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Be careful! Toys can kill
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says 16 children choked to death and an estimated 210,300 wound up in emergency rooms in 2004 because they swallowed toy parts. It is something to keep in mind when you shop for toys this holiday season. Choking on small parts, balls and balloons is a leading cause of death and injury in young children.
Don’t be one of the 250,000 unlucky ones!
Every winter almost a quarter-million families have their lives disrupted and homes ruined due to frozen pipes that burst. Water, water everywhere — soggy carpets, buckled floors, damaged furniture, stained walls, mold in progress — all problems that can be avoided.
Here are three tips:
1 — Insulate the pipes in your crawl space, attic, or basement. Perhaps, consider heat tape.
2 — Seal all air leaks that allow cold air to enter near where pipes are located — dryer vent areas, for example.
3 — Disconnect garden hoses and shut off indoor valves.
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“If at first you don’t succeed, DO NOT try sky diving.” - Anonymous
2005 seemed to fly by
Holy smokes! 2005 is almost over. It’s been a strange year with many natural disasters and catastrophes. Let’s hope there will be much less of these in 2006.
We wish to thank you, our clients and friends, for the trust you have placed in our agency. Without you, we wouldn’t be in business and you can be sure that we will continue to do everything we can to help you protect your assets in a practical cost-effective way.
Thank you!
May you and yours have a happy holiday season and a healthy, safe, and prosperous 2006.
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“Many people walk in and out of your life, but only true friends leave footprints in your heart.” - Anonymous
Fewer frivolous lawsuits help contain business insurance costs
US House Passes Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act (LARA)
The US House of Representatives passed HR420 which would discourage attorneys from filing frivolous lawsuits and from forum shopping. LARA provides that any lawyer bringing a baseless or frivolous claim against a business must pay the legal costs resulting from the claim and repeated offenses could result in suspension of the lawyer's license.
Under the existing system, plaintiffs' lawyers have the ability to make lowball offers, just beneath the cost of defending a claim, to compel potential defendants to settle. This causes the business's insurance costs to rise significantly. The legislation also requires that plaintiffs in civil tort actions can sue only where they live or were allegedly injured, or where their businesses are located. A similar bill passed last year but stalled in the Senate. It is anticipated that the Senate will be a more difficult hurdle to secure successful passage.
Your mileage to walk off holiday dinner?
Thanksgiving is over but there are more holiday meals to consume. Depending upon your appetite, how far will you need to walk to burn off those excess calories?
Is it 2 miles? 5 miles? 10 miles? More? You may be surprised? Take this 2-minute test and find out.
Calorie walk off test
Borrowing to pay claims
The National Flood Insurance Program can now borrow up to $18.5 billion to pay claims of policy holders.
President Bush signed the legislation allowing the borrowing and FEMA notified insurers to resume paying claims from the 2005 hurricane season.
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Excess flood insurance?
After Katrina, many home owners with flood insurance wished they had taken out more coverage with little-known excess flood insurance policies. These policies are available, but too few know about them.
Full story from Times-Picayune
Have health insurance or lose driver’s license?
That may be the dilemma faced by Massachusetts residents. If that proves successful, will New Jersey be far behind?
There are many troubling aspects to this proposal, but the main problem is that it may be mandatory and would hurt those who can least afford to lose their driving privileges. If you can’t drive to work, how can you earn enough to pay for health insurance?
Is your home a pre-holiday warehouse?
Black Friday is over and many of the gifts your family purchased are stored in closets, under beds, in the garage, or in the attic. Some of these may be very expensive gifts like jewelry, laptop computers, Hi-Def TV’s, and other items that may exceed your homeowner policy’s contents limit.
We’ll be happy to go over your policy with you.
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