Month: January 2022

“As reliance on technology continues to increase, new exposures continue to emerge. As your business grows, make sure your cyber liability coverage grows with it. I am here to help you analyze your needs and make the right coverage decisions to protect your operations from unnecessary risk.“

As technology becomes increasingly important for successful business operations, the value of a strong cyber liability insurance policy will only continue to grow. The continued rise in the amount of information stored and transferred electronically has resulted in a remarkable increase in the potential exposures facing businesses. In an age where a stolen laptop or hacked account can instantly compromise the personal data of thousands of customers, or an ill-advised post on a social media site can be read by hundreds in a matter of minutes, protecting yourself from cyber liability is just as important as some of the more traditional exposures businesses account for in their general commercial liability policies.

Why Cyber Liability Insurance?

A traditional business liability policy is extremely unlikely to protect against most cyber exposures. Standard commercial policies are written to insure against injury or physical loss and will do little, if anything, to shield you from electronic damages and the associated costs they may incur. Exposures are vast, ranging from the content you put on your website to stored customer data. Awareness of the potential cyber liabilities your company faces is essential to managing risk through proper coverage.

Possible exposures covered by a typical cyber liability policy may include the following:

· Data breaches: Increased government regulations have placed more responsibility on companies to protect clients’ personal information. In the event of a breach, notification of the affected parties is now required by law. This will add to costs that will also include security fixes, identity theft protection for the affected and protection from possible legal action. While companies operating online are at a heightened risk, even companies that don’t transmit personal data over the internet, but still store it in electronic form, could be susceptible to breaches through data lost to unauthorized employee access or hardware theft.

· Intellectual property rights: Your company’s online presence, whether it be through a corporate website, blogs or social media, opens you up to some of the same exposures faced by publishers. This can include libel, copyright or trademark infringement and defamation, among other things.

· Damages to a third-party system: If an email sent from your server has a virus that crashes the system of a customer, or the software your company distributes fails, resulting in a loss for a third party, you could be held liable for the damages.

· System failure: A natural disaster, malicious activity or fire could all cause physical damages that could result in data or code loss. While the physical damages to your system hardware would be covered under your existing business liability policy, data or code loss due to the incident would not be.

· Cyber extortion: Hackers can hijack websites, networks and stored data, denying access to you or your customers. They often demand money to restore your systems to working order. This can cause a temporary loss of revenue plus generate costs associated with paying the hacker’s demands or rebuilding if damage is done.

· Business interruption: If your primary business operations require the use of computer systems, a disaster that cripples your ability to transmit data could cause you, or a third party that depends on your services, to lose potential revenue. From a server failure to a data breach, such an incident can affect your day-to-day operations. Time and resources that normally would have gone elsewhere will need to be directed towards the problem, which could result in further losses. This is especially important as denial of service attacks by hackers have been on the rise. Such attacks block access to certain websites by either rerouting traffic to a different site or overloading an organization’s server.

Cyber liability insurance is specifically designed to address the risks that come with using modern technology; risks that other types of business liability coverage simply won’t. The level of coverage your business needs is based on your individual operations and can vary depending on your range of exposure. It is important for us to work together to identify your areas of risk so a policy can be tailored to fit your unique situation.

“Although discounts are the main reason people bundle their insurance policies, never assume that bundling is the cheapest option. Your needs and circumstances will dictate whether you should combine your policies with one carrier.“

If you’ve ever shopped around for insurance, you’ve likely been asked if you want to bundle your policies—in other words, combine your home or renters, auto and life insurance policies with the same carrier. Although you have the option to shop around individually for each policy, it almost always makes sense to have the same carrier cover as many of your policies as possible.

Benefits of Bundling

• The discount—Most policyholders bundle their policies because of the promise of a discount. The amount varies by provider but can generally range between 5%-25%.
• The option of a single deductible—With bundled policies, your deductible may be cheaper in the event of a claim that affects multiple policies. For example, if your home and auto policies are with two separate carriers, and a hailstorm damages your home and your car, you’re responsible for paying both your home and auto deductibles before receiving payment. But if you bundle your policies, your provider may offer you the option to pay only the higher of the two deductibles.
• Less chance of being dropped—If you’ve made claims or gotten tickets, having your policies bundled with one provider can decrease the chance of them dropping you.

When it Doesn’t Pay to Bundle

It isn’t always better to bundle your policies with one insurance carrier. Here’s when it may be better to split them up:

• If you have tickets or past claims that make your auto insurance expensive—In this case, it may be cheaper overall to buy each policy from separate providers.
• When premiums increase—Bundling discourages people from price shopping, which makes it easier for providers to increase their rates. Most assume that you won’t go through the effort of shopping around when your policies renew.
• If policies aren’t technically bundled—Some carriers may insure you with an affiliated company. Although you may get a discount with that company, you’ll lose the convenience of paying your premium with one familiar provider.

“2022! Crazy, I didn’t think I would ever write that on a check (yes, I’m still writing checks!) I plan to get more efficient this year and better about TIME. I enjoy seeing pictures of your families and the way you are spending your life too! Let’s welcome Royce, our newest team member to our Insurance Family. Dave, Lani, myself, Darren and Royce will continue to look out for you in 2022!“

Fitness, finances, and weight loss are often the three most popular New Year’s resolutions

As the new year approaches, you may find yourself reflecting on the past year. This introspection is a significant first step toward selecting a New Year’s resolution to help you grow as a person. However, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by mid-February due to a lack of self-discipline, according to U.S. News and World Report. That’s why it’s important to set yourself up for success when you’re choosing a resolution.

Regardless of what you choose as your resolution, make sure it’s a “SMART” goal—one that is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely—to increase the odds that you will stick to it. Here’s what that means:

• Specific—A specific goal is simple and strategic. It’s something you can easily conceptualize. For example, instead of saying you’ll eat healthier, be specific about how you can actually do that (e.g., eat a vegetable at every meal, eat breakfast every day or eat fish twice a week).

• Measurable—A measurable goal is quantified. You’ll be able to see if you’re making progress as you go. For example, if you want to save $500 for your emergency fund or save for a down payment on a home, you’ll be able to track your savings and prove you’re making progress along the way.

• Achievable—An achievable goal is realistic and attainable. If you’ve never worked out before, a daily workout goal won’t likely be feasible or sustainable in the long run. Alternatively, if you’re already taking walks, start with increasing the duration or frequency of them.

· Relevant—A relevant goal needs to make sense or be appropriate to you. You want your goal to matter, so reflect on the past year about what’s working in your life and what’s not. Timing is equally important, so ensure this is the right time for you to tackle the resolution.

· Timely—A timely goal is accomplished within a specific time frame. You can adjust this period as needed and make new goals or deadlines after achieving the first one.

Remember that New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be health-related, so find what matters to you to help you live a better life in 2022.

Don’t Let The Weather Derail Your Workout

If you find it harder to keep up with your workouts as the temperatures drop, you’re not alone. Many Americans find it increasingly difficult to remain committed as the holiday blues, shorter days and less-than-ideal weather create obstacles. Whether you’re a gym-goer or outdoor exerciser, there are simple ways to overcome winter obstacles and keep your fitness on track:

• Remember to warm up. If you’re an outdoor exerciser and the weather is colder, try doing your warmup inside. Not only will you raise your internal body temperature before going outside, but you’ll also increase the temperature of your muscles, which can reduce your risk for injury.
• Prep the night before. If you’re an early morning exerciser, set out everything you need for the next day the night before. Then, all you need to do when your alarm goes off is get up, get dressed and go to the gym.
• Have a backup plan. Even the most dedicated exercisers can lose their motivation. That’s why it’s essential to have a backup workout plan that you can do at home. It doesn’t have to be lengthy, as doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

Staying on top of your fitness during winter can be challenging, but keep pushing and think about why you work out in the first place. Focus on your reason.

The Health Benefits of Being Organized

The new year can signal a fresh start for many. As such, January is dubbed Get Organized Month as many people are eager to tackle their homes’ organization. Decluttering can do more for your health than you may realize. Consider the following health benefits of being organized:

• Boost your energy and productivity. A messy area may make you feel confused or scattered. When your space is clutter-free, you can focus more on meaningful activities.
• Reduce your stress and anxiety. By eliminating clutter, you’ll feel more in control and able to handle challenges that come your way.
• Sleep better. When you keep up with the organization, you can rest easy at night knowing that everything is cleaned up and in its place.
• Eat healthier. Not only does snack and food organization reduce clutter, but it can also help you easily grab healthy options and control portions.

This month is a great time to get organized and set yourself up for a clutter-free year to feel more balanced.