards program starts April 1st, 2012 and the first drawing will be the first day following this quarter and so on. This program is subject to change. You must be a client of the Elwood Benefits Allstate Agency to win.

Let’s get those referrals started!

Thank You For Choosing
Allstate Insurance – Elwood Benefits Inc

As a local insurance agent, I like to align myself with other successful professionals in related industries in order to better serve my clients. It is important to have a great network of people that are experienced, trustworthy and proven in their fields. I know that I can confidently refer my clients and they will be handled with care.

Dan Gase

Dan Gase

Meet Dan Gase. Mr. Gase is the former President and co-owner of Coldwell Banker Uptown Realty in Port Angeles, Washington. Dan has over 35 years of experience in many different facets of real estate including financing, construction, consulting, managing and of course, selling. Dan now specializes in the purchase and sale of Clallam County real estate.

I recently sat down with him to learn about where the opportunities currently exist in our local market. He said the biggest opportunity right now is for first time home buyers and those looking for rental investments. Given the fact that the average price for residential sales in Port Angeles in 2011 was $176,831 compared with $263,195 in 2007, makes it a true buyer’s market.

New website

Dan recently launched his new website DanGase.com. There you will find tools for buyers and sellers, featured listings, testimonials and more local information. In addition, a new Facebook page has been created to inform the public about upcoming open house events and promote properties he has on the market.

Community

To list all the civic and professional organizations that Dan has been a part of is too much for this article so I want to highlight the one Dan is most passionate about, Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County. Dan feels they truly do great work for the community and is actively involved. If you would like to learn more, please visit www.vhocc.org

Bottom line is if you are looking to buy or sell real estate in Clallam County, check with Dan Gase and you will be glad you did. Of course, when you buy that new home from Dan, one of the many things you will need when is great Homeowners insurance so please remember to contact me for a quote.

Permanent life insurance tends to get some bad press, mainly because it is misunderstood by “experts” who don’t how these policies work. I will be the first to admit that there are some bad performing whole life and universal life policies out there, but the opposite is true as well. That’s the way it is with most products. There are positives and negatives associated with most everything. Since permanent life insurance gets so much negative press, here are three positive features that often get over-looked.

Permanent Life Insurance

Tax Free Death Benefit

As it stands now, death benefit proceeds payable to beneficiaries are income tax-free. Well, so is term insurance, but only permanent life insurance is guaranteed to be there when you die as long as required premium payments are made. The vast majority of term policies never pay out a death benefit because most people outlive the term. Actuaries know this and so do the insurance companies.

Tax-deferred Growth

The cash value build-up inside a life insurance policy grows on a tax-deferred basis. That means you do not pay taxes each year on the growth of the guaranteed and non-guaranteed cash values.

Living Benefits

A permanent life insurance policy allows you to take out loans or withdrawals from your cash value. Often called Living Benefits, you have easy access to cash which can be used for anything from supplementing retirement income, helping with a down payment for a house or just creating an emergency fund. There are different strategies for accessing the cash value with different implications, but if done correctly, it can be withdrawn tax-free.

The Future

Obviously, everything is subject to change in the tax law, but this is why you should be working with an experienced, licensed agent. If you would like to learn more about the ways permanent life insurance may benefit your financial situation, please give me a call at 360-452-9200.

Have you ever been stranded on the side of the road or locked out with no one to call? Now there’s an answer, with all the benefits of AAA without an annual premium or any membership fees.

Good Hands Roadside Assistance

Introducing Good Hands Roadside from Allstate. It’s free and available to all people, not just Allstate customers. You can be a lifetime member, only paying if you ever use it. We only dispatch reputable service providers, and you pay Allstate the fee via a secure credit card transaction. No more giving your credit card to the shady stranger on the side of the road.

Services and Costs

If you need a tow, it is $75.00 for the first 10 miles of towing; $3.00 per additional mile. It is $50.00 for lockouts, jump-starts, tire changes, and fuel delivery up to 3 gallons.

Register Now

Register now at Matt Elwood’s Allstate site. Registering allows us to get you the help you need more quickly because we’ll have your key information on file. It takes less than two minutes to register and you’ll receive a free welcome package by mail.

Port Angeles Ambassadors

I would like to highlight a group I recently joined, The Port Angeles Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are a committee of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce. Our mission is to celebrate and promote businesses in Port Angeles.

Ambassadors

Founded in 1997, the group has now grown to 22 active members. While membership in the Port Angeles Region C.O.C. is required to be an ambassador, businesses who want a ribbon cutting do not have the same requirement. The Ambassadors are active several times a month performing ribbon cuttings, ground-breaking ceremonies, grand or re-openings and other business milestones. Pictured here is a recent ribbon cutting for ACTI Composites done in January 2012.

ACTI Composite Building Jan 2012

Other Ambassador activities include greeting members at the weekly chamber meeting, held every Monday at Noon at the Crab House, assisting at the monthly Business Spotlight Night and even doing Cruise Ship greetings in conjunction with the Chamber and the Port Angeles Downtown Association.
The Ambassadors are a positive group of people who are enthusiastic about business in Port Angeles. I am proud to be a part of the group and look forward to future events promoting P.A. businesses.

Donna Pacheco

I would like to thank current Ambassador Chair, Donna Pacheco, for all her efforts with the group. Donna maintains the Ambassador’s Facebook page, organizes our events and runs our monthly lunch. In addition to her Ambassador efforts, Donna is Advertising and Promotions Coordinator for Lumber Traders Inc, a local employee-owned company which operates two well-known stores Angeles Mill Work and Hartnagels .
If you would like more information on joining the Ambassadors or having them attend one of your events, please call the Chamber at 360-452-2363.

Your diet and behavior before your life insurance exam may affect the results and ultimately how much you end up paying. The better underwriting class you qualify for, the cheaper your policy will be.

Here are eight tips to remember before your life insurance exam.

1. Schedule your exam for the morning time after a good night’s rest.
2. Avoid drinking coffee or anything with caffeine the day of your exam.
3. Avoid strenuous exercise 12-24 hours before your exam. This will allow your body to fully recover and get your vitals back to normal.
4. When it comes to alcohol, we all know that moderation is best. Just make sure you moderate at least a day before your exam so your liver enzymes don’t go off the chart.
5. Drink lots of water. Not only is it good for you and helps flush your body, but your exam will most likely include a urine test so you will need to be able ‘to go’ when asked.
6. The insurance company is going to want to review your medical records as part of the application. Prepare a list of your health history and doctors including name, address and phone numbers. The more information you can provide, the quicker your application will be processed.
7. Nicotine is stimulant so if you do smoke, hold off until the exam is completed to light up that first drag of the day.
8. Make sure your exam is confirmed. Your agent and examiner should do this as well, but nothing is more frustrating than confusion as to the date and time of the exam. If you live in a gated community, apartment complex or any other area with special access instructions or hard to find roads, notify your agent and/or examiner when making the appointment.

Life Insurance exam

Fasting

You may also be wondering whether or not you should fast before your exam? I have heard varying opinions, but if it were me, I would fast the night before. If you do feel the need to eat, just make sure it is light and easily digestible.

These tips along, with a healthy lifestyle, will ensure you getting a better outcome with your next life insurance exam. If it has been a while since you reviewed your life insurance or are considering it for the first time, please give me shout.

My biggest responsibility as an Allstate agent is to provide financial security to all of my clients. What does financial security mean? To me, it means protecting everything you own as well as the people you love. Most people think of Allstate for their home and auto insurance, but usually not life insurance. Life insurance tends to be ignored, delayed or purchased at work.

Commonly, people say they have life insurance through work. While that is a great starting point, it can leave some major gaps in your planning. Here are a few reasons why.

Employee discussion on life insurance

Salary Multiple

The amount of life insurance offered in an employer setting tends to be only 1-2x salary. This is vastly inadequate considering the average family needs 8-10x salary.

Do you and your spouse have life insurance outside of your employers, equal to at least 8x your salary?

Portability

Group life insurance from your employer is only good while you work there. It is not portable – meaning if you decide to quit, retire or get laid-off you lose your insurance. In this economy, that can be a real concern. On the other hand, your own individual policy stays with you for as long as you pay the premium.

Cost

Life insurance at work is usually more expensive assuming you are in good health and could qualify for your own policy. Think about it this: if an insurance company has to guarantee insurance to everyone in a group they have to raise rates to account for the less healthy.

If you are in good health, purchasing life insurance on your own can be more affordable and you can take it with you no matter what happens with your current job.

I am not against group life insurance from your employer because it can be a great starting point, especially if your boss is paying for it. However, individual life insurance tends to be better solution. What’s even better is that Allstate just came out with their Auto/Life Discount for customers with both auto and life insurance. Contact me to see how much you can save!

December is the time for holidays and what a better gift to give than a new car? Your loving spouse has been driving that old beat up car for long enough. It is time to visit Wilder Auto in Port Angeles and have Michele Robbins show you what they have in stock.

Michele Robbins

Wilder Auto Group

Michele is a great person to buy a car from because she has a ton of experience and she truly cares about her clients. She has helped several happy customers buy new cars this year. Michele is constantly being recognized on Wilder’s Twitter feed for her recent sales, along with the other members of the Wilder team.

Wilder Auto

Wilder is a well-known auto dealer in Port Angeles, WA and has served the community for decades. Wilder’s lineup includes Honda, Toyota, Scion, Nissan, Jeep, Volkswagen and they even sell RV’s. That old clunker you have been driving around may be worth a little more in trade-in value than you think. Special deals and financing are going on right now. Even Santa can’t compete with a new car so head over the Wilder Auto and see what kind of deal Michele can make!

What About Insurance?

Want an estimate on what this new car will do to your car insurance? Give us a call at the number below and we can help you out.

By now it is no surprise to you that our nation is aging. Baby Boomers are the largest segment of our population. With over 10,000 people currently turning age 65 every day, more and more people need Long-Term Care services. However, given these staggering numbers, Long-Term Care insurance is still a major gap in most people’s financial plans. Here are six reasons why you should consider buying LTC Insurance.

1.      You are in good Health

If you are in good health now in your 50’s or 60’s there is a good chance you will live into your 80’s and 90’s thus increasing the chances of needed Long-Term Care. Take advantage now of the good health discounts available while you still can.

2.       Emotional Toll

If you’ve had a personal experience with someone that needed LTC, you know the emotional toll it can bring. Without insurance, you may have to rely on your children or other family to take care of you. Would you really want to put them through that?

LTC Insurance not included

3.       The Government will not pay for LTC

Medicare only pays for a short period of time, usually not past 100 days. The government knows they can’t afford to pay for this given the other entitlement programs already in place. That is why they are giving tax advantages to buying long term care.

4.       Rising Costs

If you think it is too expensive then wait until you have to pay for it without Insurance. When it comes to cost of care, Washington State is higher than the national average. In a recent study by Genworth Financial titled “2010 Cost of Care Survey” the median cost for LTC Home care in Washington State is $49,695 versus the national median of $43,472. Care in a nursing home is even higher.

5.       It Won’t Happen To Me

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 7 out of 10 people reaching age 65 will need Long-Term Care services at some point in their lives. That is pretty sobering considering the odds of using your auto and home insurance.

6.       Home is where the heart Is

The thought of going to a nursing home is not a pleasant one. In fact, most people would rather remain in their home. And that is exactly what LTC insurance provides. It allows you the freedom and money to chose where you want to receive care and that includes your home.

If you would like to discuss your own personal situation or would like a Long-Term Care insurance quote, please reply or call me at the number below.