E3 Insurance Advisory Group

10/13/2026

We've been taking care of Paul for almost as long as E3 has been open, and I really appreciated seeing this review come through.

“Here is a brokerage that stays in touch with its clients and provides detailed information regarding the individual's policies and what is going on in the industry.”

Something we've always been intentional about at E3 is staying in touch with the people who trust us with their insurance.

Our clients hear from us every year about their renewals. They receive monthly newsletters, Christmas cards, and other updates throughout the year. And when something changes in the insurance industry that could affect them, we want them to know about it.

I've never believed you should only hear from your insurance broker when it's time to pay a bill or when something goes wrong.

Paul, thank you for trusting us for all these years and taking the time to share this. We appreciate you, my friend!

That's the kind of relationship we've worked hard to build at E3.

10/12/2026

It's Monday, so let's talk a little business insurance. Because there's a lot more to it than most people realize.

I see this all the time. Somebody starts a business, buys a General Liability policy, and assumes they're covered for just about everything.

I wish it were that simple. 😂

What happens when an employee sues you for discrimination? Someone gets injured on the job? Your customer data gets stolen? Or a client sues you over the professional services you provided?

That's where coverages like EPLI, Workers' Compensation, Cyber and Professional Liability come into play. And don't forget Business Personal Property for all the equipment, furniture and inventory you've invested in.

But here's something I really want business owners to think about. What about your personal insurance?

Having an LLC doesn't automatically protect you from being sued personally. Your home, auto and umbrella coverage deserve just as much attention as your business policies.

I've said it a thousand times. Insurance works when it's done correctly. You just need to understand what you're buying.

If you're running a business, take a few minutes to watch this. It might bring up a question you didn't even know you needed to ask.

📞 636-542-8966
🌐 www.e3insure.com/quotes/

10/09/2026

"I need you to really listen to what I’m saying here, because I genuinely believe this.

I’ve always believed that if you have information somebody else needs, you have a responsibility to share it.

That’s probably one of the biggest reasons I’m still in insurance today.

Insurance is an interesting industry because almost everyone has it, almost everyone spends a significant amount of money on it, and very few people actually understand what they’re buying.

I hear people say all the time, “Insurance scares me.”

I get it. Most things are scary when they’re uncharted territory. Add in a few horror stories about someone having a claim denied or finding out they weren’t covered for something they thought they were, and it becomes easier to just pay the bill every year and hope you never have to deal with it.

That’s where I think our industry has failed people.

We expect consumers to make decisions about deductibles, liability limits, replacement cost, exclusions, endorsements and a hundred other things they may have never been taught. Then we hand them 80 pages of policy language and wonder why they shop based on the one thing they understand... the price.

Insurance works when it’s done right. I’ve seen it change the outcome of some pretty terrible days for people. But you have to understand what you’re buying before that day comes.

That’s why I spend so much time teaching.

Sometimes it’s standing on a stage at a conference like this. Sometimes it’s sitting across the desk from one family or business owner. Other times it’s turning on a camera and talking about roofs on YouTube, TikTok or LinkedIn for the hundredth time.

I know most people will scroll right past it. Insurance isn't exactly the most exciting thing you'll see today.

But every once in a while, somebody stops.

They get curious. They ask a question they’ve never thought to ask before. They pull out the policy that’s been sitting in a drawer for three years and actually want to know what it says.

Those are the people I’m here for.

You don’t need to become an insurance expert.

You just need to be curious enough to ask the questions.

I’ll keep teaching the rest." - Christopher L. Stone - Founder of E3 Insurance Advisory Group

10/08/2026

Your homeowners insurance deductible might be $5,000, $10,000, or even more, and you may not realize it.

One of the bigger changes we're seeing in the insurance market right now is the return of percentage-based wind and hail deductibles, especially here in Missouri.

For years, most homeowners were accustomed to seeing a flat deductible. Maybe $1,000 or $2,500. You knew what you were responsible for if something happened, and that was that.

Well, things are changing.

We're now seeing quite a few carriers in the Midwest move to 1% wind and hail deductibles, and in states like Texas, 2% has become increasingly common.

Here's where people get confused. That percentage isn't based on the amount of damage. It's based on the insured replacement cost of your home.

So let's say your home is insured for $600,000. A 1% wind and hail deductible means you're responsible for the first $6,000 of a covered loss. At 2%, you're looking at $12,000.

That's a pretty significant difference from the $1,000 deductible you might have been used to paying.

And I understand why the insurance companies are doing it. I've talked to people in Texas who have had three roofs replaced in less than five years.

When you multiply that across thousands of homes, you can see why carriers are trying to manage their exposure.

But here's what concerns me.

A lot of homeowners are looking at their renewal, seeing the premium increase, and focusing entirely on what they're paying each year. Meanwhile, the deductible they would owe after the next hailstorm may have changed substantially.

I've said this before, and I'll keep saying it. You need to understand what you're buying before you need to use it.

If you haven't reviewed your homeowners policy lately, take a look at your wind and hail deductible. You might be surprised by what you find.

And if you're not sure what you're looking at, send it over. We're happy to review it with you.

📞 636-542-8966
🌐 www.e3insure.com/quotes/

10/06/2026

When’s the last time somebody actually read your insurance policies?

Not quoted them. Not renewed them. Not looked at the price.

Actually sat down and read what they cover, what they don’t, and where you could potentially be exposed.

For a lot of people, the answer is never.

Every year the renewal comes in, the price looks reasonable enough, and the policies go right back into the junk drawer for another year.

We do something a little different.

Send us your current policies and we’ll review the entire thing at no charge. Home, auto, umbrella, rentals, business, whatever you have.

Then we’ll give you what I call a health report.

Here’s what looks good. Here’s what concerns me. Here’s what your policy actually does. Here’s what it doesn’t do. And here are the options you may have available to fix it.

We do these reviews for financial firms, families, business owners and plenty of people we’ve never sold an insurance policy to.

And sometimes the answer is, “You’re in great shape. Keep what you have.”
That’s perfectly fine with me.

I’d rather you know that now than find out what you bought while standing in the middle of a claim.

If your insurance has been sitting in the junk drawer and you’re curious how it would actually perform, send it over.

The review is complimentary. Let’s see what grade your insurance gets.

📞 636-542-8966
🌐 www.e3insure.com/quotes/

10/02/2026

How many of you shop your insurance based on the price?

Now be honest...

I understand why people do it. Insurance premiums aren't exactly anyone's favorite bill to pay, and when one quote comes back $1,000 cheaper than another, naturally that's where your eyes go first.

But after doing this for as long as I have, price is one of the last things I want to look at.

First, show me what we're protecting.

Show me the coverage. The exclusions. The endorsements. The liability limits. The replacement cost. Show me the carrier that's standing behind it and how that policy is actually going to respond when something goes wrong.

Then let's talk about price.

I've watched clients walk away from six-figure claims financially whole because their insurance was structured correctly. That's when nobody cares that we could've saved another $300 a year with a cheaper policy.

Insurance is really easy to shop when nothing has happened yet.

The real test is what you bought the day you actually need it.

So I'm genuinely curious...

When you shop your insurance, what comes first for you: price or protection?

10/01/2026

One of the most expensive insurance claims you can make might be the $500 one.

Sounds backwards, but let me explain.

We see people use their insurance for every windshield, ding and relatively small loss because the thought is, “Well, I pay for the coverage. Why wouldn't I use it?”

I understand the argument. Especially with glass coverage.

But insurance is called Property & Casualty insurance. I've always looked at it as protection for the things that can really hurt you financially, not every inconvenience that comes along.

Because those little claims still go on your claims history.

I've seen families with several vehicles have multiple windshield claims in a short period of time. Then the renewal comes around, rates jump, underwriting gets tighter, or suddenly the carrier doesn't want the account anymore.

And here's where it can really hurt: six months later, you have the claim you actually bought insurance for.

A major accident. A house fire. A catastrophic loss.

Now you've already got a claims history following you around when you need the insurance market the most.

I'm not telling you to never file a small claim. I'm telling you to understand what filing that claim could mean before you make it.

Sometimes the right answer is absolutely to use your insurance.

Sometimes paying $500 yourself can save you a whole lot more than $500 down the road.

That's one of the reasons our clients call us before they file whenever possible. Let's look at the situation first and make an educated decision instead of automatically turning every inconvenience into a claim.

Insurance works incredibly well when you understand how and when to use it.

09/29/2026

Having access to 50 insurance companies doesn’t automatically make someone a good insurance broker.

There. I said it.

I’ve worked on both sides of this industry. I spent years as an agent before becoming an independent broker, and there are very good people on both sides.

The difference I care about is what happens when the policy sitting in front of you isn’t the right one anymore.

Maybe the carrier changed its underwriting. Maybe your roof is getting older. Maybe you bought a rental, started a business, accumulated more assets or added a teenage driver. Or maybe another company simply has a better policy for what you need today.

As a broker, I have other doors I can knock on.

But here's the important part: that only matters if I'm willing to knock on them.

A broker can have access to dozens of carriers and still recommend the easiest one to work with. Or the cheapest. Or the one they already know. More options don't automatically create better advice.

For us, the process starts with the client.

What are we protecting? Where are the exposures? What does your current policy actually cover? What are the exclusions and endorsements? Is the replacement cost right? Do the liability limits make sense?

Then we figure out which carrier can do the job.

Sometimes I recommend moving.

Sometimes I recommend changing the coverage and staying with the same carrier.

And believe it or not, sometimes we do an entire review and I tell someone, “Keep exactly what you have.”

That's what being independent should mean.

I put together a pretty extensive breakdown of the differences between agents and brokers, including claims, carrier access, coverage differences and 8 questions I'd ask before trusting either one with my insurance.

Read: https://e3insure.com/insurance-agent-vs-broker-whats-the-difference-and-which-one-should-you-use/

More options are great. Knowing what to do with them is what matters.

Insurance agent vs. broker: what's the difference? Learn who they represent, how they shop insurance, how they're paid, and what to consider before choosing one.

09/28/2026

A lot of people don’t realize there’s a big difference between an insurance agent and an insurance broker.

Coming from someone who's worked on both sides of the fence... I'm a bit biased.

An agent works for the insurance company.

A broker works for you.

Not sure which ones work for the carrier? Turn on the TV. You’ll probably recognize a few.

Here’s why I believe the broker model is better:

If one carrier raises your rate, changes underwriting, reduces coverage, or simply stops being the right fit, we have other doors we can knock on.

We aren’t forced to make one company work because it’s the only product we can sell.

And when you have a claim, I’d much rather be sitting on your side of the table, advocating for you, than representing the company who may... or more importantly may NOT be writing the check.

More options. More leverage. Someone working for your best interest.

That’s the difference.

If you’ve never had an independent broker review your home, auto, umbrella, or business insurance, send me a DM. Let’s take a look.

09/25/2026

We require business owners to carry insurance. So why does almost nobody teach them how it actually works?

That question is a big reason I enjoy doing things like this.

Throwback to May of last year when we spent four hours with the Barbers and Beauticians Association of Missouri teaching Business Insurance 101 for continuing education.

Four hours of insurance sounds like a great way to clear a room. 😂 But once we got into real situations these business owners actually deal with, the questions started coming.

What does general liability actually cover? What happens if my business is classified incorrectly? Where does professional liability come in? What am I responsible for if something happens to a client? What should I actually be looking for when I buy a policy?

These are people who have spent years learning their craft and building businesses around it. They shouldn't also be expected to become insurance experts just to know whether they're protected correctly.

That's our job.

I've always enjoyed teaching because when people understand what they're buying, they ask better questions and make better decisions.

So, I'm putting this out there.

If you're part of an association, organization or professional group that needs continuing education, let's talk. We'd love to put something together for your members.

📞 636-542-8966
🌐 www.e3insure.com