Are you driving an uninsured vehicle in Dallas? According to an article from the Dallas News, about 25 percent of vehicles in Dallas County are uninsured. That means 429,478 cars and trucks in the area are without Texas auto insurance.  There are also 3.7 million vehicles throughout the state that don’t have basic TX liability insurance coverage which is required by law.

Did you know that if you’re caught driving without any Texas auto insurance coverage, you can be subjected to a $350 fine? If it’s not your first offense, you can face up to $1,000 in fines and a suspended license. If you begin to gain multiple offenses, then you could be subject to arrest.

Given the consequences, not having Dallas auto insurance coverage will burn you in the end. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, visit our website today at www.DagleyIns.com and request a Texas car insurance quote. Or call one of our agents at 888.840.7995.

Let’s paint a hypothetical, but realistic scenario. Summer is in full swing, your daughter is turning 21 and she wants to host a barbecue at the house to celebrate with childhood friends while home from college. While mostly responsible, some of her friends are a few months away from reaching the legal drinking age, but being a cool parent, you decide to host the party and even supply some beer and margaritas to help her enjoy the newfound freedom.

You’ve always taken underage drinking seriously, and know many of the other parents in your community do to. So how do you handle the underage crowd? You could card everyone at the door and give bracelets or stamps to those who are of age. You could take car keys away and allow everyone to drink if they don’t drive. You could turn a blind eye and assume the kids will be just as responsible now as they will be in two months and trust them to make sound judgments.

While it might not make you cool, keeping the underage crowd sober makes good financial and legal sense. According to a Waco Tribune article, quoting Lt. Tom Dickson of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission:

“People who have parties at home, or so-called social hosts, make up the bulk of those charged with giving alcohol to minors… People often think they won’t get caught. But charges could easily be triggered by a neighbor reporting the party or a guest getting in trouble on the way home.”

Even as responsible parents, it’s impossible to keep tabs on everyone at all times, so the second best thing beyond a bouncer-like bracelet system is covering your liability for worst case scenarios. According to the article, most Texas homeowners insurance policies include $100,000 worth of liability which can be increased to $500,000 for about an extra $15 to $20 per year.

The coverage would be available for defense fees and or court judgments that arise from a minor or other inebriated party-goer causing a lawsuit that traces back to the place where they were served.

Umbrella insurance is another option and ideal for people with a pool or trampoline, major injury risk in their own right, since it can cover much higher amounts of liability.

The ability to drink legally is a benchmark for, many young men and women, so no matter what insurance you choose, we encourage you to teach responsibility and not enable under-aged drinking under any circumstances.

Is it better to have a higher deductible or a lower deductible?

Well, that all depends on personal preference. A higher deductible means you will pay less overall for your insurance policy since you will pay more out of your own pocket when filing a claim. Contrariwise, a lower deductible means a higher overall cost for your insurance policy, since you’ll be paying less out of pocket when you file a claim.

So which is better for you? Factor in some of the following:

• Do you live in an urban area where accidents are more common or more likely? If you think collisions are a fairly likely possibility, you might consider a low deductible, since there’s a higher likelihood of accident. You may be paying more for your insurance each month, but you’ll be paying much less out of pocket when that Texas Longhorns fan careens around the curb and bumps you.
• Are you terribly accident-prone? Your opinion on risk determines a good deal of your decision on your deductible. If you have a pretty clean collision record and you’re a decently safe driver, your risk of accident is generally lower, so you can feel a smidge safer about a higher deductible. If an accident does occur, you’ll be paying more out of pocket, but you’re banking on the hope that your safe driving will lessen the chance of that happening.

And the most important part about your deductible? Keeping in touch with your Houston Texas Auto Insurance agent to actively discuss your policy. Your agent is there to customize your policy to fit YOUR lifestyle, so make sure you keep an open relationship with him or her!

San Antonio police report that more robberies in the area are occurring at local businesses. The perpetrators, two masked robbers were dressed up like teenage mutant ninja turtles according to witnesses. Police reported their latest attach was this morning at 2:30am at the Valero corner store in the 10400 block of I-35 North.

Using guns they managed to get away with a few hundred dollars and some cigarettes, but area police believe these are the same masked robbers that have been hitting businesses in the area for the past few weeks.

A security camera caught the crime taking place, which police hope will lead them to some evidence in the case. If you are a small business in this area having Texas commercial insurance should be a priority. You do not want damage done to you store that could leave you with hefty repair costs.

You can watch the KENS5 video from the last robbery here. Anyone with any information should contact the San Antonio Police Department at 210-207-7484.

Ever wonder what you will do with your home when your gone, or if you move to a nursing home? This Thursday, Keller Williams Realty of Katy at Cinco Ranch will be presenting a seminar at  11 a.m at 24001 Cinco Village Center Blvd. to show seniors their options.

Realtor Ginger Hopper has years of experience in the field and will work closely with the senior community staff the seniors the move is as stress-free and quick as possible. “I listen to their ideas, assess their needs and put a plan together,” explained Hopper.

Her services include providing a professional market analysis of their existing neighborhood and offering free staging of the homes to her clients. She also discusses having Texas home owners insurance and how it is important at any age especially when deciding what to do with your home as you re-locate.

At Dagley Insurance and Financial Services, simply providing auto, home and business insurance to Texas and Colorado is not enough for us. We believe in building a stronger community so Dagley Insurance is now partnering with Colorado and Texas businesses to provide their customers with discounts and promotional coupons just for choosing to do business with Dagley Insurance.

You can visit our partner’s page and start saving with venues such as Berryhill Baja Grill & Cantina, Champion Restoration, and Contemporary Concierge in Texas, or venues such as Pin Point Mailing in Colorado. If you own a business but do not currently have your insura

nce with Dagley, just fill out a quick form on our website to get started, or give us a call and we can explain the value of having an additional web presence.

Becoming a partner is easy, and is especially valuable if you don’t have a website or area small business trying to compete with national chains. It also puts your logo and business in front of the thousands of unique visitors who traffic our site monthly.

If you are a local business in the Texas or Colorado, you can become a partner on our page just by calling 866.297.2582 or filling out the brief form, and we’ll create a Partner listing on our site.

Dagley Insurance is always coming up with more ways to offer our customers benefits for insuring with us. Our referral program is filled with rewards! Just refer someone to Dagley for auto, home, or business insurance and start experiencing the rewards.

Nathan Dagley

Owner, Dagley Insurance & Financial

What pray tell could we be considering here? We are all faced with this prospect our entire lives, from the time we are young kids learning to match our socks to teenagers coming to terms with what mom and dad are going to allow us to wear (and in m

any cases how to get around it) and it goes on through adulthood and comes full circle as we become parents ourselves and start the process over with our children, in a now more-modern environment. A cyclical process that has challenges the whole way because all the while, there are rules, most of the time they are unwritten rules, some of which we set ourselves, some of which others set for us often by example and sometimes by mandate. Either way it is important to be cognizant that regardless of the environment there should always be rules, yours or theirs.

Your work environment, in this day and age, can be somewhat capricious in that some companies have official dress codes and some have semi-official and some have no formal dress policy in place at all, yet still require the appropriate business attire. The term appropriate business attire is, in its essence pretty clear. It’s relatively easy for management to employ a dress code without having an official policy readily available to refer to. That being said there can be a huge management problem when a company implements, the much sought after, “Business Casual” Friday. Business casual, tends to be a boomerang policy for many companies since there is such a broad spectrum of what is considered to be, business casual. After all, the very idea of ‘business casual’ was destined to fail; the reality is that the term, in and of itself, is an oxymoron. I know I can speak for many business owners when I say; nothing about the operation of my business is casual. I don’t want to inject that type of thought process in to my office environment in any capacity, the reason that we are all here is to work. When I leave the house in the morning I don’t kiss my wife and say, “I’m going to casual”. No, I say, “I am going to work” and we should be dressed for such. All too often the good intention of incorporating a Casual Friday in the work week, although a very simple concept, frequently gets blurred. The reason that this blurring can occur is due to when management loosens the policies regarding dress codes and there are no definitive rules, it becomes subjective and that facilitates a work environment that mirrors that of a social gathering. Sure, in the early stages, it appears that people are happier and productivity remains on task. However, the boomerang will quickly return and smack management right in the kisser. And that fat lip that you are now sporting is just another eyesore for your clients as they walk in the front door and see your employees dressed like they are going to a happy hour or a ball game rather than where they are, and to refresh your memory, you are at work! And by the way, it’s not just on Fridays now! It’s a fact that employees historically have taken liberties on the Monday thru Thursday dress codes whenever and wherever a ‘Casual Friday’ is introduced.

So what’s the answer? Well, Dagley Insurance and Financial Services in Katy, Texas has coined a new term, a term that will more than likely spread through the executive level management email chain around the country as quickly the ‘Charlie bit my finger’ video spread through everyone else’s. “Successful Casual” attire. This term is being used to introduce a new program that is designed to both increase employee morale, by allowing employees to enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere on Fridays but even more importantly to implement an attire mandate that effectively creates parameters by introducing a middle ground between, “Formal Business Attire” and the ever problematic term, “Business Casual”. By the way, for Dagley employees the opportunity to participate in the Successful Casual Friday campaign is earned on a weekly basis by departments hitting goals, not lofty ones just good targets for each week.

So what is Successful Casual…?

Successful Casual is defined by dressing in comfortable clothes that show off how you envision yourself in a semi-casual environment at your best. Cost is not relative as you do not have to have expensive clothes to be able to dress, Successful Casual. Just smart pairings of what you already have.

For example, there is no tolerance for tennis shoes or old ripped jeans but a nice pair of pressed designer type jeans and casual comfortable shoes, is fine. There should be no mini-skirts or provocative dress but comfortable appropriate skirts and slacks of a variety of fabrics are great. It’s really simple, express yourself successfully!

It’s a program that exemplifies the Dagley Insurance & Financial Services innovative ways. You’ll be hearing this term and seeing the policy implemented in an office near you soon. Because when you have to earn privileges you protect them.

It’s human nature and perhaps a bit of economic ignorance that plays in to any industry that falls in to a ‘price war’ type market.  The reality is that regardless of the industry, when a company tries to gain market share by way of undercutting the competition, although it may be received well by the consumer (at least at time of purchase), it drastically impacts the economy, as large or as small as it may be, in a negative fashion. That being said, it will continue at every level and in every industry. Believe it, people are making decisions regarding their health that are solely based on the lowest price as the determining factor. Does that imply that human value is less than cash value? Well it isn’t for me but the very concept that this can, and does, occur is directly related to fact that undercutting to gain market share has been and continues to be a strategy in business.

There are many examples of the aforestated for instance some one choosing a dentist because one was cheaper than the other or a plastic surgeon, Yikes! Clearly it is incumbent upon you to examine the product or service that you are seeking as to identify the greatest value but it is vital to understand that price in and of itself does not indicate value. The list goes on, people are always making the mistake a hiring an unlicensed contractor to work on their home and more often than not they live to regret that decision. Yet, some of these people will make the same mistake again. Why? Well its because we are inundated with endless marketing campaigns from companies that simply want to sell you, the worst, because the worst is cheaper and that’s what you want. Hey, we are all guilty to a certain degree.

 Sure you may agree that making a health related decision based solely on price is ridiculous but consider this. Insurance companies, not you local real deal insurance companies that have a local office and real live agent for you, but the big box bargain basement companies that flat out sell the state minimum coverage, in other words, the worst, have not only used this practice of undercutting price to gain market share but have actually built there business model around that concept. And people fall for it. Think of it this way, imagine you are going out to dinner and you make your decision as where you are going to go, not by the type of cuisine you want, or the type of atmosphere you want, or how good the food is but instead you decide to go to a restaurant that has the absolute worst food but the price was better. I don’t think anybody would do that. Right? If you chose your insurance provider based just on price than you’re eating at that nasty restaurant as we speak. How’s it taste?

Look, it’s clear that the most obvious feature of any policy is the premium, the amount you pay to an insurance company for a health insurance policy.  But it is vital to consider the services as well as the coverage’s. Insurance companies like Dagley Insurance & Financial Services in Katy, Texas provide a full service to their client both personal and commercial. A full care review with a real agent so you can secure the policy that is best for you, there’s a novel idea, the best instead of the worst. Now that taste good.

To find out how Dagley Insurance can take the bad taste out of your mouth contact them today. You’ll be glad you did.

There are few entrepreneurial ventures that require the level of passion that is demanded, to succeed in the restaurant business. As a restaurateur you have to love what you do, and if you don’t it is apparent. Unlike industries that have a lag time between purchase and consumer reaction the restaurant world is defined by each and every single bite. The reaction is immediate and there is no opportunity to correct a failed experience. It simply is what it is, either your customer had a great dining experience or they didn’t. Anything short of a great dining experience is a failure; at least it is if you are one who has the passion that this industry demands.

After all as a restaurateur your objective is to create an illusion for your customer and to never allow the customer to see or experience any aspect of the monumental effort that is involved in creating a quality dining experience. The restaurant business is not for the faint of heart; from managing front and back of house and ordering to aromas and atmosphere and everything in between as a restaurant owner you need perfection.

Regardless of the type of restaurant you have from a neighborhood diner to a 5 star rated epicureans delight one thing remains consistent across the board and that is the necessity of having a comprehensive insurance policy that takes the worry of liability off your plate. With a solid insurance partner in place you can focus on the plethora of experience related task that need to be accomplished on a daily basis.

Much like the passion and dedication req

uired of the restaurant industry the same type of fervor is vital to the operation of a successful insurance business. Dagley Insurance & Financial Services in Katy, Texas specializes in providing restaurant liability insurance that addresses all of the major risk concerns. In addition, we have a full menu of coverage’s that will satisfy any palette, as simple or sophisticated as it may be.

The insurance is the main course but there is dessert and there is always room for dessert. Dagley Insurance has effectively given reason for all commercial businesses to reevaluate their current insurance provider. As a commercial client of Dagley insurance you not only get the superior customer service and coverage that made the Dagley name famous but now you also get a comprehensive social media marketing campaign implemented for your business. Unheard of, right? Well it is true. The same effort that Dagley used to grow their business, and by the way they have offices throughout Texas and Colorado, they now implement the program for their clients to help them grow their business.

Imagine if you had the best coverage, a seamless transition, great customer support, a tailored program that matches your needs and a marketing effort that will get more people through your doors. Now that’s what I want from my insurance partner. Now stop imagining and contact Dagley Insurance for a quote you have nothing to lose and customers to gain.

From an executive management perspective when you think about marketing and insurance in a single thought process it is usually due to a unique or at least unorthodox marketing effort that your company is deploying and what the potential exposure is relative to that effort. For example, if you are hosting an event such as a golf outing or hosting a pre-race party at a NASCAR event or any other type of marketing that presents potential exposure to risk. That’s when you think about insurance and marketing in the same context. For many years now companies have been leveraging the popularity of events or attractions as a vehicle to convey their message to the patrons or participants, after all it affords the opportunity to interact live with your target market.  In more recent years there has been a more aggressive style (albeit not as efficient in zoning in on a specific target) marketing movement that is often considered to be controversial. Street marketing has been used effectively for years in bringing attention to causes like cancer awareness.  In 2007 in Germany an AIDS prevention campaign made use of little paper men to demonstrate the effects of AIDS. These little paper men were positioned around Hamburg.  People noticed. The campaign garnered so much success and instantly became the model or at the very least a jumping pad for street marketing campaigns all over the world. In fact, the evolution of this type of marketing has been so rapid that folks, in large cities at least, are rarely shocked or surprised or wowed when exposed to this type of effort. But they still notice and that’s the objective. Right? Well, perhaps not! This style of marketing has taken a ‘big brother’ turn recently and goes on now in ways that are very subtle with a supposed subliminal message being delivered. You may have already been immersed in or in fact been  a ‘player in’ a street marketing effort.

Would you spend your marketing dollars on a campaign that is designed to not get people’s attention? Whether you would or wouldn’t, either way, you better be certain of one thing, and that is, that your company is protected during any marketing effort that yields potential exposure.

So that’s when you think of marketing and insurance together. Makes sense. Not so fast. Dagley Insurance & Financial Services, headquartered in Katy, Texas has effectively changed the paradigm regarding this supposition. They not only think about insurance and marketing in the same thought process, no, they’ve actually created a harmonious and symbiotic relationship between the two. And guess what, it’s pretty. At least the commercial insurance clients of Dagley thinks so, they think it’s the most beautiful relationship that they have ever seen. It’s very simple, I’ll explain, If you are a commercial insurance client of Dagley Insurance you will receive, as a value added benefit, the effort of the in house marketing team implementing a comprehensive social media marketing effort on your behalf, for your company. It’s a benefit and it’s not one of those marketing efforts designed to not get people’s attention. This campaign gets people’s attention, it’s strategic and it works. It provides more exposure for your company because Dagley wants to earn and keep your business. They built this program because at Dagley they know when their clients businesses grow their business grows. It’s a good deal. What’s your insurance company doing for you?

Contact Dagley Insurance and Financial Services today for more information.