Mid Day Motivation .. we all need it!

| November 14, 2023

It is hard to believe that Brenda and I have been with the same insurance company for auto and home since 1982. I’ve rarely put in a claim (although the basement water damage comes to mind), but after a $400 renewal bump in our automotive policy that Liberty Mutual could not tweak or requote lower, […]

Embarrassed to even vent a couple near retirement gripes

| October 21, 2023

This whiny post is going to ring hollow for those going through serious problems … or even noticing that I was recentlydifficult time adjusting to shifting gears. Brenda and I now have more unstructured time, particularly since Brenda’s surgeries and rehab (although I do still try to do work each day). The earlier than expected […]

Florida homeowners hit hard by insurance premiums

| August 8, 2023

Archiving an article from last week’s Barron Magazine which highlighted what I’ve been noticing with homeowner insurance rates on our condo in Florida. When I called the agent about the increase last year, she commented that I should be thankful for the increase as it was on the lower side compared to most. Yikes .. […]

Megan, Taylor and Gigi … and Tootsie to make it #TBT

| May 25, 2023

It looks as if the dog Megan found a month or so ago … and tried to find its owner (it was probably abandoned) … has now found a new home with Taylor and Megan. They have named her Gigi. Since both Megan and Taylor have grown up with dogs, perhaps it is no surprise […]

Who enjoys dealing with insurance companies and claims?

| January 27, 2022

Well I don’t enjoy dealing with insurance companies or claims … that is for sure! Brenda’s Acura RDX was backed into in a Kroger parking lot last week so the insurance adjuster phone tag begins (a previous time it was the Honda Pilot and a CVS parking lot). This time the young driver who backed […]

Playing the vision insurance game and probably losing

| January 13, 2022

“Eye” do it every year (a very Dumb Dad Joke #DDJ) … I make my eye appointment to get my updated prescription from my optometrist (OD) and contemplate ordering contact lenses from them or a less expensive retailer … just as I’ve been doing since the days of the “cooker” (only those of a certain age […]

My eye doctor appointment has been checked off for the year

| September 29, 2021

Although my eyes are still a little dilated, I’m glad to have my 2021 vision appointment out of the way. Thankfully my prescription didn’t change, although the presbyopia is definitely not on the improve (suspect everyone will have aging eyes someday)? I’ve pondered the entire vision insurance gimmick (my opinion) before going back and forth […]

Accidents, newly stained fence damage and insurance pains

| February 23, 2020

Everything seems to happen when we (or I) am out of town. From the power out and a flooded basement to accidents in our backyard (well for a couple I’ve been home). The latest happened when I was in Florida working on the boat and a sheriff deputy came knocking on the door at 5:30AM […]

New Windshield … but the Facebook advertising is too timely

| December 15, 2019

I’ve often questioned just how much data is being collected by Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc … but considering I’m a relatively light user of FB … getting push timely advertising is a bit creepy. I called my insurance company last week for a windshield repair/replacement for our 2010 BMW X5 35d and handled the entire […]

Windshield chips become ugly cracks when it is cold

| December 14, 2019

Don’t you just hate this! Earlier this week I was driving home through construction and traffic as I headed south from Columbus to Cincinnati on I-71 (road construction is not done yet!) and I heard a rock hit the windshield. It sounded pretty nasty, but after looking around carefully from the inside, all was fine […]

Hurricane Dorian upgraded to Category 3, but Cat 4 is likely

| August 30, 2019

As Floridians and those in the northern Bahamas prepare for Dorian, the first major hurricane to directly hit Florida’s Atlantic coast since Andrew (a Cat 5) in 1992, those of us with a vested interest out-of-state will not be sleeping well this weekend. There isn’t much we can do besides check our insurance policies and […]

Archive: Found a couple CPP photos when cleaning my desk #TBT

| June 27, 2019

While cleaning out a few old files folders, I came across a couple Consolidated Printing and Publishing Co. building photos in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio that my insurance agent took and included glued onto a policy folder. They are likely from the late 1980s and are worth archiving and using for a Throwback Thursday #TBT post. […]

Gender roles and a repair estimate for our Honda Pilot

| April 13, 2019

Even in today’s gender-neutral world, there are duties, either said or unsaid, that married couples still assign to each other. One of them in our house assigned to me is taking care of our automotive issues … especially the ones nobody really wants to do. One of this past weeks’ tasks was to take our […]

Do you understand what PBM’s in health care are?

| August 25, 2018

Here’s a great explanation of the history and current role of Pharmacy Benefit, Managers (PBMs) as it relates to health care, drug cost and insurance plans. LINK to Marketplace story

Disruptors in the health care business – then and now #TBT

| April 5, 2018

From the inside I have watched the disruption in healthcare for decades now. Early on it was Brenda and our somewhat laughable attempt in thinking we could start an independent mail order pharmacy, this was in the early 1990s. We looked at leasing property and duplicating existing “store” pharmacy components of a drugstore and at […]

Received this after TWO changes to our Liberty Mutual policy

| November 23, 2015

As I mentioned to my Liberty Mutual agent … “at least I know what my premiums are paying for – mailings!” It is hard to believe that removing Taylor’s car from our policy and adding the X5 could generate 14 multipage envelopes of policy information? That said, our annual auto policy renews in November… so […]

Fixing a skylight leak leads to replacing the roof on our home

| November 16, 2015

Several of the homes in our neighborhood had some hail damage this summer … ours included. We had damage to the sky light area of our mud room and water has been seeping in when the wind is just right. Unfortunately our insurance would not pay the entire roof OR the entire repairs that we […]

Borrowing money at low rates when emergencies arise

| September 9, 2015

I’m a Dave Ramsey advocate for the most part and prefer not to borrow money for anything other than a home. Unfortunately that’s challenging for most people as well as yours truly a few items in the past. Brenda and I borrowed when starting and expanding our small business, for the occasional new car (a […]

Liberty Mutual Auto Insurance: Loyalty rewarded – NOT!

| November 29, 2014

I received a letter from Liberty Mutual, my auto insurance company, earlier this month “appreciating my loyalty”  … until I looked at the details – Eligible in 2019 — hmm, must be a mistake? So … I first called the number on the bottom of the letter and reached the corporate folks so that they […]

What a racket: The great insurance pricing scam

| November 6, 2013

I had a somewhat frustrating day dealing with insurance policies and realized that we’ve been overpaying for a very long time … unless I’m missing something?  It started with a simple phone call to verify that a 15 year term life insurance policy was indeed expired. A call to the Select Quote people confirmed I […]

Move along, nothing to see here.

| May 22, 2013

Hmm, perhaps we are alone in having to make significant changes in our health care coverage this year … not to mention paying more for less? “If you already have health insurance through your job … nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change your coverage or your doctor. Let me […]

Your health care plan: Spouses may no longer be covered

| February 25, 2013

The negative implication of “big government’s Obamacare” is just beginning to be felt by those with health care coverage and businesses are squirming to adapt to the pages of new regulations. One of the latest money saving measures is that of “dropping spousal coverage” – I’m just guessing, but I suspect it will be unpopular? […]

Basement woes – we should just get a big dumpster

| February 8, 2013

   What a mess! As we continue the “dry out” process for the basement after the failed BlueMax water pipe, our piles of basement stored possessions is making me rethink the material lifestyle we live. From Barbie dolls to “antique” computer gear … why did we buy so much and why are we packing up […]

What will the economic cost of Hurricane Irene be?

| August 26, 2011

As the east coast waits for hurricane Irene to unleash its torrent of wind, rain and surge, the financial markets are analyzing the cost to insurance companies, taxpayers and eventually insurers (in higher premiums). Some suggest that Irene could make it into the top five list due to the forecasted impact of heavily populated east […]

Big Business and the Obama Administration at War

| May 11, 2010

Who to believe … those evil capitalist insurance companies [sarcasm] trying to balance customer satisfaction while remaining competitive and profitable … or the Obama administration and congressional Democrats orchestrating leftists policies on America? Hmm … a rotten choice to be sure.- see Battle Plan below. Read Angela Braly’s letter to President Obama With the Obama […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog