April 2020 News from Rolland and Associates
As we greet April, we at Rolland and Associates want to encourage our clients to heed Ohio's Stay at Home Order and do their part to help to flatten the curve. We also want to reassure all our clients that as insurance is on Ohio's essential business list, our agency continues to operate at full capacity although remotely. All our agents are still working hard to make sure you and your families are covered!

If you have any questions or we can help you with your existing coverage or you would like to discuss adding new policies, we would be happy to chat!
Just give us a call at 614-789-1891.
5 Quick Questions with...Tricia!
Tricia Moffitt, Associate Agent, Rolland & Associates

Tricia is an associate agent here at Rolland and Associates and her primary role is helping our new customers get the best coverage possible. You'll see Tricia at our Rolland and Associates booths at community events around the Powell and Dublin area all year long - look for her at the Powell Street Markets and Powell Fest coming up in the next few months. She would love to say hello!

What was your first job?
"My first job was working at TSC (Tractor Supply Company) on Route 23, just north of Delaware when I was 16. Not only was I a cashier and helped to restock all the farm supplies, but I got to wear a sweet red mesh vest!"

How long have you been in the insurance industry?
"I've been working at Rolland & Associates since October of 2018 and got my Property and Casualty license in February of 2019."

What is your favorite zoo animal?
"I have very vivid memories of the polar bears back in the 1970's at the Columbus Zoo. when they brought back Polar Frontier, I was probably the most excited person in Columbus! I LOVE watching them swim, play and fish in their zoo habitat and the babies we've been blessed with is like the icing on my happiness cake!"

What is the furthest you have ever traveled?
"Several years ago, my 96 year old grandmother passed away. she had emigrated to the US from Yorkshire, England when my dad was 16 yeas old. We took her ashes back to her beloved Yorkshire and spent 2 glorious weeks in the UK. We spent a few days in London and then the south of England, then took the train to Yorkshire and spent the remainder of the time with family, revisiting all the places of meaning to my Nana. It was a beautiful, soul-healing trip."

What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
"I love music, so I think everyone should see a live performance of their favorite artist! My husband, son and I go to Sonic Temple (formerly Rock on the Range) every year. It's really for my heavy-metal-loving spouse but I have a blast people watching and getting caught up in the energy and passion of the live performances. It's therapeutic!"
What to do if...you're quarantined at home?
Many of us have found ourselves at home with some extra time time on our hands and projects that we never seem to have time for otherwise are getting tackled. If you're looking for a new project now that you've organized your spice drawer (for the 3rd time) and cleaned out that closet that serves as a catchall (where did all that stuff come from?!), I have a great suggestion for you:

Create your Home Inventory!

If you were to suffer a loss - like a fire or tornado - would you be able to make a list of all the things that you lost? Having a current home inventory will help you do just that and helps to protect your investment in those items. Filing a claim against your home owner's insurance will go much more smoothly if you have documentation of what you have lost. There are a few ways you can do this:

*Good Old Pen and Paper - it is as easy as making a list and take some pictures. Go room to room with your camera and either film the room and/or take lots of pictures. Make sure to open drawers, open closets and show what's inside them as well. Write down the serial and model numbers of larger items such as TVs and appliances and then make a spreadsheet or list of them. Upload pictures/videos and your list to an online cloud storage space and you're set in case something does happen.

*Download an app - this seems to be the easiest and most convenient. Most apps for home inventories allow you to take pictures, store them in the app and add notes. Most also have some option to export it all to a file you can save and upload to the cloud or print in case you want to be able to store a hard copy in a safe deposit box, a lock box, etc. There are lots of app options to choose from across all operating systems (just search for Home Inventory) but I played with a few and liked these three the best:
- Nest Egg. There are 2 versions - Nest Egg Inventory Lite which is free and Nest Egg Inventory which costs $4. I'd suggest downloading the Lite version first so you can make sure you like it but just know that the full version has a lot more room and more robust features.
- Home Contents. The version on the app store is free and you can play with it before unlocking everything for $5 from within the app.
- Sortly. Bills itself as an inventory tracker for business but it can easily be used for home inventory too.

A little time now, when you may suddenly have some free time, can go a long way in case the worst happens. Feel free to let me know if you have an app I didn't mention that you like or have any tips to share with other readers when it comes to home inventories!
Note from a reader...
We received a note from our clients Chuck and Becky L. after our last newsletter's tips about traveling and wanted to share with you what they had to say as it is a great tip for everyone!

"Your point of turning off water to the washer when gone is a good one, but should be taken one step further. We always turn off water to the entire house when we will be gone for any length of time. Unfortunately we found out the hard way, as we came home to a flooded house in 2003 when a flexible supply line broke in our upstairs master bath while we were at work one day. It took several months and over $15,000 in repairs to restore all 3 floors. In addition, we have had 3 minor leaks in recent years due to defective copper pipe that is now 33 years old; fortunately we didn't have major damage from those 3 leaks. Several of our neighbors have had the same problem with defective pipe and in one case they were gone on vacation and came home to substantial damage. The defective pipe was not limited to just one builder but apparently several who built in this area 30 or so years ago. Now if we're going to be gone for more than just a couple hours we turn off water to the entire house. It's a minor inconvenience but could save a lot of grief. Not fun to return from a nice, relaxing vacation to water damage."

Thanks Chuck and Becky! Always a good idea to know where the water shutoff valve for your house is and if you can turn it off, go ahead and do so when you leave - could save you a huge headache!
Have questions about your insurance? Need help with your policies?
Please don't hesitate to reach out - we'd be happy to help!

Don't forget to ask about our referral program!

Rolland & Associates | Email | 614-789-1891 | Website