insured

[grassyfras]

i am 15 do i need to be insured and all that other stuff i have 15 accounts about and gross about 9,000 a year

[smburgess]

More than likey, YES. You need to check your local government about licensing requirements. Or you can be a scub and not bother with any of that stuff.

[parkwest]

I think at your age your parents would need to have an insurance policy since they are responsible for you.

[LoneStarLawn]

There is sure alot of scrubophobics here on lawnsite.

[smburgess]

LoneStarLawn...

Sorry, I'm NOT afraid of scrubs, I just don't like how they operate.

[steveair]

some may hate me for this, but I'll say this.

For what its worth, look at what most 15 years old are doing these days. Playing sony play station 2, playing hooky from school because of a day of morning for 2 pac shakur, joining cults, getting into gang fights, having kids, shooting fellow classmates, etc. etc. etc.

This is how pothetic our world has come. Here, is a 15 year kid who is busting his balls after school (at least I assume you aren't skipping school to mow grass :) ) instead of all of this other 'devious stuff', and here we all telling him that he needs to spend $1000 a year as 'punishment' for wanting to work. As a 15 year older would say, "what up wit that"

I say, take the chance for now. Work and keep the money for yourself. Take your sweetheart on a nice date, or put the money in a savings account towards a nice new truck that all your frieds will be envious of, and that you DESERVE.

Later down the road, however, think about getting some insurance. Untill then, keep the money, you deserve it.

steveair

[Atlantic Lawn]

Seems like he would be the one to ask, as some have said here, it's his wallet someone could be tryin to get into if something were to happen.

[Fantasy Lawns]

we'llll ....look at it this way .....if you have a vehicle to bring your stuff around ......you have insurance than don't you ( mom & dad's policy) ......

I mean what'ssss the worst that could happen .....you may need it .....but let's say you DON'T have it ....it's not like YOUR going to suffer .......your mom & dad WILL ....but YOU won't

say you knock out a simple window ....no problem pay out of pocket ......but break a water spiket on the side of a house or kick a rock in someones face ....and hey your mom & dad can help on weekends :->

[steveair]

Ok,

what I am saying is this.....

WHY PUNISH YOUNG PEOPLE FOR WORKING.

If you ask me, it should be like the law system is....you can't be tried as an adult untill you are 18. After that age, then yes, insurance.

Side notes:

First, If you are a homeowner and are hiring a 15 year old to mow your grass, then SHOULDN'T you have some understanding of the circumstances.

Secondly, if you are a serious 40 year old contractor who's been in the business for 15 years, what the hell are you worried about a 15 year old kid for? Is he competition? If he is, then I would say you have some deeper issues.

Do we all forget what it was like to be 15 here?

steveair

[grassyfras]

thanks for all th replies I do bust my bought after schol everyday cutting grass i give large portion of my social life away. i have knocked out some other LCOs out there but i didnt even know what they were cutting there grass for and i gave a fair price some people say im more expensive. After 2 years in this buisness i have gotten all comeercila equipment except for a bush trimmer so you guys know that im paying alot of expesises except for a truck and trailer but i am plaining on getting somthing for hauling my equipment.


the bottm line is that i am working hard and making a **** load of money for myself i think and i happy with it but i dont mind being legal i just dont want to do anything ilegal

[lawnboy82]

at 15, do what you are gonna do. just be careful what kind of jobs you take on. you may be able to do them, but think two times if not more about the risk. think about what the eleven said, if you bust up a window that will be several hundreds of dollars easily, if you bust up a water spigot, you can probably have a friend fix that for a couple of bucks. the real kicker is the last one, kicking a rock in somebody's face. your folks will lose their home if you wind up killing somebody. that is no joke. cause if you kill somebody that is a lawsuite of at least a million dollars. so be careful what you do. everyone here could go without insurance if they wanted to. it is just a matter of how much they have to lose if they dont get it. but also you have to think about how you are gonna get it at 15. i had a hard enough time at 17. 15 they wont even touch you i bet.

[Premo Services]

:rolleyes: smburgess
you put the infamous "S" word in your post LOL

As for grassyfras I wouldn`t even consider doing this work without insurance,but that is my opinion.
with 15 accounts and your age, I don`t know what I would do.

[CSRA Landscaping]

:cool: Keep being productive. You make money, you pay taxes, I assume. You take risk of something/someone getting injured, you, or the insurance company, pays for the repairs. Don't thinhk of it as being illegal. Think of it as a protective measure, hence the word 'insurance.'

And good luck with your endeavour! I wish all 15 year-olds were as success-minded.

[jjfehr]

grassyfras:
You state that you are making a S*$Tload of money , and in an earlier post you claim to make $50/ hr 6 hours / week for a total of $300/ week. Knowing my situation, I will assume that is before taxes, or any overhead that you may have! If you deduct these expenses, and get insurance, pay taxes, etc. To get yourself legit, try to take on your mother of father as a partner until your are 18. This way you can carry your insurance and any other licences that you may need. Above and beyond this, you will be able to expand your operation, by cutting other lawns for people that don't reside within two blocks of your parents home!

[AndrewLawn]

I'm with steve on this one.I'm only 15 too,and paying insurance and taxes(by the way,im not right now but i'm going to start next year in order to attract new accounts and just to be safe)is not what i want to be doing with my money.I need to save up now to buy that new equiupment(truck mower weed-eater)my parents are helping me out on this whole thing,but this is mostly me.And when i cant even buy a pack cigarettes or have a beer like adults in this country,why should i pay taxes?I mean,im not saying thats what I'd do,but isn't that "taxation without representation" ?think about what i said and then post YOUR thoughts on the issue.

[Charles]

Dangerous things that could happen:
Mower or weedeater slings a rock and it goes through a window and hits someone in a vital body part or hits a pedestrian or it hits a custom paint job or its hits a window of a new auto. I hit a used truck in a car lot(that I wasnt even working on) cost me 265$. If it had been a new truck it would have cost $1100.00. You could throw a object through a sliding glass door or the vynl siding on a home or hit a car going down the road(been there done that LOL). They didnt wreck but it could happen..
Alot of my customers ask me if i have insurance when i first start.
HIs parents would probably get sued as has been said.

[jeffyr]

Originally posted by AndrewLawn
I'm with steve on this one.I'm only 15 too,and paying insurance and taxes(by the way,im not right now but i'm going to start next year in order to attract new accounts and just to be safe)is not what i want to be doing with my money.I need to save up now to buy that new equiupment(truck mower weed-eater)my parents are helping me out on this whole thing,but this is mostly me.And when i cant even buy a pack cigarettes or have a beer like adults in this country,why should i pay taxes?I mean,im not saying thats what I'd do,but isn't that "taxation without representation" ?think about what i said and then post YOUR thoughts on the issue.

None of us WANT to pay taxes or insurance, but that's how it works (unfortunately). What do beer and cigarrettes have to do with it ? The tax on beer is payed when you purchase it....it is different from income tax and state tax and property tax for that matter. Try this for unfair--your property taxes (when you own a house you will understand) are paying for your local school system whether you have children in the schools or not. If I live in your community Andrew, I will be paying (in part) for YOUR education, books, supplies, computers and all the necessary itmes. This is not dependent on how many children I do or do not have. I am not complaining so don't missunderstand me, but I am pointing out that there are many more obstacles ahead.

Can't wait to be a grownup.....huh.

[steveair]

Hello,

This is the problem with this country. What use to be a 'free' country sure ain't too free any more.

200 years ago, when settlers moved in to this land, they would pack up their stuff and head out west. All they had was a wagon, a wife, their kids, a gun, and a dream (well, maybe a trusty dog too).

When they went out into the open range, do you think they worried about things like 'Indian insurance' to protect themselves from the hoards of head-scalping maniacs. Hell no.

There use to be a time, when if a person wanted to go 'make something' of himself, he could put it on the line and do just so. That, is how this country achieved its position in the world today.

Now, lets look at our times. For all matters, we can't walk across the street without obeying a 'traffic light'. We can't drive a car without 'a safety belt'. Kids can't ride a bike without wearing a 'safety helmit'.

You know what, for what it is worth, you can take all of this 'safety crap', which exactly what insurance is, and shove it up your *^(. Does anyone see what I am talking about these days. We are being forced in the the control of others. And why? Because for some reason, no one wants to take responsibility for their own actions. And why should they. I mean, look at what is going on these days. It is a fact of life now that being "stupid" and drinking a cup of hot coffee can land you on easy street.

If anything, LINES need to be drawn at some point in the world. Insurance is one of them. I remember, when I was about 10 years old, my moms friend asked me to mow their grass every week for 5 dollars. It was a real pain in the ass. They had a real hunk of junk craftsman, had a huge lawn, and wanted it bag. I did it though.

You know what else.......I did it WITHOUT insurance either. So, for all you guys saying that this hardworking 15 year old needs insurance, I ask the question of whether or not I, as a 10 year old kid mowing grass, need insurance?

You see the point here..........Suddenly, we say a 15 year old needs insurance and then where do we draw the line? Next will we be saying a 10 year old needs insurance? It seems to be the "way of the world" these days.

This world is really becoming pothetic. No one seems to think for themselves.........wait, I'm sorry, All WE DO IS THINK ABOUT OURSELVES and how to stop others, even a 15 year old kid, from getting a piece of our action.

steveair

[jjfehr]

steveair,
Nobody is making you buy insurance! By all means, if you don't want to pay for the protection, don't! The insurance industry is not out to get your money, they are offering you a plan to help protect your assets! At fifteen, I'm certain that you don't have many, (a house, car, etc....) but you do have a business! Without insurance(protection)a large claim against you will wipe you out! If you paid cash for all of your equipment and own say $50,000 worth of equipment and you have a claim against you for $100,000 I guess you will have to liquidate your assets for probably 40% of their worth and pay off the remaining $70K over the next, oh lets say 40 years!!!!!! It is your choice. I look at as insurance as peice of mind! I know that If I get sued for $500,000 I know that I can continue my business and put food on the table! Without insurance, I would loose everything that I have worked so hard for, and have to get a full time job to pay the claim, and a part-time job to put food on my table. If you want to make it in this business, you have to treat it like a business! Some people choose not to and get away with it, but most don't gat away with it! Remember, THE CHOICE IS YOURS!!!!!!!
If you want to continue in this business I would recomend going to a local community college and enrolling in a small business management program!
By the way, your situation of mowing the neighbors lawn with the craftsman. You didn't need insurance because in that situation you were not considered an independant contractor! You were mearly an employee of the home owner, therefore covered by their homeowners policy!

[lawnboy82]

steve, i am not saying that i dont want this guy to get a piece of the action. it is just that he should protect himself. just like you said, a person can be on easy street from drinking a cup of coffee wrong. that is a simple burn. now what happens if there is loss of life, what happens then? the people are not just gonna have this kid appologize and have that be the end of it. no they are gonna want some remunerations for that loss. if it was as simple as to say "oh im sorry" then you wouldnt have to worry about insurance. all i am saying though is keep doing your work. just choose your jobs carefully so as to limit liabilities. such as dont go cutting trees, or excavation or whatever.

[Toroguy]

I agree with the over insurance crud.

In MN we must have liability insurance on our autos.Even if the car is worth $500. I say that if you are driving a $50,000 car you better have insurance because you have something to lose. If I lose my $500 wreck, no loss, just get another one.If I live in a tent, do I need homeowners insurance?

I believe that we will eventually need "personal" insurance. This will cover us in case we insult anyone, or hurt someones feelings, or make someone angry. We could also be liable if someone driving a $50,000 car hits us, and our body does damage to thier vehicle.

[CSRA Landscaping]

:( You guys are gonna make him jaded waaay before his time. All he asked if being insured was a good idea and now we're getting into debates about why America the great ain't so great no more. I say it's still the best, in my estimation.

I also stand behind what I said before. That is, from the protection standpoint, not so much the legal, it is a great idea to have insurance.

Personally, I could care less if he lived right next door to me and was doing this, I would still try to help him out, if he didn't display that he didn't want to learn. Since he's asking these questions, I think that shows that he wants to learn.

[jjfehr]

I guess everybody calculates risk in their own way! Just like an actuary (spelling?) for an insurance company! This is one of the reasons that differant companies have differant premiums! They calculate risk differantly than the other company. I personaly feel that any job that I do, without insurance, is not worth me paying off a debt for the rest of my life! I don't care if it is a job that I would do for free for my best friend, without insurance, I wouldn't do it!!
Plain and simple, an insurance premium paid to an insurance company is helping you limit RISK in your daily operations!

[smburgess]

Steveair...

Sorry, I don't understand how what this country was founded on (religous FREEdom), heading out west in the 1800's, and you cutting a yard when your ten has anything to do with TODAY.

Insurance is without question a needed evil in today's world. About you cutting the grass for $5 when you were 10, you had insurance - your parents, anything you damaged was THEIR responsibility, just like an insurance company the burden would have been lifted from you and placed upon them.

YES if a 15 year old is doing lawncare as a BUSINESS - 1,3 40 lawns, they or through their parents, should have insurance. Wether it's a rock through a window or as much as a gasoline spill that burns the house down, it worth the piece of mind that an accident will not ruin the rest of my life, or those of my clients.

[lawnman_scott]

to the 15 year olds asking about insurance, I think that you should ask your parents if they think that you need insurance.
Everyone is right, those things COULD happen, and if it was my kid, I think i would be happy he was out mowing lawns after school. Most kids their age want to save for a camaro, or a mustang, not a truck so that they can work. In the pat few years i have heard of kids taking down stop signs causing a fatal accident, throwing rocks off the highway killing someone, and breaking into neighbors houses. I think that they should be the ones worried about insurance.
My advise is to just try to be careful, and when your 18th birthday comes and someone asks what you want, say money. Then go out and get your insurance. And if someone wants to call you a "scrub" well then in my opinion they are an idiot with a capital I.

[KD'sLawns]

With you being 15, you should not have very much overhead so I would suggest that your parents take out an insurance policy that covers you. Sure, it will be taking some of your money but it will be worth it in the long run. Use it to your benefit when selling your services. Let your potential customers know that you are insured in case of a mishap. I know that you are still young and certain things should not apply to someone your age, but there are also people out there that are just looking for someone to screw up so they can file a lawsuit. Sounds like you are fairly responsible and I know that you would not like you parents to pay for you mistakes.
If you decide to not get insurance, you need to limit your services to mowing and cleaning flowerbeds. No tree work because all it would take is one branch to fall in the wrong direction. If you are not insured, think about each job before you take it and see what all it will entail. Think about the worst possible scenario, then decide if you can do it.
About the guy mowing the neighbors house for 5 bucks, that is contract labor and the homeowners insurance would not cover it. He was working for a set price and the homeowners were not withholding any taxes or paying social security on the earnings.

[AndrewLawn]

hey,jeffyr......you don't think paying for my education is right?why....we have to pay for your social security.I mean,we're screwed worse than you:) sorry,don't mean to make this an issue,but I kinda wish everyone in this country could rely on themselves.If old people don't want to be broke when they're older,don't rely on Social security..they should've worked/saved when they were younger....otherwise i say tough sh!t.

[lawnman_scott]

Andrew, one day some kid will be complaining about paying for your social security. Dont be nieve enough to think that it is going to ever end. No politician will do that, its political suicide. People would be talking about how everyone will be living in the street if they did that. If i were you i would start saving for the day when you have to pay for private school for your kids, because people may not want to pay for public school and say "tough ****, should have saved your money"

[jeffyr]

Andrew,

I am only 32 (believe it or not that's not old). I still have another 33 years of working before 65. So please, don't tell me how much money you are giving me now. And we are all contributing.

jeffyr