Sho Ryders of Tucson Annual Fundraiser

I made it out to The Tucson Sho Ryders Annual Fundraiser out the sports complex on Golf Links and Craycroft next to Davis-Montham Air Force Base. These guys know how to throw a bike event together. They had trophies for best bike in four caetgories - sport bike, cruiser, girls bike and People's Choice. Casper's Honda Valkyrie took home best cruiser and People's Choice. Good Job!

This is Carrie Schultz and her Crew from Gear Up in Tucson. They have all your riding needs taken care of, except for bikes! We look forward to a long lasting relationship with the Gear Up crew.

Casper's First Place Cruiser and People's Choice Honda Valkyrie. This bike has the same size engine Honda puts in it's Civics! Imagine the power of a Civic and the weight of a motorcycle! This is one pwerful road mechine.





First Place Sport Bike category. This bike haas some best paint I have ever seen. My pic does not do it justice. I forgot to get a make and model. If you know, please post a commnet.






It wasn't all 2 wheeled toys Saturday at the Sho Ryders Event, someone brought this nice Sand Rail the party. Guess what, we have one of the only insurance carriers that writes policies for these cool Big Boy Toys, Foremost! Call us for your Sand Rail Insurance quote/policy.




I had a great time at Sho Ryders bike event fundraiser Saturday May 22, 2010. Go to our Facebook Page to check out all 65 photos from the event. Big Boy Toy Insurance specializes in placing policies on Motorcycles, Boats, RV's, Travel Trailers, Toy Haulers, ATV's, Golf Carts, Snowmobiles and especially the Classic Muscle Cars! Call us today for your FREE and FAST (less than 30 minutes) Insurance Quotes from multiple carriers. 866.450.6297

Arizona Victory KIIM FM Bike Night

Made it out to Arizona Victory's Bike Night at the Fox and Hound at Tucson's Foothills Mall. Tonight we had a good turnout of 2009 and 2010 Victory's.

Here's a Victory with some great "flare". I love the blacked out forks. It looks like the proud owner of this bike has put some serious TLC into his "toy".




Here's a great side-by-side shot of a 2010 (left) and a 2008 Victory Vision cruiser. Notice the subtle differences in styling?

Check out Victory's newest model, Cross Roads. This mechine is built for comfortable highway travel while still keeping a great modern style for a true American motorcycle.

Call us at 866.450.6297 for your FREE no obligation Motorcycle Insurance quote on your Victory!

Blue Cross Blue Shield of AZ - New Appointment

Big Boy Toy Insurance is proud to announce our new appointment with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. We now have access to Arizona's #1 health insurer offering Arizona residents and employers quality health insurance at affordable rates.

We will adding a link along the right side of this blog allowing you to initially review Blue Cross Blue Shield's individual plans and rates. We are here to assist you in selecting and placing a health insurance policy to meet you and your families healthcare needs.

Feel free to call us for over the phone discussion of how BCBSAZ can meet your needs.

866.450.6297

Tucson Vintage Bike Night

This group is a great bunch of bikers. This group has a unique collection of European morotcycles including BMW, Ducatti and Motto Guzzi to name a few of the makes.
Here is BMW's newest bike on Tucson's streets






For all you Moto Guzzi fans, here you go. Itialian style meets
Italian engineering at it's best.





For you Ducatti fans, here some great bikes for your "drooling" pleasure. You gotta hand it to the Italians, they know how to put the flare on some muscle.

I was really worried about how this shot was going to come out. I under exposed the shot due to the sun's glare hitting the silver fareing. It turned out well enough to make the post as a great example of Ducatti style.

Check out more photos by clicking on Big Boy Toy's Facebook page on the top right.
For your Fast Free Motorcycle Insurance quote, call Big Boy Toy Insurance at 520.908.7866 or email info@bbtimail.com with your request.

The Blue Book GC Showcase - Phoenix

I attended The Blue Book GC Showcase event in Phoenix on May 11, 2010. It was a great event for marketing and networking with Arizona general and sub contractors. I was able to introduce BBT Commercial to over 30 vendors and participants with great feedback.

BBT Commercial specializes in meeting the insurance needs of construction contractors including General Liability, Surety Bonding, Equipment, Property and Commercial Auto coverage. David and I have collaborated to find insurance carriers who offer the right policies with right coverages to make sure our client's needs are met for the best premium available. We pride ourselves in submitting ALL received quotes to the prospective client allowing them to make the best decision for their company's insurance needs.

Dave has made great strides in obtaining surety bonding sources that can meet the wide range requirements our clients present including high aggregate limits and poor credit ratings.

For more information about how our select carriers can meet your company's insurance needs, feel free to call us for a quick 30 minute needs review to determine if your insurance has any gaps or if you are just paying too much in premiums. 866-450-6297

sean@bbtimail.com or david@bbtimail.com

The Hartford Celebrates 200 Years in Business

Today, The Hartford Insurance and Financial Services celebrated it's 200th year in business. Quite a feat for any organization to reach. Big Boy Toy Insurance is very proud to be an appointed agency offering The Hartford insurance products to meet our client's needs today and for the next 200 years.
Please follow the link to Insurance Journal for a complete story.

Lone Wolf Riders 3rd Annual BBQ

Today the beer was cold and BBQ was good at Lone Wolf Riders' 3rd Annual BBQ Fundraiser. I had a great time meeting the guys and talking motorcycle insurance. This club has a nice collection of bikes as you can see from the few photos I posted here.

Big Boy Toy Insurance is looking forward to seeing these guys out at other events.

Here is a great example of a custom trike that makes heads turn along Tucson's streets. Most insurance agencies have no idea what to do with a mechine like this when he comes walking through the door. Big Boy Toy Insurance knows how to get the right coverage on a unique machine like this one.

God Bless the United States Marines and all those who keep our great Nation free from those who want to destroy it!

James and his Glastron GLX 205 Volvo

Big Boy Toy Insurance is proud to announce the addition of our newest client, James. Here he is proudly standing next to his 2008 Glastron GLX 205 Volvo. This is one nice boat. I met James at Roosevelt Lake in Central Arizona in March for some early season skiing and wake boarding. This thing can get going in a hurry even with a 200 lb. skier on the end of the ski rope.
We placed his Boat Insurance through American Modern saving him $120 annually from his prior carrier, Foremost. Also, we were able to increase his liability limits from $25,000 Combined Single Limit to 100,000/100,000/100,000 Split Limits. He was a tough nut to crack but we did it!
You can usually find James along with his entourage of ski junkies any given weekend at Roosevelt or Apache Lakes in Central Arizona.

Grundy Worldwide Auto Insurance Example

Big Boy Toy Insurance is proud to insure "Harry's" 2003 Dodge Viper RT/S through Grundy Worldwide.

To Give you an example of how affordable Grudy's Exotic Car Insurance Policy is, we covered "Harry's" Viper with $500,000 Liability, $0 Collision Deductible, $0 Comprehensive Deductible, Towing/Roadside Service, with an agreed value of $35,000 for $460 per year!

Grundy Worldwide was our choice carrier for "Harry" due to his occasional drive to work and "tour" around Southern Arizona without a penalty from Grundy. Grundy also offers coverage for hard to find parts and accessories included in their premium.

We also offer other carriers who specialize in the collector/muscle/exotic car market such as Hagerty, American Modern and Victoria/Allied.

Call or email us for your quotes from ALL our appointed carriers.

"Toy" Market Good Economic Indicator

After marketing to our local "toy" dealerships, I am encouraged about our economic future when I hear the dealership salemen talk about how sales are picking up.

People are begining to buy "toys" again after a 2 year hiatis due to harsh economic situations. A leading economic indicator better than GDP, Unemployment Rate, CPI, or any other statisic is spending on recreational vehicles. RV, motorcycles, boats and sand rails sales are begining to pick up.

One of the first consumer items to stop selling in hard economic times are the "toys". In 2008, when gas prices hit $4.00 per gallon, motorcycle and scooter sales skyrocketed. Dealerships were signing all the way to bank until December "08 when prices settled back down to $2.50 per gallon. Since then, sales have steadily slowed down to an almost stand still forcing many dealerships to close their doors.

More good news from Winnebago last month: the nations largest, oldest and best known RV manufacturer hired back 1,500 assembly line workers to meet increased dealership orders. That is some great news for everyone involved in the "toy" business.

RV Insurance for Summer Travel

As an RV'er traveling accross America stoping at your favorite campground, a very important coverage you need to verify on your policy is campground/premises/full timer liability.

This liability coverage is similar to your homeowners' liability insurance. This coverage is designed to protect you in the event your new neighbors stop by for a visit and become injured while stepping into your RV or trip over your campsite equipment. It is the slip and fall coverage we all know liability insurance to cover.

This compares to the same situation when your neighbors are invited for dinner and accidentily trip/fall and need medical attention.

Your RV's auto liability coverage does not apply as "campsite" liability. It is solely designed to cover your RV when you cause an accident while on the road.

Hope this helps explain why your RV insurance poicy should list two seperate liability limits.

BP Offshore Oil Rig Exposion

It seems suspect to me that shortly after Obama allows expanded Atlantic Offshore Drilling the Gulf Coast experiences one of the worst rig disasters in over 2 decades.

Also, here a few other points that seem suspect as well:

1. Modern offshore oil rigs have several redundant safety devices to prevent such disasters
2. it was reported there was 2 explosions, the second was large and powerful enough to cause toe rig and platform to MELT into the Gulf
3. the unmanned submarine sent down is unable to find the shutoff valve, required to be in place before pumping can begin to prevent such disasters
4. the safety devices located at the wellhead (5,000 underwater on the Gulf floor) are missing

We have to wait and see what the investigation finds before making any true inferences.

Contractors Bonding Basics

Contractors that bid government jobs are required to obtain Bid/Performance Bonds through a licensed insurance agent. Let's look at what a bond is and why municipalities require a bond.

A surety bond is similar to a bank loan with the surety company acting like a bank. The surety company is agreeing to pay an agreed upon amount in the event of a claim (I will discuss later). If the municipality is requesting a $500,000 bid bond, the contractor has to prove to the surety company that the company can make good on that amount. This is where the surety company needs to qualify the contractor for the ability to repay the amount in the event of a claim. The contractor is responsible for paying back the surety company the claim amount. If a full claim is filed against the bond, the contractor is required to pay back the surety company. It acts like a line of credit for a specific event in exchange for a premium.

Contractors that have poor credit can experience difficulty in obtaining a bond just like obtaining a loan. Two options instead of obtaining a bond are self insuring or collateralizing. Self insuring is what it sounds like. The contractor puts puts up the full amount into an escrow account until the project is completed. Collateralizing is where the surety company requires a portion of the bond amount be remitted in the form of cash held in trust until the end of the project.

Why do municipalities require a bid bond? When a contractor enters into a bidding contract with a municipality, the contractor has stated to the municipality of their good faith intention to win the lowest bid for the project. The contractor maybe among several other contractors bidding for the same project. As required for government projects, the municipally has to allow several bids to compete, all of which are under contractual obligation to submit their best pricing. This can create a financial hardship for the municipality and all other bidding contractors if one or more of the contractors withdraw their intentions before the award is finalized. This creates a claim.

The municipality can then file a claim against the withdrawn contractors bond for any amount up to the full bond amount.

The need of the bond is cover any financial hardship realized by the municipality or any of the other bidding contractors.

Big Boy Toy Insurance has secured relationships with several of the nations best and largest bond issuers regardless of current credit standing. We have been successful in obtaining high risk bonds for a few of our local contractors with great turn around and service. For our low risk contractors, we are glad to have the ability to place those risks with either HCC Surety or CNS Surety. CNA is one of the industry's largest and best rated issuers offering highly competitive premiums for all classifications of contractors.

We also have the means to issue aggregate bond limits making future bond issue fast and painless.

Please contact us for more information or apply over the phone for your Surety Bond pre approval.

General Contractors that Grind My Gears

GRIND MY GEARS

A new day and here we are again. How about that stimulus package? Have you felt it yet? I have not nor have Millions of out of work people. How about those people that had jobs but lost them? Are they back to work? I think not. Did they get there jobs back? No? So, how has this package helped the common man? It has not. Well than, who has it helped, BIG Business? Yes, that right the big contractor that is large enough to get the job. The little contractor same licenses same experience can’t do it, why capital. The little contractor who had the capital no longer has it in an attempt to keep alive. And what about the big contractor who is still holding on to the small guys money?

I am not talking out of my head when I say this. I know from experience that it is true. I did a job for a very large contractor for a large municipality in Arizona and I got screwed out of a $250,000 dollars on a project that my company did all the work. The General Contractor basically watched me as I completed the project. But, as it would be, I signed in the change order the GC submitted to the city, the GC received payment from the city, and lo and behold, withheld my payment. My only recourse was to attain an attorney and rack up the attorney fees. You all know who gets rich. Now, they have my money so they can afford their attorney where I am left fending for myself, go figure. Here comes the real gripe.

The city has a clause in there contract that says before the release of the money (90% mine), the GC has to get me to sign off that I have been paid. Did this happen? No, it did not. The GC received my money and the city said they can’t help. The city did not get a release from us in any way or form and of course in Arizona you can’t lien a landfill site. So where does that put the little guy? Bankrupt and the big boy continues to gets work from the city spending the Governments stimulus money that is supposed to help Middle America. Why am I not surprised? Well, if I was a minority (oh by the way, the big contractor is), I would have gotten paid. Well I did not get paid and the city, after 2 years of trying to fight this I am out of money and thanks to this contractor, broke. My family will soon be homeless. Thanks to the Government and the ability to change the rules as they see fit.

Is your Insurance Agent Really Working Hard?

How do you know your insurance agent is really working hard placing your insurance needs with the best available carrier? Do you get multiple quotes to select from? Is your agent reviewing three, five, seven insurance quotes with you? Are you able to select the insurance company you want?

We have an agency policy to review ALL insurance quotes we receive for ALL of our prospective and current clients. We feel, you, the insured, have the right to know what we have done on your behalf. When we complete an application, we notify you that it will take several days before we have ALL of your quotes to review with you. In that time period, we have submitted your application to no fewer than 3 insurance carriers using that many additional supplemental applications. It takes a lot more time than a captive agent, such as Allstate, State Farm and Farmers, to gather the needed data, collect that data on the application, scan it to your new electronic file and email it off to the three or more carriers. We then wait for the replies from the carrier underwriters for additional information or a quote.......read more

Please feel free to contact us with questions or assistance at info@bbtimail.com.

Also, please leave your thoughts of this or other articles in the COMMENT section so we know what information is helpful and what is useless.

Specialty Toy Insurance is NOT Auto Insurance

To begin, let’s look at types of insurable “toys”: Motorcycles, Boats, Recreational Vehicles, Dune Buggies and Sandrails, All Terrain Vehicles, Side-By-Side Utility Vehicles, Modified Golf Carts, Golf Carts, Snowmobiles, Collector Vehicles, Travel Trailers and Personal Watercraft.
Why do all of these vehicle types need their own individual insurance coverage? Any vehicle issued a state registration needs to be properly insured. All 50 states have adopted the required minimum liability insurance requirements. In Arizona, the minimum liability limits are 15/30/10. Insurance is not designed to have one policy meet all vehicle needs. If you need a screwdriver you do not buy a hammer. Vehicle insurance is no different. A motorcycle policy is not designed to cover the insurance needs of a boat. ..............read more

Please feel free to contact us at info@bbtimail.com for any further questions or assistance.

Press Release-Big Boy Toy Insurance gets CNA Surety Appointment

Big Boy Toy Insurance, LLC is proud to announce its recent appointment with CNA Surety and Western Surety. This appointment offers BBTI a new and highly competitive surety bond market for contractor’s performance and bid bonds, license bonds and tax bonds.
CNA Surety, through it’s partnership with Western Surety, is a market leader in the bond market around the world. CNA’s A.M. Best financial strength rating is ‘A+’, the highest possible rating, demonstrating their commitment to the surety market and their agency ....read more

We encourage all visitors to leave a comment and subscribe to our RSS Feeds.

U.S. Auto Insurance Companies do not extend coverage into Mexico. The only exception is physical damage (comprehensive and collision) coverage within 15-50 miles of the border, depending on the specific carrier. Your U.S. State issued liability auto insurance coverage stops at the Mexican border because of one reason. Mexico operates under Constitutional Law as opposed to Precedent Law in the United States...

...Word of advise, when traveling south of the border with a vehicle, get Online Mexican Travel Insurance from one of several well established carriers. Most of the Online Mexican Travel Insurance brokers offer the same carriers such as GNP (oldest), ACE, and GE and everything you need to quote, bind and issue coverage is readily available on the website.
Please read the full article at any of the following online publishers: Ezines, Amazines, GoArticles, Article Base, Insurance Articles.

ProBuilders Risk Retention Group is Going Out Of Business

According to Insurance Journal (01/19/10), ProBuilders Risk Retention Group will no longer accept any new business and non renew all existing policy holders as of March 1, 2010. “According to Bill Tepe, chief financial officer for Nations Builder Insurance Services (NBIS), the exclusive manager of ProBuilders, the group program has not been able to remain competitive and has been losing revenue due to the collapse of the real estate market and increasing competition from traditional insurance carriers.”

ProBuilders was established in 2001 as a direct result of ‘A’ rated insurance carriers pulling out of the highly litigious market of residential construciton. Home builders and artisan contractors were faced with little-to-no options when it came to finding General Liability insurance for their operations by the end of the 1990’s due to large claim pay outs filed by homeowners primarily in California, Nevada and Arizona. These claims were spawned from the rapid expansion of the new home market where builders and contractors “cut corners” in order to meet demand and time schedules.

When a segment of the economy, notably the construciton market, is not being serviced by a large segment of the insurance industry, niche companies will fill that void. That is exactly what ProBuilders did. They filled a highly demanded gap in available general liability coverage for a segment of the economy that was fuel for entire cities such as San Diego, Sacramento, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. Because they were the “only player in town”, premium was not an issue for many of their insureds. If a home builder wanted to build homes, he needed insurance and ProBuilders was more than happy to be the “only player in town”.

With their coffers full of premium, ProBuilders expanded into Eastern U.S. Markets like New England attempting to take advantage of the lack of insurance carriers in those states. ProBuilders was willing to write all classifications of contractors while charging a rather high premium against the risk. Their aggressive expansion began catching up with them in 2007 when their year-end written premium was $62.7M and drastically slipped year-end 2008 to $25.6M and mid-year 2009 to $6.8M as ‘A’ rated carriers began re-entering the construction market with substantially lower premiums.

This is an unfortunate circumstance for contractors insured with ProBuilders. They now have to scramble to find a new carrier in times when construction has reached a Post WWII low. However, it is a good sign for carriers that have made a point to re-enter the construction market and establish strong relationships with retail agents and brokers focusing on that market segment. This allows retail agent’s access to carriers that can handle more than one specific niche market risk and gives high volume retail agencies and brokerages the ability to create market specific programs with competitive premiums for their clients. ProBuilders was only offering General Liability and Builder’s Risk policies while larger carriers like Travelers, CNA, Navigators and Scottsdale Indemnity can offer a full suite of products, such as Inland Marine, Property, and Commercial Auto, mid-large cap contractors require. BBT Insurance Commercial specializes in Arizona Contractor’s Insurance needs offering all insurance products needed by contractors at highly competitive premiums from a variety of carriers, including Risk Retention Groups, Admitted and Non-Admitted Carriers, with financial ratings ranging from ‘A+’ to ‘B’ as determined by A.M. Best.

Mexican Travel Insurance for Americans

Are you considering traveling to Mexico this year? Did you know that Mexico requires Mexican Travel Insurance for all non-Mexican registered automobiles, Recreational Vehicles, Travel Trailers, and Motorcycles? The process for obtaining and paying for Mexican Travel Insurance is as easy as locating a website and typing in the requested information. Following are the basic steps to expect. Here are the items you will need to secure in order to obtain a Mexican Travel Insurance Policy.

Feel free to read the complete article at Ezines, ArticleBase, GoArticles, Amazines and Insurance Articles.

Alert - Auto Insurance, Health Insurance Not Allowing Pre-Existing Conditions

The whole Federal Health Insurance Reform debate is out of control. Americans, Congressmen, insurance cannot be placed against a risk that has already been damaged. The only exception to that being auto liability insurance which is NOT covering any peril to property in your care, control or custody. Your body is your property (a physical being) in your care, control and custody just like your car. Ask any rebellious teenager if their body is not their property.

Health insurance companies make a profit from the premiums they charge. Some make much more profit than others and some are created as Not-For-Profit entities. Congress has attacked For-Profit health insurance companies on the grounds that they are creating 'excessive' profits. These health insurance companies are profiting on the backs of Americans health. How dare them!

Click here to read the full article.

Insurance Agents Help With Claims Processing

Your insurance agent can be a big help when it comes to filing and handling a claim against insured losses.

When something happens to you and your family, it is always reassuring to know that a phone call can make things better. Relying on your agent in crisis times is good sound advise. Agents can take down all relevent information to pass along to the carrier. Can notify you of what to do and expect next.

Your agent can also be your worst nightmare. If you are late with your premium payments and do not make an effort to work with your agent, your agent can recomend the carrier not collect earned premium and NOT cover the claim. This leaves you out in the cold to fend for yourself against a sure fire lawsuit.

Insurance is a contract designed to transfer risk of loss to a company in exchange for premium. If you do not pay the premium, you are in breach of contract giving the insurance company reason to cancel any obligation.

Keep your premiums current and stay in touch with your agent to make sure in the event of an accident, you will not be shouting bad language at your insurance agent.

Sean Kimbrough