Deck The Halls Like a Wiseman

We’ve all thought “It won’t happen to me.” Or, “It’ll be fine for a while.” But, the fact is that just one unwise decision or one moment’s distraction could cost you damage, or even total destruction, of your home or office.

It’s so easy to get caught up in festivities and joy of the holiday season, and to let safety guidelines take back seat to decorating. When you are preparing your place for the holidays, remember to keep these few wise ideas in mind:

- Never leave burning candles unattended, and be sure to put them out before heading to bed.

- Check your light strands before plugging them in, for tears, rips and fraying. Replace any damaged lights and chords.

- Never overload an electrical socket with lights or other decorations.

- Do not place heaters, candles, or hot items near your live or artificial trees. They are highly flammable.

- Practice ladder safety when putting up outdoor lights, and make sure the lights are rated for outdoor use.

- Keep Mistletoe, Holly, Poinsettia and other holiday plants from pets and children.

Building Vacancies Can Affect Your Coverage

In today’s economic climate, it seems as though more and more businesses are shutting their doors. One minute a business is thriving, and the next there is a “For Lease” or “Closed” sign in the window.

Here’s something you may not realize: If your business “neighbors” move out, or if new “neighbors” move in, you should definitely let our office know. The change in occupancy could affect your coverage. If you own the property and your tenants move on, it is equally important to let us know of the change immediately. Vacant (or partially vacant) properties create a unique set of circumstances that lead to a higher risk, and you need to be aware of the vacancy provisions in your policy so that you don’t run into a “no coverage” situation at the time of a claim. Your coverage should be thoroughly examined to ensure you are getting the maximum protection for your business should damages occur while the property is between lessees.

If you are not sure if we are aware of vacancies in your building, contact our office and we will get the answers for you. It is better to be safe than sorry!

Business Changes... Fast!

Business moves so fast these days! Thanks to technology, it seems mergers, acquisitions, change of location or a variety of other changes can occur now more quickly than they used to.

Although we take measures to visit with our commercial clients often, it’s important that you keep us up-to-speed with your business changes when they occur. Here is a partial list of reasons to contact us before our next scheduled update:

• Change in ownership or structure
• Addition of equipment
• New drivers or vehicles
• Building or property additions
• Increase in inventory or warehouse stock
• Increased (or decreased) security on premises

In fact, whenever there is a change within your organization, it’s a wise move to give us a quick call. We’ll let you know if you will require additional insurance, or if the current policies will need to be updated in some way. A few minutes can give you a lot of peace-of-mind!

Do You Store Client Info?

You May Require Electronic Data Liability!

Imagine this scenario: One of your salespeople stops for lunch. When they return to their car, they see their side widow broken and their laptop is gone! Those thieves now have access to all of your clients’ information, including their payment methods, bank accounts, or possibly their personal identities. Not so hard to imagine, is it?

The theft can spell trouble for your business, not to mention lost time and energy spent trying to protect old data, including your clients’ information. It is very likely that a lost laptop could mean a lawsuit for your company. Without insurance for these events, a business could quickly go bankrupt paying out damages to clients.

Any firm holding sensitive client information on the internet, on computers, or over private networks should discuss adding an “Electronic Data Liability Coverage” to their insurance plan. The purpose of the plan is to pay for the business’s defense and for any settlements or judgments against the business, when clients sue for failing to safeguard their personal information.

Longer Life Spans Means Planning For Long Term Care

We’re so lucky to be living in a time period where the average American life expectancy is about 75 years for men and 84 for women. In fact, did you know that if you were living in Ancient Greece, you’d be lucky to hit 20 years old?

Americans are living longer and healthier, thanks to better diet, better medical care and safer environments. By 2030, those in need of a Long Term Care Facility (a Nursing Home or Assisted Living Center) will be an estimated 23 million Americans. Unfortunately Long Term Care is not cheap… and Medicare will only pay for a short time under specific, limited circumstances.

Estimates state that everyone has a 70% chance of needing Long Term Care in their lifetime. Why not start planning now? To learn more about obtaining Long Term Care Insurance, please call us today at 330-334-1561 or 800-334-1561.