Buying a Car for Your Grad? Here’s What to Keep in Mind

So, you’ve decided to reward your graduate with a car (or help him/her purchase one, at least). That’s great! Adding a car to the family can make life easier for everyone — as long as it’s the right car. Now, how do you figure out which car is the right car? Whether you’re shopping for…

Three ways to lower your carbon footprint for Earth Day (and beyond)

On April 22, the 52nd annual Earth Day is expected to include more than 1 billion people in nearly 200 countries taking part in what the Earth Day Network calls “the largest civic-focused day of action in the world.” Since the first Earth Day in 1970 (which was connected to the passage of the Clean…

7 Ways to Improve Your Finances During Financial Literacy Month

April is tax season, so a lot of people are thinking about their finances these days. But if you’re like most people, you’re probably thinking in the short term: What’s my refund going to be—or how much do I owe? And what is that going to do to my monthly budget? It’s good to be…

Taxes and ID Theft

4 Things to Know About Taxes and Identity Theft In 2014, almost 18 million people in the U.S. were victims of identity theft. Two-thirds of them said they suffered a direct financial loss because of it, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). During tax season, your personal information is particularly vulnerable. After all,…

The Hartford Ranks No. 1 In Customer Satisfaction In J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study℠

The Hartford now ranks highest in customer satisfaction with both the auto and home insurance claims experience HARTFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Hartford ranked No. 1* in customer satisfaction with the property insurance claims experience in the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction StudySM. The study measures customer experience with the home insurance claims process, from first…

Protect your Home While on Vacation

With many families heading out of town this month for Spring Break vacations, follow these simple steps for keeping your home safe from burglars or damage! We recommend taking the following preventative measures to keep your home and personal belongings safe: Keep your home well-lit. Mount exterior lights in your yard or on your house so…

Insurance Tips for Young Adults

Insurance Tips for Millennials You keep your car filled up with gas so you don’t get stranded on the side of the road. And, your phone charged so your loved ones can reach you. But, what kind of safety measures do you have in place for more extreme scenarios? What if you lost everything you…

Tree Maintenance

5 Tips to Help Prevent Tree Trouble Trees are pretty amazing things. They produce oxygen. They serve as natural air conditioners, both by blocking sunlight and through evaporation. And they even absorb sounds, helping to keep things peaceful. These benefits, along with countless others, are great reasons to keep the trees on your Tri-Valley property…

Your First Spring Garden

How to Create Your First Garden This Spring   From genetically modified crops to the environmental and health effects of pesticides, more and more Tri-Valley residents are questioning whether they should grow what they eat. Wherever you stand on the issues surrounding today’s food supply, however, there are several good reasons to start your own…

Food Safety Tips-Power Outage

Power Outages and Food Safety: Toss it or Keep it? It seems like the power always goes out in the Bay Area when it’s either way too hot or windy– talk about inconvenient. Also inconvenient? Not knowing whether your food is safe to eat during and after an outage. Obviously you want to err on…