Imagine this. You are hosting a nice, large dinner for your housewarming party. Not only have you just purchased and furnished your new home, you have also gotten homeowner’s insurance for it with a personal liability limit of $250,000. The night is going really well until all of a sudden, you hear a thud and a scream. One of your guests has slipped on your porch and has an injury that racks up large medical bills. 

Unfortunately, your guest decides to sue you and the court rules that you owe her $500,000. As your liability limit on your home is only $250,000, you’ll have to pay the other half out of your own pocket. It being a large number, that could mean picking up a lot more shifts or taking out a lot of your savings. That’s where umbrella insurance would help greatly and we here at Great Park Insurance in Irvine, CA would be glad to explain how it does. 

Purpose of Umbrella Policies

Like we described in the scenario above, umbrella insurance is useful for personal liability that could be above the amount your homeowner’s insurance or auto insurance will cover. It is useful because with most reasons for insurance, we never know what can happen in our daily lives that will present us with a loss. 

Umbrella insurance is also helpful because it covers things that other policies may not. Some of these things include libel and slander, amongst other hazards that a person may sue you for. It also just does not cover the named insured but also their family members or people within the household. 

When Would I Need Umbrella Insurance?

Umbrella insurance may not be for everyone. It makes sense if the total amount of your assets is not entirely covered by the liability limits of your homeowners or auto policies. However, it helps to take into account whether it is likely that you will be sued for much greater amounts. You would have to consider whether you are at a bigger risk of having more personal liability or not. 

Not only does it concern your assets but your lifestyle or usage of your property as well. This could include things such as renting out your home, hosting many parties or adding a pool to your property. Overall, everyone can benefit from an umbrella policy as anyone can be sued. It is important to consider the likelihood if you are considering whether it is entirely necessary for you or not. 

Exceptions to Umbrella Insurance Coverages

Although umbrella insurance is useful for adding more coverage to things that are typically not included in other policies, that does not mean it does not come with its own exclusions. One exclusion is if you were to create damage to your own property as that has nothing to do with liability of damaging another’s property. Also, if damage was caused on purpose, that is also not included. If you were to want to acquire liability for your business, you would have to go with a business liability insurance policy. 

In general, an umbrella insurance policy can be useful for extra peace of mind. If you have other questions about whether you would benefit from one, please give us a call at 949-387-3242. Let’s get insured!

Who She Is

At Great Park Insurance (GPI) in Irvine, CA, our main priority is to serve our community the best way we can. We are only able to do this due to the amazing staff that we have. From home insurance to umbrella insurance and even business insurance, we do our best so you can feel the best. One amazing person that strives to give the best service they can is one of our Account Managers, Stephanie Flores.

Flores has been with GPI for three months now and has already become such an integral part of our time. Her daily routine involves a lot of talking to our members directly as she is the backbone of the servicing committee. She assists all members with any changes they would like to make to their policies. For example, if you were to purchase a new vehicle and want to add it to your auto policy, she would be the one to assist you in doing so. Flores also does a great job at answering any questions that come her way.

“I want to make sure our clients are getting the best options,” Flores says when talking about rewriting policies or reviewing renewals. These are also an important part of her day as she works hard to reevaluate existing policies for better alternatives if available.

Background

Flores also has a strong background in insurance four years in counting. When asked about what she liked about the insurance industry the most, she responded by saying that, “Working in the industry is constant learning. There is so much to learn each day!” This is especially true for Flores as she adapts often to suit customer’s needs and learn more about each of the carriers on how to better assist when questions come her way.

She finds a special place in GPI, though, as she truly believes that the staff ensures that clients are getting the best service and options in insurance. This is also thanks to Flores herself! Again, Great Park Insurance can only be as great as it is with the help of those who upkeep the brand reputation of helping our community.

Future Plans

Past all of the insurance, Flores loves to travel and watch movies and shows such as Gilmore Girls. She also loves a good success story and has a solid theory on the key to success herself.

“Be mindful in both your personal and professional life,” She starts, “Success doesn’t always mean that you’re making a lot of money. Success is having a healthy life and loving what you do!”

Such wise words from someone who truly gives it her all every day. For the last question, Flores was asked where she saw herself in five years. Sticking true to her experience, Flores hopes to be successful in the insurance industry. With the way she carries herself and the work she puts in, we have no doubt that she will be successful and loving what she does in the near and distant future. Thank you, Stephanie!

To see more about our staff, please check out our Instagram page and Yelp through our website.

“It’s a great day at Great Park Insurance!” is the greeting we use when our members call us. Not only do we enjoy our time here at the office, we like to share that positivity with the community as well. Although it may not cross everyone’s mind what exactly happens at an insurance broker’s office, we thought it would be neat to talk a little bit about our daily activities at Great Park Insurance (GPI) in Irvine, CA. 

Good Morning

The morning usually starts off with cups of coffee at everyone’s desk as they are working through their emails and returning phone calls/messages that were left the previous day after closing. The office is always filled with fun, pop music to keep a lively atmosphere. Our Agency Manager, Yesenia Marcha, is at the front answering phone calls throughout the day and greeting guests that come in for their appointed meetings. 

Daily Tasks

Each of the staff members here have our own daily to do lists. For example, Account Managers will usually work through memos and emails where we process necessary changes to our members’ policies. Throughout the day, Account Managers will also receive phone calls from our members who have inquiries on their policies about anything from renewals to coverages. An example would be a member calling in about their auto insurance to ask if they can add another vehicle onto their policy. 

Our Risk Managers work on looking for policies that best suit members needs in case they need to switch their insurance for better coverages/prices. Like we previously mentioned in an earlier blog, video quotes are a daily part of the process where we clearly explain to our members how they are being covered and what policies are a good fit for them. We have our Personal Lines Risk Managers who mainly deal with home, auto, and umbrella insurance. We also have our Commercial Risk Managers who work with business insurance. Of course, we cannot forget our Life and Health Risk Managers as well who help find the best policies for life insurance. At GPI, we try our best to accommodate whatever insurance someone may need. 

Work Culture

At GPI, it is important for us to create strong bonds with each other and our community. An office is only nice to be at if it has an atmosphere that encourages everyone rather than discourages them. Not only do we have weekly meetings where we can touch base with each other, we also have a monthly bonding activity where we choose a game to play together. 

Another aspect of keeping the work culture uplifting is introducing social media into our routine. Although it is mainly for our members to see what we get up to in the office, it also helps us keep account of our memories here and the work we proudly do. Like our greeting says, it truly is a great day at Great Park Insurance. 

Insurance can be daunting. From confusing terms to questionable numbers, it is easy for the average person to not understand what and how they are being covered. Here, at Great Park Insurance (GPI) in Irvine, CA, we strive to eliminate that frustration. Whether it be for home insurance, auto insurance, umbrella insurance, or even earthquake insurance, we take the policies and break it down for you with the ease of informative videos. 

 

What Our Informational Videos Are

 

Our videos are one of our unique approaches to insurance where we explain your coverages and options to you, our members. Through the usage of a software app, we are able to capture a video quote from whichever risk manager is servicing you. It is an easy, effective way for us to describe each section of the quotes/policies in detail, the type of plan it is, and the coverages and limits that are included. That way, you are never unsure about what a policy covers and what those coverages mean. 

 

The Process

 

We try to make the process as easy as we can for you. First, we ask you to fill out a simple form where you are able to give us basic information and a copy of your current insurance. Once we receive that back, we go ahead and research options through our system. The system does its best to find the best carriers for any bundle or single line policies you may be looking for. One of the great bundles that many of our carriers offer include home and auto insurance. 

 

After we receive the simple form and necessary attachments back, we start on the videos! The videos usually range from four to seven minutes long. Not only is it informative, it is also a great way for us to introduce ourselves and get through to our members on a more personable level. Usually with insurance, you may never even know the full name or face of who is helping you. With these videos, you get to see exactly who is assisting you, learn their name, how they are researching your options,  as well as hear the explanations in their own words. 

 

The Result

 

With this innovative approach to insurance, we have received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from our members. Responses usually state that this is something they have never experienced before. Highlights include how thorough the videos are, as they are meant to explain things to the point where there is full clarity on both ends. 

 

A lot of the time, the current policies our members come to us with are over or under insured. We also explain this through our videos and provide the reasons for why and what we can offer you that would better suit your needs. At the end of the day, our goal is to help you. Rather than this being an extra step, we believe that it is absolutely necessary in providing our members the best possible experience they can have with their insurance. 

 

If you would like to see reviews on how this process has helped our members, please check out our Yelp. If you are interested in starting your own process with us, please check out our website or call us at 949-387-3242. 

Not many people grow up thinking that they are going into insurance. Even through college and into the working world, it is not something that is likely talked about when discussing career paths. Such was the case for Julius Yang, who is one of Great Park Insurance’s (GPI) Personal Lines Risk Managers. 

Yang has been with GPI for three years now and his primary duty is to evaluate the total risks for current and new members. What that includes is rating and providing policies and coverages that meet each of our member’s needs, whether that be for home insurance, auto insurance, or umbrella insurance. 

“What’s important is fostering a relationship based on transparency and simply making sure everyone receives the Great Park Insurance experience.” Yang states, talking through his daily work routine. He also adds that he does a bit of everything in the office such as servicing, commercial policies, and even wiping down the kitchen table when needed. 

Insurance Background

Yang did not have a background in insurance before starting with GPI, though. He describes the journey as being “thrown into the fire,” as he had to start from scratch and learn on the go. However, that has also allowed him to garner a large amount of experience in such a short time span. As a broker agent, he especially enjoys being able to work with numerous insurance companies as it allows him to truly provide the best fit for each of his member’s situations. 

“There is no better feeling than when a member ends a phone call with me having a more comprehensive understanding of their coverage and exactly how they are protected.” Yang prides himself on not only being able to gain knowledge but also provide knowledge to the best of his ability for our members. 

Personal Life

When asked what Yang would like to state as his fun fact, he went into his athletic background and hobbies. He is and was involved in a multitude of sports such as water polo, basketball, golf, volleyball and soccer. Some of his accomplishments include completing a marathon as well as achieving a blackbelt status in taekwondo. Hopefully, he’ll show us his moves one day! 

Not only is Yang dependable as an agent, he has a great outlook on how one can achieve success. 

“Do the little things each day.” Such a simple but effective piece of advice! 

Future Plans

At the end of the interview, Yang was asked where he saw himself in five years. He hopes to be married with kids living in Irvine, CA where he is running his own insurance agency or managing a division for Great Park Insurance. What a great goal! Thank you to Julius for always being a hard-working and wonderful individual inside and outside the office. 

If you would like to check out some of the reviews where Julius is mentioned, please head over to our Yelp page.