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DESCRIPTION
This magazine is for customers and prospects of Bebis InsuranceTRANSCRIPT
MEGATRENDS TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD
most memorable moments
2013
out of a bad mood
HOW TO GET
INTERVIEW WITHJames white
ASSURANCE
and CyberSecurity
Identity Theft
UnderstandingTerrorismInsurance
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ASSURANCESPOTLIGHT PAST & FUTURE INSURANCE FOOD & HEALTH LIFESTYLE
VOLUME 07 /WINTER 2014
MEGATRENDS TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD
most memorable moments
2013
out of a bad mood
HOW TO GET
IDENTITY THEFT
AUTO THEFT
2013 - 10 MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
MEGATRENDS TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD
CYBER RISKS - THE GROWING THREATgovernment is stepping up its scrutiny of cyber security
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2022
PAST & FUTURE
HOW TO GET OUT OF A BAD MOOD
MAKE A LEMONADE FROM A LEMON5052
FALL & HOLIDAYS
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40
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EMPLOYMENT CHANGE
A GUIDE TO HELP YOU TEACH YOUR CHILDREN POSITIVE SELF-IMAGE THROUGH FITNESS
UNDERSTANDING TERRORISM INSURANCE
5 COMMON MYTHS ABOUT PROTEIN DIET
AT THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT
INSURANCE
FOOD & HEALTH
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DELICIOUS AND HEALTHY SNACKS FORHEALTHY LIVING
The increase in online shopping in recent years has created new avenues for identity thieves.
MOST COMMON RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES 24
DOES YOUR BUSINESS NEED CUSTOM AUTO INSURANCE?
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF LIFE INSURANCE
4 NATURAL WEIGHT LOSS SUPPLEMENTS THAT WORK
GREAT ADVICE FOR LOSING WEIGHT THE HEALTHY WAY
HEALTHY FRUIT DRINK
PRODUCTIVE LIVING
GAMES OF THE PAST MEET THE PRESENT5456
YOUR TEEN WANTS TO GE THEIR DRIVER’S LICENSE
DECLUTTER YOUR HOME IN 11 EASY STEPS
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Auto theft is covered under the comprehensive section of an auto insurance policy
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If you had told George and Connie Bebis they would have their own independent insurance agency with a real estate and financial division all headed under the Bebis Group of Companies back in January of 1989 when they first started out in his unfinished basement, George probably would have laughed it off as impossible. Connie may have seen the glimmer.
Now nipping at the heels of the 25 year milestone at the helm of his company, he relates how the entire office is involved at the end of this month in a unique and timely community outreach Distractology 101. Featured on the Today Show and designed by a professor at George’s Alma Mater The University of Massachusetts; Distractology 101 is a mobile simulator helping educate and train drivers - focusing on the younger, less experienced ones - to understand the dangers and possible life-changing consequences of distracted driving. Visit http://www.distractu.com/ to enroll or see the video and full info at https://www.arbella.com/arbella-insurance/why-arbella/arbella-insurance-foundation/distractology-101
Knowing the joys and challenges of raising three children, George speaks of community and family and the very atmosphere in the room changes; the contagion that is his enthusiasm moves the listener to want to do something to help someone somewhere. As part of their mission statement speaks of integrity, honesty and being dedicated to helping people in their community, it is easy to see why there is a loyal and stable staff willing to take the journey alongside him. He didn’t set out to be a role model or an inspiration, but along the way this son of a Greek Orthodox priest and local New England entrepreneur has done just that.
Early in their marriage, and always in the trenches together, George and Connie moved to Roswell, Georgia where he began in the insurance industry with Prudential Life and found the niche that was to be the basis for that yet unknown future busi-ness.
As children began to enter the picture, and knowing the importance of them having grandparents involved in their lives, they longed for the strong family ties they left back in Massachusetts. Through those family ties, George was able to bring his family home and began working with his dad’s friend specializing in property and casualty in an independent agency.
He found he really enjoyed having the ability to help his clients and as Massachusetts’ first Aetna Prime Agent he contrib-uted to the growth of the agency making it stronger. Through other endeavors and educating himself in the real estate and financial arenas he was ready to strike out ‘to do his own thing and never looked back’ in 1989.
Always continuing to further his credentials he is now armed with his series 6 and 63 license as a registered representative through Fortune Financial Services in Brighton PA. and has earned his CPIA designation. He also handles retirement plan-ning through his Bebco division.
George’s mode of work hard, work steady; grow slow, grow strong, proved successful. When the pace of growth began to encroach on other areas of the house, he surfaced from the basement and moved his office to a converted 350 square foot office (formerly a garage) early in June of 1989. As the business and family grew, Connie left the dental hygienist field less than five years later to help in the office and evolved into the personal lines manager where she is known for helping clients with unabated commitment. In 1996 they moved to their current location and added more office personnel. While it had not always been so clear a path in front of them, they were on their way!
Today as George and Connie drive to the office they love, they realize it is a privilege and humbling responsibility what they do. In passing a neighbor’s home, George knows that they are ‘protecting their assets and possessions’ and that gives both a sense of pride of ownership and being an integral part of the community. Among those neighbors in this small New England community who have benefited almost from the very beginning are fellow Lakeville entrepreneurs, Brian and Pat Clarey whose own story is also shared here. Lest you think George and Connie are ready to hang up the ‘Gone Fishin’ sign and rest on their laurels, handing the reigns over to their son Alex – also a graduate of his beloved University of Mass – he can’t imagine doing anything else and plans to continue for decades to steer the Bebis Group of Companies to continue make their mark for Lakeville, Mass and beyond.
WWW.THEBEBISGROUP.COM
STAFF SPOTLIGHTSTAFF SPOTLIGHT Bebis Group of Companies: George Bebis
The New Year is a wonderful time. It is a time to reflect on the past and to dream for the future. A new year offers a clean, new slate for all of us to use our ingenuity and energy to create a brand new world for ourselves, our families and our businesses.
I would like to encourage you to take some time to think about what you want from 2014. Think about things you were not about to accomplish last year. What kept you from meeting your goals? How can you overcome these obstacles this year?
The wonderful thing about a new year is that we are all given the same raw materials to work with. We all have 365 days. We all have 24 hours every day. Some many have more resources than others, but we all have the same amount of time. It is up to each one of us to decide how we choose to use this wonderful gift.
Think about sitting down with family members and friends and share your dreams and goals. Put them down on paper. Place them on your wall where you can see them every day. Make yourself accountable to someone, even if it just yourself, to accomplish your goals. These are not new ideas. As a matter of fact, they are old but true. The problem is that we tend to forget them.
From our family to yours, we wish you the most prosperous and happy new year.
From the EDITOR
Ted BakerEditor
MAINSTREET BUSINESS OWNERS LIKE YOU ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF AMERICA. OUR ECONOMY DEPENDS ON YOU AND YOUR SUCCESS. THAT’S WHY WE PARTNER WITH BUSINESSES JUST LIKE YOU TO MAKE CERTAIN YOU STAY STRONG IN THESE TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES. FIND OUT THE DIFFERENCE AN INVOLVED INSURANCE PROFESSIONAL CAN MAKE.
EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY, AMERICAN’S ARE HARD AT WORK
MAIL QUOTE
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PAST & FUTURE
BUILT IN CONCRETETiur sitatur, simincte lacessin eos adi quae quam faccaturi iducienisi cullore henduntia pore.
250,000
500,000
750,000
1,000,000
1,250,000
1,500,000
1,750,000
2,000,000
2010 2011 2012
1,467,255
(1) Percentages are based on the total number of Consumer Sentinel Network complaints by calendar year. These figures exclude "Do Not Call" registry complaints.
Source: Federal Trade Commission.
IDENTITY THEFT AND FRAUD COMPLAINTS, 2010-2012 (1)
818,239
397,927
251,089
1,895,012
1,038,966
576,820
279,226
2,061,495
1,074,937
617,426
369,13217%
27%
56%
15%
30%
55%
18%
30%
52%
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IDENTITY THEFTAND CYBER SECURITY
As businesses increasingly depend on electronic data and computer
networks to conduct their daily operations, growing pools of personal and financial information are being transferred and stored online. This can leave individuals exposed to privacy violations and financial institutions and other businesses exposed to potentially enormous liability, if and when a breach in data security occurs.
The Consumer Sentinel database, maintained by the Federal Trade Commission, contains over 8 million consumer fraud and identity theft complaints that have been filed with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and private organizations over the five years 2008 to 2012. In 2012 alone, 2 million complaints were filed.The increase in online
shopping in recent years has created new avenues for identity thieves. However, a study by Travelers Insurance of its 2011 identity claims found that burglary and theft of physical objects led to the majority of identity theft claims. The study identified the following five top causes of identity fraud:
• Burglary and theft of a wallet, purse, personal identification or computer (73 percent)
• Online or data breach (15 percent)
• Forgery (10 percent)• Change of address/postal
fraud (2 percent)
BELOWChart graph of Identity Theft and Fraud Complaints
Cyber Risks: The Growing ThreatClick to view video
PAST & FUTURE
STATE
COMPLAINTS PER 100,000
POPULATION (1)
NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS
RANK(2) STATE
COMPLAINTS PER 100,000
POPULATION (1)
NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS
RANK (2)
Alabama 104.9 5,060 10 Montana 49.8 501 47
Alaska 51.7 378 45 Nebraska 57.6 1,068 37
Arizona 107.3 7,032 8 Nevada 109.9 3,032 6
Arkansas 74.4 2,195 28 New Hampshire 59.2 782 36
California 122.7 46,658 3 New Jersey 95.1 8,430 14
Colorado 93.8 4,864 15 New Mexico 89.1 1,858 18
Connecticut 81.2 2,915 22 New York 110.1 21,538 5
Delaware 98.4 902 13 North Carolina 81.1 7,910 23
Florida 361.3 69,795 1 North Dakota 41.2 288 49
Georgia 193.9 19,232 2 Ohio 77.0 8,891 26
Hawaii 47.3 658 48 Oklahoma 67.8 2,586 32
Idaho 56.7 905 38 Oregon 63.3 2,467 35
Illinois 100.9 12,993 11 Pennsylvania 88.7 11,324 19
Indiana 67.5 4,412 33 Rhode Island 91.7 963 16
Iowa 52.3 1,608 43 South Carolina 90.6 4,282 17
Kansas 72.0 2,077 30 South Dakota 39.6 330 50
Kentucky 56.2 2,463 39 Tennessee 88.1 5,690 20
Louisiana 87.6 4,031 21 Texas 108.6 28,299 7
Maine 50.1 666 46 Utah 55.5 1,586 40
Maryland 105.0 6,178 9 Vermont 52.1 326 44
Massachusetts 73.4 4,879 29 Virginia 80.8 6,616 24
Michigan 122.2 12,075 4 Washington 77.9 5,373 25
Minnesota 63.9 3,437 34 West Virginia 54.0 1,002 42
Mississippi 100.2 2,990 12 Wisconsin 70.8 4,055 31
Missouri 74.8 4,505 27 Wyoming 55.2 318 41
IDENTITY THEFT BY STATE, 2012
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CYBER SECURITY
In 2000 the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance joined together to create the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) to monitor Internet-related criminal complaints. In 2012 the IC3 received and processed 289,874 complaints, averaging more than 24,000 complaints per month. The IC3 reports that 114,908 of these complaints involved a dollar loss, and puts total dollar losses at $525 million. The most common complaints received in 2012 included FBI impersonation email scams, various intimidation crimes, and scams that used computer “scareware” to extort money from Internet users.
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
400,000
450,000
500,000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
275,284
72,940
336,655
146,663
303,809
121,710
314,246
116,830
289,874
114,908
(1) Based on complaints submitted to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Source: Internet Crime Complaint Center.
CYBER CRIME COMPLAINTS, 2008-2012 (1)
RANK STATE PERCENT
1 California 13.41%
2 Florida 7.98
3 Texas 7.22
4 New York 5.70
5 New Jersey 3.81
6 Pennsylvania 3.70
7 Illinois 3.50
8 Virginia 3.30
9 Ohio 3.05
10 Washington 2.72
TYPE OF IDENTITY THEFT FRAUD PERCENT
Government documents or benefits fraud 46%
Credit card fraud 13
Phone or utilities fraud 10
Bank fraud (2) 6
Employment-related fraud 5
Attempted identity theft 7
Loan fraud 2
Other identity theft 19
TOP TEN STATES FOR CYBER CRIME, 2012 (1)
HOW VICTIMS' INFORMATION IS
MISUSED, 2012 (1)
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PAST & FUTURE
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Amid a rising num-ber of high profile cyber attacks—most recently at Twitter, LinkedIn
and Yahoo—government is stepping up its scrutiny of cyber security. This is leading to increased calls for legisla-tion and regulation, placing the burden on companies to demonstrate that the infor-mation provided by custom-ers and clients is properly safeguarded online.
Despite the fact that cyber risks and cyber security are widely acknowledged to be a serious threat, a majority of companies today still do not purchase cyber risk insur-ance, though this is changing. Recent industry analysis sug-gests that more companies are now purchasing cyber coverage and that insurance has a key role to play as com-panies and individuals look to better manage and reduce
their potential financial losses from cyber risks in future. Data shows that companies are learning from past cyber attacks and breaches. There is evidence companies are becoming better at managing the costs incurred to resolve a data breach incident and for the first time in seven years both the organization cost of a data breach and the cost per lost or stolen record declined in 2011.
LEFT
Data shows that companies are learning from past cyber attacks and breaches.
CYBER RISKS: THE GROWING THREATby Dr. Robert P. Hartwig, CPCU and Claire Wilkinson
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PAST & FUTURE
AUTOTHEFT
• 721,053 motor vehicles were reported stolen in the U.S. in 2012, up 0.6 percent from 2011, according to the FBI.
• A motor vehicle was stolen in the U.S. every 44 seconds in 2012.
• Eight of the top 10 cities with the highest rate of vehicle theft in 2012 were in California, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
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Auto theft is cov-ered under the comprehensive section of an auto insurance
policy. Theft coverage applies to the loss of the vehicles as well as parts of the car such as airbags. Comprehen-sive coverage, which is not mandatory, also pays for fire, vandalism and weather-relat-ed damage including damage from flooding and earth-
quakes. Premium rates for comprehensive insurance are affected by the risk of loss, meaning the likelihood that an insured car will be stolen or damaged, and also the car’s value at the time of the loss. The dollar size of claims has been going up, reflecting the higher value of new cars on the road, the value of the cars that are targets for theft or are damaged and the cost of vehicle bodywork. Vehi-cle bodywork costs include replacing stolen components. Nationally, more than 75,000
airbags are stolen every year.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the number of U.S. motor vehicle thefts rose 0.6 percent from 2011 to 2012, the first annual increase since 2003. In 2012 the value of stolen motor vehicles was more than $4.3 billion. The average value of a motor vehicle reported stolen in 2012 was $6,019. The nationwide rate of motor vehicle thefts was 229.7 per 100,000 people.
THEFT AFFECTS THE PRICE OF OUR VEHICLES
The dollar size of claims has been going up, reflect-ing the higher value of new cars on the road
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the number of U.S. motor vehicle thefts rose 0.6 percent from 2011 to 2012
Filing An Auto ClaimClick to view video
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PAST & FUTURE
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Auto theft is covered under the comprehensive sec-tion of an auto insurance policy. Theft coverage ap-plies to the loss of the ve-
hicles as well as parts of the car such as airbags. Comprehensive coverage, which is not mandatory, also pays for fire, vandalism and weather-relat-ed damage including damage from flooding and earthquakes. Premium rates for comprehensive insurance are affected by the risk of loss, mean-ing the likelihood that an insured car will be stolen or damaged, and also the car’s value at the time of the loss. The dollar size of claims has been going up, reflecting the higher value of new cars on the road, the value of the cars that are targets for theft or are damaged and the cost of vehicle bodywork. Vehicle bodywork costs include replacing stolen components. Nationally, more than 75,000 airbags are stolen every year.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the number of U.S. motor vehicle thefts rose 0.6 percent from 2011 to 2012, the first annual increase since 2003. In 2012 the val-ue of stolen motor vehicles was more than $4.3 billion. The average value of a motor vehicle reported stolen in 2012 was $6,019. The nationwide rate of motor vehicle thefts was 229.7
per 100,000 people.KEY STATISTICS• 2012 Theft Statistics: According to the Federal
Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Re-ports, a motor vehicle was stolen in the U.S. every 44 seconds. The odds of a vehicle being stolen were 1 in 351 in 2011 (latest data available, based on motor vehicle registrations from the Federal Highway Ad-ministration, thefts from the FBI and calculated by the Insurance Information Institute). The odds are highest in urban areas.
• U.S. motor vehicle thefts rose 0.6 percent from 2011 to 2012, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports. In 2012, 721,053 motor vehicles were reported stolen.
• In 2012 the West accounted for the largest share of thefts—37.0 percent, followed by the South, with 34.8 percent. The Midwest accounted for 18.6 per-cent of thefts and the Northeast for 9.7 percent.
• Nationwide the 2012 motor vehicle theft rate per 100,000 people was 229.7, down 0.1 percent from 230.0 in 2011. The highest rate was reported in the West, 362.5, up 9.1 percent from 332.2 in 2011. The rate of motor vehicles stolen was 213.7 in the South, down 4.6 percent from 2011; 199.2 in the Midwest, down 3.4 percent; and 124.9 in the Northeast, down 8.8 percent.
• In 2012 only 11.9 percent of thefts were cleared, either by arrests or by exceptional means, compared with 20.4 percent for arson and 19.0 percent for all property crimes.
• More than half (56.1 percent) of the value of locally stolen motor vehicles was recovered in 2012, the highest rate for all types of property stolen.
• Autos accounted for 73.9 percent of all motor vehi-cles stolen in 2012, trucks and buses accounted for 15.2 percent and other vehicles for 10.9 percent.
• Insurance Premiums: The average comprehensive
RANKMETROPOLITAN
STATISTICAL AREA (1)
VEHICLES STOLEN
RATE (2)
1 Modesto, CA 4,260 816.52
2 Fresno, CA 7,563 797.87
3 Bakersfield, CA 6,797 793.90
4 Stockton-Lodi, CA 4,940 703.09
5 Yakima, WA 1,665 674.15
6 San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 28,220 633.37
7 San Jose-Sunnyva-le-Santa Clara, CA 11,810 623.42
8 Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 2,615 621.50
9 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 3,025 568.34
10 Redding, CA 938 525.24
RANK STATEVEHICLES
STOLENRANK STATE
VEHICLES STOLEN
1 California 168,608 1 Vermont 435
2 Texas 64,996 2 Wyoming 584
3 Florida 37,330 3 Maine 995
4 Georgia 28,536 4 New Hampshire 1,023
5 Washington 26,402 5 South Dakota 1,065
6 Illinois 25,690 6 North Dakota 1,151
7 Michigan 25,115 7 Idaho 1,364
8 Ohio 19,512 8 Delaware 1,436
9 Arizona 19,158 9 Alaska 1,522
10 New York 17,348 10 Montana 1,689
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RANKMETROPOLITAN
STATISTICAL AREA (1)
VEHICLES STOLEN
RATE (2)
1 Modesto, CA 4,260 816.52
2 Fresno, CA 7,563 797.87
3 Bakersfield, CA 6,797 793.90
4 Stockton-Lodi, CA 4,940 703.09
5 Yakima, WA 1,665 674.15
6 San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 28,220 633.37
7 San Jose-Sunnyva-le-Santa Clara, CA 11,810 623.42
8 Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 2,615 621.50
9 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 3,025 568.34
10 Redding, CA 938 525.24
RANK MODEL THEFTS
1 Nissan Altima 921
2 Chevrolet Impala 778
3 Chevrolet Malibu 727
4 Toyota Camry 665
5 Ford Fusion 655
6 Ford Pickup (Full size) 595
7 Ford Focus 523
8 Chrysler 200 449
9 Dodge Charger 416
10 Dodge Avenger 412
YEAR VEHICLES STOLENPERCENT CHANGE
2003 1,261,226 1.2%
2004 1,237,851 -1.9
2005 1,235,859 -0.2
2006 1,198,245 -3.0
2007 1,100,472 -8.2
2008 959,059 -12.9
2009 795,652 -17.0
2010 739,565 -7.0
2011 716,508 -3.1
2012 721,053 0.6
• Motorcycles Theft: The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) said that motorcycle thefts fell 1 percent in 2012 from a year earlier, based on data from the National Crime Information Center of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The NICB noted that motorcycle thefts fell in 2012 while motorcycle sales increased.
• The NICB’s report also details the seasonal nature of motorcycle thefts. More motorcycles are stolen during warm months—July and August had the most motorcycle thefts in 2012 while December and January had the least. The top five makes stolen in 2012, from highest to lowest, were American Honda Motor Co., Yamaha Motor Corporation, American Suzuki Motor Corporation, Kawasaki Motors Corp., and Harley-Davidson Inc. California had the most motorcycle thefts in 2012, followed by Florida and Texas. By city, New York City had the most thefts, followed by Las Vegas, NV and San Diego, CA. The top five states in motorcycle theft, shown in the chart below, accounted for 40 percent of total U.S. motorcycle thefts.
• The recovery rate was 39 percent for 2012 motorcycle thefts. The number of motorcycles recovered rose 3 percent from 2011 to 2012. The full NICB report can be found at https://www.nicb.org/newsroom/news-releases/2012-motorcycle-theft-and-recovery-report.
PAST & FUTURE
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Bebis Insurance Customer Spotlight• Motorcycles Theft: The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) said that mo-torcycle thefts fell 1 percent in 2012 from a year earlier, based on data from the National Crime Information Center of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The NICB noted that motorcycle thefts fell in 2012 while motorcycle sales increased.
• The NICB’s report also details the seasonal nature of motor-cycle thefts. More motorcy-cles are stolen during warm months—July and August had the most motorcycle thefts in 2012 while December and January had the least. The top five makes stolen in 2012, from highest to lowest, were American Honda Motor Co., Yamaha Motor Corporation, American Suzuki Motor Cor-poration, Kawasaki Motors Corp., and Harley-Davidson Inc. California had the most motorcycle thefts in 2012, followed by Florida and Texas. By city, New York City had the most thefts, followed by Las Vegas, NV and San Diego, CA. The top five states in mo-torcycle theft, shown in the chart below, accounted for 40 percent of total U.S. motorcy-cle thefts.
• The recovery rate was 39 percent for 2012 motor-cycle thefts. The number of motorcycles recovered rose 3 percent from 2011 to 2012. The full NICB report can be found at https://www.nicb.org/newsroom/news-releases/2012-motor-cycle-theft-and-recovery-re-port.
BACKGROUND
Federal Antitheft Legislation: Federal intervention to combat
car theft began in 1919 with passage of the Dyer Act, which made interstate transportation of stolen vehicles a federal crime. In 1984 Congress passed the Motor Vehicle Theft Law Enforcement Act, which toughened penalties by bringing theft of vehicle parts under federal racketeering stat-utes and by imposing heavy fines and prison terms for violations of export laws. It also required man-ufacturers to stamp identification numbers on major car compo-nents, making it easier to trace parts taken from vehicles stolen for dismantling.
The Act also required that vehicles be made available for inspection prior to export and expanded U.S. Customs officials’ powers of inspection and arrest in response to the growing inter-national nature of motor vehicle theft. Cars and car parts stolen in the United States often wind up on overseas markets. Insurers or their designated agents are required to inform the Secretary of Transportation of vehicle theft and recovery and of rating data used to set insurance premiums for motor vehicles.
Another 1984 federal law made it a federal offense to counterfeit or forge motor vehicle title certifi-cates. In 1985 the Department of Transportation required that 14 major vehicles parts be inscribed with a 17-digit vehicle identifica-tion number (VIN).
The Anti-Car Theft Act, enacted in 1992, made armed auto theft, known as “carjacking,” a federal crime. In 1994 the passage of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act made carjack-ing resulting in death a federal crime punishable by death. Also under the Act repair shops that sell or install marked used parts must check VINs against the FBI’s
stolen car database through a national clearinghouse or risk fines. Additional provisions provided start-up funding linking all state motor vehicle depart-ments to ensure access to titles; required states to check VINs of out-of-state cars before issuing a title to a new owner; required the Customs Office to perform spot checks of cars and containers leaving the country; required in-surers to certify that the salvaged or junked vehicles they sell are not stolen; and established a grant program for state and local an-ti-car theft committees that was funded by car taxes or fees.
In response to Title II of the An-ti-Car Theft Act combating title fraud, the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMV-TIS) was established. The system enables jurisdictions to verify the validity of titles prior to issuing new ones. It also curbs fraud associated with junk or salvage titles by recording this data in the system and preventing the sale of salvaged vehicles without disclos-ing this information. According to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, which manages the NMVTIS, as of December 2008 only 13 states had integrated the system’s online transactions into their titling systems, enabling them to make inquiries. Twelve states had provided files of all active titles and brands to the system, but do not make inquiries. Eleven more states are developing the capabil-ity to provide data and/or make inquiries.
The NMVTIS has the potential to track all vehicles by their vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and could be a valuable tool in terror-ism-related investigations. The 1993 World Trade Center bomb-ing was solved when authorities traced the truck that carried the
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TOP FIVE MAKES STOLEN, 2012
TOP FIVE STATES IN MOTORCYCLETHEFTS, 2012
TOP FIVE CITIES IN MOTORCYCLETHEFTS, 2012
1. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. 9,082 1. California 6,082 1. New York City, NY 903
2. Yamaha Motor Corporation 7,517 2. Florida 4,110 2. Las Vegas, NE 757
3. American Suzuki Motor Cor-poration 7,017 3. Texas 3,400 3. San Diego, CA 633
4. Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA 4,839 4. North Carolina 2,574 4. Indianapolis, IN 584
5. Harley-Davidson Inc. 3,755 5. Indiana 2,334 5. Miami, Fl 535
explosives to its owners by its VIN. The NMVTIS can also aid law enforcement in curtailing VIN cloning, where thieves steal a VIN number from a legal vehicle and make a counterfeit VIN plate for a stolen vehicle.
Other Measures To Combat Auto Theft: The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) combats auto theft by investigating cases referred to it by insurers and through its online databases. The databases allow member insurance companies to search files by driver identification data and also by license plate numbers, VINs and component vehicle part and type numbers. Information leading to the identification of the vehicle used in the World Trade Center bombing of 1993 was obtained through an NICB database that allows the user to enter a partial VIN. The complete VIN was re-constructed and matched to a van stolen from a truck rental company on the day of the bombing. The search service (VINCheck) is available to the public.
In the 1980s states and regions experiencing high auto thefts began to form Anti-Car Theft (ACT) groups funded by grants from coalitions of law enforcement groups, state funds, insurers and consumers to pro-mote public awareness of vehicle theft and lobby for the passage of state legislation aimed at combating thefts. At least 13 states (Arizona, California, Colora-do, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Vir-ginia) have created Automobile Theft Prevention Au-thorities (ATPAs), mostly funded by a small surcharge on drivers licenses or registration fees, or on auto in-surance policies sold in the state. Michigan pioneered the ATPA concept in 1986, allocating $1 from each auto insurance policy and channeling the funds toward combating auto theft. Michigan’s program, called Help Eliminate Auto Theft (HEAT) includes a hotline for residents to report thefts and chop shop operations. In the 25 years since the program was instituted in 1985, information forwarded to HEAT has resulted in the recovery of more than 4,200 vehicles, valued at more than $51 million, and has led to the arrest of almost 3,400 suspects.
ATPAs and other state entities such as ACT groups use
a wide range of programs to fight auto theft. Besides HEAT hotline programs, Combat Auto Theft (CAT) programs involve auto owners who voluntarily put stickers on their windshields that alert police that they can stop the car for a theft check after a certain hour. High-theft metropolitan areas have instituted task forces to combat auto theft. In Newark, New Jersey, a task force helped reduce the city’s theft rate from the highest in the United States in 1991 to sixteenth in 1996.
Component Theft: More than 75,000 airbags are stolen every year, according to estimates by the Insurance Information Institute. NICB says that airbag theft costs insurers and vehicle owners more than $50 million a year. New airbags cost about $1,000 from a car dealer; on the black market the cost is between $50 and $200. To thwart thieves, steering wheel covers used with a steel bar steering wheel lock are available. New York combats airbag theft by requiring accident reports to note airbag deployment, and speci-fies procedures for auto repair shops to follow when replacing stolen or deployed airbags. Xenon headlights and global positioning systems (GPS) are also popular with thieves. By mid-2008, insurers and the NICB had observed a growing nationwide trend in the theft of catalytic converters. These components contain small amounts of platinum and palladium, precious metals whose value has risen with the use of catalytic converters and the growth in popularity of platinum jewelery.
Antitheft Devices: Consumers spend hundreds of mil-lions of dollars on vehicle security devices. Electronic tracking devices such as LoJack use a hidden transmit-ter to allow police to track the vehicle. (LoJack, which operates in 26 states and the District of Columbia claims a better-than 90 percent recovery rate.) These tracking devices not only help police find individual stolen vehicles but lead them to chop shops, thwart the export of stolen motor vehicles and lead to the recovery of expensive building construction vehicles as well as passenger cars. Some insurers offer their policyholders a LoJack tracking system at a discount-ed price along with premium discounts.
PAST & FUTURE
20
Individual empowerment will accelerate substantially during the next 15-20 years owing to poverty reduction
and a huge growth of the global middle class, greater educational attainment, and better healthcare. This
is the most important megatrend because it is both a cause and effect of most other trends - including the
expanding global economy, rapid growth of developing countries, and widespread exploitation of new commu-
nications and manufacturing technologies.
The growth of the global middle class constitutes a tectonic shift. For the first time, a majority of the world’s
population will not be impoverished, and the middle classes will be the most important social and economic
sector in the vast majority of countries around the world.
MEGATREND 1: INDIVIDUAL EMPOWERMENT
Demand for food, water and energy will grow by approximately 35, 40 and 50 per cent respectively between now and 2030 as
a result of an increase in global population and the consumption patterns of an expanding middle class. Climate change will worsen
the outlook for the availability of these critical commodities in many countries, including those in the Middle East and parts of
Africa. Tackling problems pertaining to one commodity won’t be possible without affecting supply and demand for the other two. For example, agriculture is highly dependent on accessibility to adequate sources of water as well as on energy-rich fertilizers.
In another tectonic shift, the US would likely become energy independent and perhaps even an exporter of energy. Due to
hydraulic fracturing technologies, the US has regained its position as the world’s largest natural gas producer and expanded the life
of its reserves from 30 to 100 years. Addition crude oil production through ”fracking” drilling technologies on difficult-to-reach oil
deposits could result in a big reduction in US net trade balance and
improved overall economic growth.
The megatrends and the related tectonic shifts described abo-ve will create massive transformations to the world that we live
in today. Most of us don’t like such drastic changes - in fact we find it difficult to even accept the idea. As the great economist
John Maynard Keynes succinctly put it in 1937: ”the idea of the future being different from the present is so repugnant to our conventional modes of thought and behavior that we, most of us, offer a great resistance to acting on it in practice”. But these megatrends are already here - they are not vague predictions. So either we adapt and embrace the coming changes or we get
left behind. That is the choice we have.
Barbara Meynert is the founder of http://www.sagevita.com. Sage Vita, which means a life of wisdom, advocates a lifestyle that will enable us to live not only longer but also well and to
engage in lifelong learning and with the world around us. Come and visit Sage Vita to learn more guidelines and information along a number of dimensions - including physical, mental,
spiritual, social, and financial at http://www.sagevita.com
MEGATREND 4: GROWING FOOD, WATER AND ENERGY NEXUS
WE CAN EMBRACE CHANGE OR GET LEFT BEHIND
MEGATRENDS TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD
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Demand for food, water and energy will grow by approximately 35, 40 and 50 per cent respectively between now and 2030 as
a result of an increase in global population and the consumption patterns of an expanding middle class. Climate change will worsen
the outlook for the availability of these critical commodities in many countries, including those in the Middle East and parts of
Africa. Tackling problems pertaining to one commodity won’t be possible without affecting supply and demand for the other two. For example, agriculture is highly dependent on accessibility to adequate sources of water as well as on energy-rich fertilizers.
In another tectonic shift, the US would likely become energy independent and perhaps even an exporter of energy. Due to
hydraulic fracturing technologies, the US has regained its position as the world’s largest natural gas producer and expanded the life
of its reserves from 30 to 100 years. Addition crude oil production through ”fracking” drilling technologies on difficult-to-reach oil
deposits could result in a big reduction in US net trade balance and
improved overall economic growth.
MEGATREND 4: GROWING FOOD, WATER AND ENERGY NEXUS
MEGATRENDS TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD
The diffusion of power among countries will have a most dramatic impact by 2030. Asia will have surpas-sed North America and Europe combined in terms of
global power - based upon GDP, population size, milita-ry spending and technological investment. China alone will probably have the largest economy, surpassing that
of the US by 2030.
In a tectonic shift, the health of the global economy increasingly will be linked to how well the developing world does - more so than the traditional West. The shift in national power may be overshadowed by an even more fundamental shift in the nature of power.
Enabled by communications technologies, power will shift toward multifaceted and amorphous networks
that will form to influence state and global actions. To be effective, even countries with the strongest funda-
mentals will have to learn to operate in networks and coalitions, including with
non-state actors, in a multipolar world.
By 2030, the world’s population will be around 8.3 billion, up from 7.1 billion in 2012. Certain key demographic trends will fundamentally shape most countries’ economic and political conditions as well as relations among countries. These trends are: ageing populations,
growing urbanization, and global migration. These are trends that I have addressed in some earlier articles.
Ageing is a tectonic shift for both the West and increasingly most developing countries. Ageing countries will face an uphill battle to
maintain their living standards. Due to shrinking labor force in ageing societies, demand for both skilled and unskilled labor will expand,
spurring mass migration, which will become increasingly a cross bor-der issue. Growing urbanization is another tectonic shift - for the first time in human history, there will be more people living in urban than rural areas. This will spur economic growth but could put new strains on food and water as well as other resources. For example, owing to the rapid urbanization in the developing world, the volume of urban
construction for housing, office space and transport services over the next 40 years could roughly equal the entire volume of such construc-
tion to-date in world history.
MEGATREND 3: DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERNS
MEGATREND 2: DIFFUSION OF POWER
10 Typhoon Haiyan
most memorable moments
One of the strongest cyclones on record, this storm, and the damage it brought, was the biggest single weather event bringing mass devastation for the year. Thousands were killed (5,822 confirmed) and millions misplaced. It devastated porti-ons of South-east Asia. Winds that topped 270kph (167mph or 75m/s) were officially recor-ded. This hurricane has broken a plethora of records. Its damage bill is $2.4 Billion (USD).
7 North Korea Situation
In February, North Korea conducts its third un-derground nuclear test and receives widespread condemnation. Of bigger concern to world leaders is the unpredictability of North Korea’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un.
8 National and World Information Security Leaks
2013 will be long remembered for several instances where leaked classified documents caused international embarras-sment and local pressure.
9Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage
There are now twenty countries that have recognised same-sex marriages, though many of the-se, like in the United States, only small portions, or States, have passed laws. Same-sex marriage is now a global discussion point and debate on its merits and problems is an agenda item for almost every country.
6 Pope Benedict XVI Resigns
The first Pope to resign from the Papal Office since Pope Gregory XII in 1415 (who was forced to, due to the Western Schism), and the first Pope to resign un-der his own initiative since 1294, Pope Benedict XVI resigns due to declining health and old age. The re-signation process commen-ced on February 11 and concluded on February 28.
5 Developments in the Middle East
Egyptian President Mo-hamed Morsi is deposed by the military with Adly Mansour appointed interim president. Also, tensions and political unrest in Syria reach crisis point.
4 Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi is Burmese opposition politician and chairperson of the National League for Democracy in Bur-ma, and the most prominent contemporary political priso-ner in the world. She was released in 2010. Akin to Nelson Mandala - but in reverse (she was President in 1990 and was then under house arrest) - Aung San Suu Kyi stated in June that she will run for the 2015 Myanmar presidency in what is likely to be a massive regional development should she win and be allowed to govern.
3 The Boston Marathon Bombing
Although there were relatively few fatalities and casualties, the scale of terrorism - to strike at the world’s oldest marat-hon event, and one of six ’majors’ - defied belief, much the same as London (2005) and Bali (2002), but on a scale far less than September 11, 2001 in New York City. Three died and 264 were injured.
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PAST & FUTURE
2013
Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the 266th Pope) becomes the first Pope to wash the feet of women in the Maundy Thursday service. Pope Francis seems to continue a more liberal and more compassionate stance from the Papacy than the traditional Roman Catholic Church might be remembered for.
2 1The Twentieth century’s paragon for peace, unprecedented in the scale of both his personal suffering and global impact he made for good, died peacefully, aged 95. Twenty-seven years of hard imprisonment at Robben Island preceded his single-handed unification of a broken South Africa in the 1990s. Perhaps most enduring of ’Madiba’s’ legacies, however, is his personifica-tion of grace; his unstinting forgiveness of his transgressors.
Pope Francis takes Papacy
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’s Death
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You may have heard politicians talking about the desire to reach energy independence. No idea what that means? Well, currently, in the United States we consume more energy than we produce which means we need to pur-chase energy from other places. Right now most of the energy we purchase is in the form of barrels of crude oil for different places around the globe. There are many different ideas about how we should work to achieve en-ergy independence. Some people believe that tapping into the petroleum resources in the parks and of shore ar-
eas in and around the United States is the way to become more energy independent. Environmental groups and a number of others with long term vision for our country have an alternative plan that includes developing more eco-friendly energy options. Here is a breakdown of some of the most commonly used green energy sources. Solar power is one of the most widely used green energy sources. Capturing the reliable rays of the sun using specially designed solar panel cells and transferring that energy for use in a number of ways is an effective way to reduce our need to buy energy from other coun-tries. Solar energy is often used to heat water, provide electricity to power lights and other machinery, and it can even be used to run the heating or cooling systems in our homes and offices. Another commonly used form of green energy is wind power. Windmills have been used for centuries but new developments in the wind power industry are making it a more viable source of energy for more people. In areas of the country where windy days are common, constructing windmills that turn as the wind blows helps to capture the power of the wind. As the wind mill turns, they cause a rotation in turbines and that generates electricity. Hydropower is another common alternative energy source. Perhaps the most widely known example of hydropower is the hoover dam. As the water from the river rushes over the man-made dam it spins turbines and produces electricity. The energy that is created at the hoover dam each day helps to power cities in states as far away
SOLAR POWERis one of the most widely used green energy sources.
MOST COMMONRENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCESMost common renewable energy sources.
PAST & FUTURE
25
MOST COMMONRENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCESMost common renewable energy sources.
as California. Anywhere that water flows naturally; its power can be harnessed and converted into elec-tricity. Some advanced forms of hydro power that
are still being explored include new developments that would use the tides and waves of the ocean to generate power. Others are researching the viability of extracting heat that is stored in the oceans waters and converting it to usable energy. Biomass energy is not a new idea, however advancements are being made that will help us utilize natural renewable resources that already exist in our current environment. Burning wood is an exam-ple of biomass energy that
has been around through-out human history. While it is not the cleanest form of energy it is renewable if done responsibly. Scien-tists and engineers have begun to develop a number of biomass fuels including creating engines that can run on oil extracted from common food sources like corn. Others are looking into finding a ways to capture and use the large amounts of methane gases produced by landfills across the United States.
BELOWBiomass energy is not a new idea.
RIGHTHydropower is
another common alternative
energy source.
EMPLOYMENT
ChangeMany people obtain certain kinds of insurance through their employment, particularly health
and disability coverage. Larger businesses may also offer retirement benefits, such as a 401(k)
account. When changing jobs, rearranging coverage and finding out which accounts are
portable becomes very important. A new job can also mean a change in lifestyle, which can also
have an impact on insurance.
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INSURANCE
1. Leave it where it is;2. Roll it into your new employer’s plan; or3. Convert your 401(k) into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).
There is nothing wrong with leaving your 401(k) where it is. If you have more than $5,000, you can keep the money in the ex-isting plan until you retire. Consider how your existing plan fit with your changing employment and economic needs. An-other thing to consider is the relative financial health of your former employer. If you are leaving because you think your current employer is financially unsteady, take your 401(k) with you, particularly if much of the plan is invested in company stock. Many people have lost their retire-ment savings when firms filed for bank-ruptcy. Rolling your existing 401(k) into your new employer’s plan makes sense, particularly if it offers more options. The process is simple, but make sure it’s done properly so that excess charges are avoided. Finally, consider rolling your 401(k) into an IRA. This is the most flexi-ble option because you get to decide how to invest the money. In the typical 401(k), you choose among a limited number of in-vestment options. An IRA becomes a good choice if your new company doesn’t have a retirement plan, or if they don’t accept rollovers. This plan also allows you more control over your retirement plan.
FINANCIAL PLANNINGWhen changing jobs, in most cases, the major question is what to do with your 401(k) account. There are basically threeoptions:
IF changing jobs creates a change in the number of miles and where you drive, let the insurance company know. For example, if the old job involved driving a lengthy distance to work and the new job is closer to home and family, you may be able to save money on your auto in-surance policy. If you take public transportation and only use your car for pleasure trips on weekends, that matters, too. On the other hand, if you use your private vehicle for business purposes, check with your employer about liability coverage. If you are in an accident, you should be clear whether liability coverage applies to your personal insurance or your employer’s commercial coverage. Many of us try to increase our productivity by making business calls while driving. It’s important to know if your employ-er has a policy regarding cellphone use in your private car, and whether they consider that business-related or personal time. States are increasingly encouraging or mandating the use of hands-free technology while driv-ing. And, of course, keep track of your usage and expens-es for tax purposes. Your auto coverage also comes into play when renting a car. If renting for business purposes, your employer may already have a policy in place. If you decline coverage offered at the rental car counter, your personal auto policy may pay for any damage to the rent-al car. Check with your insurance company or agent. Your credit cards may also provide basic rental car protection.
AUTO
A change of jobs might mean you can work at home. Some companies now allow flexible working sched-ules. Your employer may also provide some office equipment such as a laptop or fax machine. Your em-ployer’s insurance should cover these items. Standard homeowner’s insurance does not cover commercial business activity. If you are self-employed or do consulting or out-sourced work for a company, you may need your own professional liability coverage. If clients and vendors come to your home, you may need to buy a home business or small businessowners policy.
HOME
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Disability insurance usually pays up to 70 percent of your income if you are unable to work temporarily or permanently because of an illness or injury. It provides for work-related and non-work related injuries. Ask about disability insurance when discussing benefits with your new employer. The availability of this coverage will vary from one employer to the next. Some employers may allow you to carry disability insurance to your new job, but it’s not guaranteed. Even if your employer offers this coverage, it may be beneficial for you to obtain additional coverage through a private disability insurance policy. If you pay some or all of the cost of this coverage, when you are injured and require this benefit, the portion that you purchased will be tax deductible. If your employer pays for the coverage, it is con-sidered a benefit and is fully taxable.
DISABILITY
A new job may mean a salary increase. The more you make, the more your family depends on that income, and the more important it becomes to protect it. Remember, the primary purpose for life insurance is to provide lost income if a wage earner dies. You should also be aware of the type of policy you have. If you participated in a group life insurance program with your former employer, that life insurance coverage will probably end when you leave the job, particularly if your employer purchased it. In some cases, you may be able to convert this to an individ-ual policy, for example, when retiring. On the other hand, if you purchased insurance through a group insurance program and you paid for it through payroll deduction, for example, those policies are generally portable and can be taken with you. You would continue to pay on your own.
LIFE
IF you’re changing jobs, one of your first concerns might be maintaining your health care coverage. Under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconcilia-tion or COBRA Act, the federal government requires employers with 20 or more employees to provide healthcare coverage for up to 18 months after a per-son leaves the job. Dependents are also included in the coverage. To continue receiving this group health insurance, you must inform your employer within 60 days. You continue to pay the full premium and administrative fees. If you do not qualify for COBRA, you may be able to convert your group policy to an individual policy. There are also interim or short-term options that provide medical insurance on a tempo-rary basis, usually a few months. You can only renew this coverage once. The short term policy provides coverage for hospitalization, services such as X-rays and laboratory test, intensive care and surgical needs.policy.
HEALTH
Long term care provides coverage for nursing home care. Some policies cover in home care, but not all. In order to qual-ify for long-term care, you must lose at least two of the functions of daily activity, such as the ability to dress yourself, or cognitive ability in order to trigger the coverage. You should be able to take your policy with you by converting to an indi-vidual policy. A premium increase is likely to accompany a conversion.
LONG-TERMCARE
INSURANCE
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Understanding Terrorism Insurance
Terrorism insurance provides coverage to individuals and businesses for potential losses due to acts of terrorism.
IndividualsStandard homeowners insurance policies include coverage for damage to property and personal possessions resulting from acts of terrorism. Terrorism is not specifically referenced in homeowners policies. However, the policy does cover the homeowner for damage due to explosion, fire and smoke—the likely causes of damage in a terrorist attack.
Condominium or co-op owner policies also provide coverage for damage to personal possessions resulting from acts of terrorism. However, damage to the common areas of a building like the roof, basement, elevator, boiler and walkways would only be covered if the condo/co-op board has purchased terrorism coverage.
Standard renters policies include coverage for damage to personal possessions due to a terrorist attack. Again, coverage for the apartment complex itself must be purchased by the property owner or landlord.
Auto insurance policies will cover a car that is damaged or destroyed in a terrorist attack only if the policyholder has pur-chased “comprehensive” coverage. Most people who have loans on their cars or lease are required by lenders and leasing companies to carry this optional form of coverage. People who buy only liability coverage are not covered in the event their vehicle is damaged or destroyed as the result of a terrorist attack.
Life insurance policies do not contain terrorism exclusions; proceeds will be paid to the beneficiary as designated on the policy. Health and disability insurance policies may provide coverage for loss of life, injury or sickness to individuals in the event of a terrorist attack.
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INSURANCE
Businesses
What is not covered?
Business InterruptionInsurance
Workers compensation—a compulsory line of insurance for all businesses—covers employees injured or killed on the job and therefore automatically includes coverage for acts of terrorism. Workers com-pensation is also the only line of insurance that does not exclude coverage for acts of war. Coverage for terrorist acts cannot be excluded from workers compensation policies in any state.
Life/health and disability insurance policies may provide coverage for loss of life, injury or sickness to individuals in the event of a terrorist attack.
Prior to 9/11, standard commercial insurance policies included terrorism coverage as part of the package, effectively free of charge. Today, terrorism coverage is generally offered separately at a price that more adequately reflects the current risk.
Insurance losses attributable to terrorist acts under these commercial policies are insured by private insur-ers and reinsured or “backstopped” by the federal gov-ernment pursuant to the Terrorism Risk and Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA). Under TRIA, owners of commercial property, such as office buildings, factories, shopping malls and apartment buildings, must be offered the opportunity to purchase terrorism coverage. TRIA was renewed for a further two years in 2005 and is set to expire at the end of 2007.For the terrorism coverage to be triggered under TRIA for commercial policies, a terrorist attack has to be declared a “certified act” by the Secretary of the Treasury.
No such declaration is needed to trigger coverage under home and auto policies because there are no exclusions for terrorism.
There are long-standing restrictions regarding war coverage and nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological (NBCR) events in both personal and commercial insurance policies.
War-risk exclusions reflect the realization that damage from acts of war is fundamentally uninsurable. No for-mal declaration of war by Congress is required for the war risk exclusion to apply. Nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological (NBCR) attacks are another example of catastrophic events that are fundamentally uninsurable due to the nature of the risk. Under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, if some NBCR exclusions are permitted by a state, an insurer does not have to make available the excluded coverage.
Property damage to commercial buildings from a terrorist attack also may include claims for busi-ness interruption. Business interruption insur-ance (sometimes referred to as business income coverage) covers financial losses that occur when a firm is forced to suspend business operations either due to direct damage to its premises or because civil authorities limit access to an area after the attack and those actions prevent entry to the business premises. Coverage depends on the individual policy, but typically begins after a waiting period or “time deductible” of two to three days and lasts for a period of two weeks to several months.
Business interruption losses associated with acts of civil authority (e.g., closure of certain area around the disaster) can only be triggered when there is physical loss or damage arising from a covered peril (e.g., explosion, fire, smoke, etc.) within the area affected by the declaration. The loss/damage need not occur to the insured prem-ises specifically. Reductions in business income associated with fear of traveling to a location, in addition to closure to areas by authorities be-cause of a heightened state of alert, would not be covered by business interruption policies.
Workers compensation
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INSURANCE
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Knowing what to do if you are involved in an accident can save lives and also make the claims process easier.
AT THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT
1Stop your car and find out if anyone is injured.
2Call the police or highway patrol. Tell them how many people were hurt and the types of injuries. The police will notify the
nearest medical unit.
3 Cover injured people with a blanket to keep them warm.
4Try to protect the accident scene. Take reasonable steps to protect your car from further damage, such as setting up
flares, getting the car off the road and calling a tow truck.
5Ask the investigating officer where you can obtain a copy of the police report. You will probably need it when you submit
your claim to your insurance company.
6If necessary, have the car towed to a repair shop. But remem-ber, your insurance company probably will want to have an
adjuster inspect it and appraise the damage before you order repair work done.
7Make notes. Keep a pad and pencil in your glove compartment. Write down:
- the names and addresses of all drivers and passengers involved in the accident- license plate numbers- the make and model of each car- driver’s license numbers- insurance identifications- the names and addresses of witnesses- the names and badge numbers of police officers or other emergency personnel.
8If you run into an unattended vehicle or object, try to find the owner. If you can’t, leave a note containing your name, address
and phone number. Record the details of the accident.
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INSURANCE
35
Does Your Business Need Commercial Auto
Insurance?
Filing A Homeowners ClaimClick to view video
When you have hundreds or even thousands of trucks a day that are worth more in dollars and cents than many Americans make in a year hitting the highways in cities like Los Angeles and New York, you want to make sure they’re protected. You don’t want the loss to your investment and/or the huge repair fees that come from an accident, and you can’t afford the loss of time and efficiency that comes from having trucks that can’t be driven. But what about the little guy?
The question of commercial auto insurance for smaller companies often isn’t quite as clear as it is for these major transporters, particularly if the business employs a small number of personnel and those personnel use their own vehicles for company business. Often, business owners believe that because these vehicles are already covered under a personal policy a commercial auto insurance policy would be a redundant waste of profits. Better to allow the auto insurance companies to do what they do best and put their profits to good use.
The catch is, cars that are on the road all day are at a higher risk of an accident than cars and trucks that are used primarily for commuting purposes. Auto insurance companies know that, which is why when they sell their insurance policies they ask their drivers to distinguish between whether their vehicles are used primarily for business or pleasure. They’re (relatively) happy to cover the damages that result from accidents that take place on their personal time, but they may drag their feet over paying a claim that happens on company time doing company business.
Because the last thing you or your employees want to do is get into a six month fight with your auto insurance provider about whether your vehicle is used primarily for business or pleasure because you’ve had an accident while on the road doing company business, a commercial auto insurance policy for your business is the best solution.
Commercial auto insurance comes with a price tag similar to that of a personal insurance policy, although some of the technical aspects are a little different. Your insurance agent can explain the ins and outs of their commercial policy options to you. Trying to do it here would take all day, and as most auto insurance providers have their own takes on commercial insurance policies it would be a waste of time anyway.
What you do need to know is that a commercial auto insurance policy will protect your employees when they’re out on the road doing company business, even if they’re in their own vehicles, and will protect company vehicles when employees slip behind the wheel. That saves your business from the loss of efficiency that comes from having vehicles off the road and your profits from the hard hit of a car accident that can result in tens of thousands of dollars in damages that might not be eligible for coverage under a personal policy.
The bottom line is, regardless of how large or small your business may be the protection offered by a commercial auto insurance policy is going to be invaluable in ensuring the continued success of your company.
When you’re talking about a major transport company, like McLane or Dominion, the question of commercial
auto insurance is fairly obvious.
INSURANCE
THE FUNDAMENTALSOF LIFE INSURANCE
Another way of looking at life insurance is that it is buying
money for future need. While the concept may sound
peculiar at first, it is a concept that has been ingrained in
the American psyche primarily because it makes sense.
We insure real estate, cars and other possessions, but
what is more valuable than human life? While technically
life insurance is insuring of human life value, the primary
reason for life insurance is to take care of those left behind
in one’s absence.
There are various types of life insurance, but the basics of
each stay the same. Each one involves paying premiums
to the insurance company, which in the event of death
pays an amount to the person and/or people named in
your policy, the beneficiaries. Your beneficiaries receive
this money income tax free.
bebisgroup.com
Thousands of homes were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy
Just a few inches of water from a flood can cause tens of thousands
of dollars in damage. Over the past 10 years, the average flood claim
has amounted to $33,000
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The value of a life insurance policy should be the amount of funds that your heirs would need upon your death. This value will be different for everyone based on their goals. For some, they might want to be able to pay their mortgage, pay student loans for children or meet the needs of their spouse for a lifetime. A baseline multiplier that is often used to calculate life insurance value is ten to fifteen times your annual income.
The two main categories of life insurance are term life insurance and permanent life. Term life insurance is for a particular period of time, usually 5, 10, 15, 20 or sometimes 30 years where the premium is usually set for the duration of the term. Often term life insurance is purchased by people who are young and in good health because it is inexpensive and
can be a good value. Yet, while term life insurance has lower premiums than per-manent life insurance, it builds no cash value and is only paid if the insured dies.
So, if the insured lives through the entire term of their insurance, the coverage disappears and there are no benefits. Additionally, if a term life insurance policy expires on a person at an older age, perhaps in their 60s, it can result in what is called “exploding” term life insurance because the insured can’t afford to renew term. Unless the cover-age can be rolled over into permanent life insurance, it expires.
Permanent life insurance, on the other hand, is intended to last for the entire life of the insured, rather than a particu-lar time period. Additionally, it develops equity by earning interest, often similar to a long-term bond, which has cash value. This money, which is growing in your policy, can be accessed while you are still living as a beneficial piece of a balanced portfolio. While there are many varieties of permanent life insur-ance, the two main types are whole life insurance and universal life insurance.
The cost of life insurance premiums depends on a number of factors. Underwriters analyze factors such as age, health and history of you and your parents’ medical histories. They even analyze habits such as the use of tobacco and look at avocation such as whether you an avid drag racer, scuba diver or skydiver. Underwriters review these factors and often request your past medical records and that you to undergo a medical exam.
The varieties and possibilities of life insurance policies can be staggering. So how do you know which is best for you? It is a good idea to start by doing research to find out as much about life insurance as possible. Then think about your goals, what you want to provide for your beneficiaries after you are gone. After equipping yourself and thinking about your goals, visit the experts Life-insure.com where you can get instant life insurance quotes anonymously seeing the entire market without giving personal information.
FOOD & HEALTH
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Raising a pre-teen or teenage daugh-ter (or son) is not easy and can cause any parent a lot of
stress. There’s so much to worry about – dating, drugs, alcohol, sex, school grades, just to name a few. But one crucial element often gets overlooked until it manifests itself in extreme ways (like through an eating disorder). I’m talking about self-image. It’s extremely important that parents ensure that their chil-dren have a positive self-im-age, especially in relation to their body.
The key to ensuring strong self-esteem and a positive body image starts with the parent. If you don’t feel positive about your self-im-age, then how can you expect your children to? While this is important for both genders, it is especially critical for rais-
ing a healthy daughter. And beginning the lessons when a girl is young is imperative, so don’t wait until it’s too late – teaching your daughter to feel good about her body needs to start at a very young age.
Eating disorder experts say girls are developing eating disorders as young as 5 and 6 years old. And a recent study indicated that 70% of the sixth-grade girls they surveyed said they began worrying about their weight between ages 9 and 11. Why are so many young girls think-ing that they are fat? Many are obsessing about their weight because they have parents who are preoccupied with their own poor body images.
lot that can be done to help our children have positive self-images. And, even small changes that parents make
can help. Here are few tips to help your children avoid warped and negative body images:
While the statistics are disheartening, the good news is that there’s a
• Establish a “no diet talk” rule. When your chil-dren are nearby, DON’T talk about dieting or how fat you feel! This is extremely important. Remember, kids are listening all the time (even when you think that they aren’t – especially then). So, even though asking your spouse or friend “do I look fat in this?” may seem innocent, it can have a life-altering effect on your kids when they repeatedly hear it.
A GUIDE TO HELP YOU TEACH YOUR CHILDREN POSITVE SELF-IMAGE THROUGH FITNESS
39
• Parents aren’t the only adults that influence their children. Set the “no diet talk” rule mentioned above for all adults that are around your children. This means you shouldn’t allow your friends, parents, siblings, neighbors, or anyone else to talk about being fat or being on a diet when they are around your children.
• Set a good example. If your children never see you engage in fitness or if they hear you complain about working out, then they are going to have a negative image of exercise. Let them know that you workout to stay healthy, to be strong and to have more energy and stamina (so you can keep up with them)!
• Get your kids involved in sports. Experts say that playing sports really helps build confidence
and improves self-esteem (es-pecially for girls).
• Teach your children to include physical activity as part of their daily routine. But don’t force them to exercise. Make sure that the physical activity is seen as something fun to do rather than teaching them to think of exercise as a necessary evil. Good activities include taking a nightly family walk, turning off the t.v. and instead turning music on that you all can dance to, or taking a weekend family bike ride.
• Try to prepare (or if you are short are time purchase) healthy meals. And teach them the importance of good nutri-tion. Don’t let them have the misconception that there are “good” and “bad” foods. If a kid thinks that candy is a “bad”
food, then naturally they will just want it more. Just try to encourage your kids to eat a balanced diet each day and to eat sugary and/or fatty foods in moderation.
Remember that something as small as talking about losing weight in front of your kids can have very detrimental effects on their self-im-age as they age. Damaging behavior learned from a parent at a young age can take years for a child to overcome. So, the sooner you start incorporating the tips above into your life, the better for you child. But don’t forget that it has to start with you – make sure that you are incorporating healthy fitness and eating rituals into your daily routine and that you have a positive body image (no matter what your size or shape is)!
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5 Common Myths About Protein Diet
All these rumors come from a lack of knowledge. Even in information technology where we have informa-tion on our finger tips, still we believe in a world that no longer exists.
Do we believe that there is a dark side in the sky which covers the sky every night?
Of course not!
That’s it. If someone takes protein and he gets a heart attack, should we blame protein?
No! Let me give you the reason.
FOOD & HEALTH
41
Protein heart attack
If someone eats red meat, there are a number of rea-sons they will get a heart attack. Red meat has a high amount of fat. Fat stored in blood vessels is the reason of a heart attack. If you are taking red meat you are less likely to consume fibers. Fibers are necessary for a healthy life. If you are eating red meat, chances are that you will not exercise much.
If you do not burn calories that you intake you are going to gain weight. Being overweight is a cause of a heart attack.
Stop blaming red meat. Red meat is safe to eat if you exercise regularly, eat less gram of red meat and eat fibers.
Another issue I have heard so many times is the diabe-tes case caused by protein.
Protein Diabetes
It is just a false premise. Protein is helpful when you face obesity and diabetes. Protein is helpful in maintain-ing glucose level and insulin sensitivity level.
Protein liver disease
I have watched clients complaining that taking protein is a wrong diet plan for them. Protein promotes liver diseases. While the truth is that protein is necessary for repairing process.
It repairs damaged tissues and it is essential for the building of new cells.
If you have a damaged liver you need a high protein diet. This diet plan will repair tissue damage and will aid you in recovery.
I often suggest to my clients and friends and I am sug-gesting the same advice for you:
“Every thing is good for you in moderation. To live a healthy life we need a balanced diet. If you will add protein and remove fibers from your diet, result are not supposed to be good for you. Instead try to add little bit of every healthy nutrient into your daily diet.”
Protein kidney disease
Many people say that protein is harmful for your kid-neys. It can cause kidney stones. Opposite is true. High protein diet is not harmful and will not give you osteo-porosis if you are a healthy person.
If you don’t have a healthy body before including pro-tein in your diet you cannot blame protein for kidney disease.
Protein is not an energy source
Who says protein does not give energy?
Protein has the same amount of calories as carbohy-drates. Protein will not only keep you satisfied but will also give you energy for your daily tasks.
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Snacks are the food items that we munch on at odd times to keep the hunger pangs away until meal times. Can we indulge on snacks? Yes, as long as it is healthy. Over-in-dulgence on fried and sweet snacks causes weight gain. Eating healthy snacks on the other hand keeps us slim and helps in our quest for weight loss too.
Many unhealthy snacks add empty calories that don’t have any nutrition to our diet. Yet, so many of us gorge ourselves on these useless items when we feel hungry. It is time we start reading the food labels and choose healthier options. By doing so we set ourselves on path to good nutrition, im-proved lifestyle and also, keep ourselves disease free. The choices we make will provide us with the energy we need and also, keep us well-nour-ished.
It’s not just children, even adults love snacks. While a kid indulging in an oc-casional unhealthy snack doesn’t suffer too much. Adults leading sedentary life-style pack on the pounds if they over-in-dulge on these very snacks.
Nutritious and Small
Pick nutrition-filled healthy snacks, each of about 100 calories. Pick deli-cious items that will quickly catch up with your family. These items must be easy to make and be approved by nutri-tion-experts.
Fat Burning Snacks
If you pick the right products, not only will it satisfy your cravings but also, help burn off the fat. The food items which have nutrition and right amount of cal-ories will metabolize fast and help you build muscle too.
Fiber-Laden Goodies
The snacks you pick should contain fiber which aids in digestion and curb sugar
craving of our body. Suppose, you pick a 200 calorie snack. It should have 5 gm of fiber and 10 gm of protein.
Fruits And Vegetables
You need about 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in a day. Very few people eat them in the required quantities. This vitamins, minerals and goodness laden foods help prevent heart problems, can-cer, blood pressure and diabetes. They also help people live long and healthy lives. Eat fruits in season. These are best sources of nutrition as they are fresh produce. Also, they are inexpensive compared to other unhealthy processed foods.
Some all time favorites are mangoes, ap-ples, bananas, blueberries, pears, peach-es, plums, cherries, grapes, strawberries, watermelon and papaya. Vegetables that are used as snacks include carrots, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, celery, lettuce, bell peppers and avocado. Toss them in salads, add a low-fat dressing like olive oil and lemon juice and indulge in some dips for a delicious snack.
Delicious and Healthy Snacks For Healthy Living
You need about 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in a day.
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45
Friends!
Green tea is a natural weight loss supplements. It has many health benefits.
Green tea extract promotes weight loss. Green tea
supplements burn fats. Green tea has a great amount of caffeine in it.
This stimulant will cause you to move and exercise. The more you exercise, more fats will you burn.
If you are sensi-tive to caffeine made products, don’t take caffeine based supple-ments. Too much caffeine can affect your heart rhythm and sleep routines.
Fish oil is easily available in market at a very low-cost.
In a study of American journal of clinical nutrition, reduced calorie diet with fish oil supplements shown to have a great effect on weight loss.Fish oil is mostly available in capsules or in bottled oil.
Fish oil is a light-sensitive product. Before buying fish oil, look for products packaged on dark or opaque bottles.
4 NATURAL WEIGHT LOSS SUPPLEMENTS THAT WORK
Coconut oil offers a num-ber of health benefits.
Coconut oil reduces abdominal fat. A study held in 2009 for 12 weeks showed that coconut oil users decreased their ab-dominal fats compared to people who use soya bean.
Coconut oil is also easily available in markets. You can also include coconut oil in your desserts.
COCONUT OIL
GREEN TEA
FISH OIL
PROTEIN SHAKESProtein is a really necessary element of our regular diet. Used properly, protein is a power house of weight loss.
Protein is a muscle builder. If you take a protein serving (an egg) early in the day, you will feel satisfied through out your daily activities.
Protein satisfies appetite and prevents cravings. Protein boost metabolism rate and affect weight loss. You must know, that proteins have equal amount of calo-ries as carbohydrates.
Try a scoop of protein, blended with skim milk and frozen fruits. It is a delicious dessert. You can get protein from these sources like milk protein, egg, whey, beef and soya bean etc.
In order to lose any weight you have to be aware of what you are doing. With all the advice and often conflicting guidance available, it is hard to know the right way to go. The best way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume.
If your main purpose in exercising is to lose weight, you should focus more on cardio-vascular exercise than on weight training. Lifting weights for strength training will add to your fitness, but never forget that heart rate-boosting cardio is the center piece of a weight loss exercise program. If you want to lose weight cardio exercises are better than weight lifting.
Adding whole grains to your diet is important when it comes to losing weight. You can either ask a professional nutritionist for info about whole grains, or ask his uncerti-fied counterpart, Google. Opt for foods that have not been enriched or refined. Many
companies advertise their use of whole grains but once you know how to recognize them, shopping for
whole grain products is simple.
Great Advice For Losing Weight The Healthy Way
Take a before photo and an after photo of
yourself to document
your progress.
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CALL US TODAY FOR A FREE
PROTECTION REVIEW
508-947-5800
DON’T TAKE
CHANCES
WITH YOUR
FAMILY’S
LIFESTYLE
FOOD & HEALTH
In order for your diet to be a success, reward yourself when you exhibit good be-havior. Go to the movies, get a massage or take yourself shopping. The positive re-inforcement of a new outfit can be a great motivator as you continue to work hard to reach your goal weight.
Make time for breakfast in the morning, before you go to work. If you don’t have time to cook, your first instinct may be to just grab a breakfast pastry on your way out. However, these items contain lots of empty calories. Fruit and a bowl of oatmeal can equal a great breakfast as opposed to
something like a pastry.When you workout, try to use sneakers that are soft with a strong cushion. Since you will be working out your body and may become sore, you don’t want to add anymore soreness. You do not necessarily have to purchase the best shoes out there, but make sure you get a quality pair.
Manage your stress levels in order to keep off the weight. When we’re stressed, our bodies hoard calories to help protect itself. Although you are aware your stress is just temporary, your body may think you are trying to fight off some terrible thing.
Therefore, keep your stress at a minimum and attempt to remain calm in order to assist your body in losing weight.
Take a before photo and an after photo of yourself to document your progress. This helps you get perspec-tive about your progress even when the scale says you haven’t lost any weight. You can also use these photos to show your family and friends how you are progressing.
The tips outlined above have worked for countless people, and they can also be effective for you. Don’t
waste time reading and researching diets that seem too good to be true. By fol-lowing our tips, you will be able to start losing weight this very moment. By using these tips, you will soon see great results.
There are many ways on how to buy a raspberry ketone. The only thing that you need is a professional who can give you some advices and suggestions on how to buy a good variety of raspberry. There are tips on how to know the places to buy raspberry ketone that can help you and give you those information.
reward yourself when you exhibit good behavior
When you workout, try to use sneakers that are soft with a strong cushion.
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Fruit makes up a very critical component of a human beings diet. This is because it is jam-packed with nutrients and minerals that are essen-tial for health and vitality. Fruits contain antioxidants that are essential in fighting
free radicals that damage cells, cause premature aging and diseases like cancer, car-diovascular disease and high blood pressure.
Fruits also contain essential vitamins and minerals that may not be found in other food groups or from other sources. For instance, fruits contain Vitamin C (that prevents scurvy), Vitamin A (that is good for eyesight and prevents macular degenera-tion), potassium, folate and other minerals.
So, a healthy fruit drink is an excellent way of ensur-ing that you get the daily recommended amount of nutrients and minerals. This is particularly so for children who may not take time for
HealthyFruit Drink
A healthy fruit drink is an excellent way of ensuring that you get the daily recommended amount of nutrients
and minerals.
FactA major advantage of a healthy fruit drink is that they do not contain near as many calories as fruit drinks typically contain.
FOOD & HEALTH
49
There are numerous healthy fruit drinks that are easy to make and very delicious.
smoothie contains the fiber and pulp that are necessary for healthy digestion. The fiber also ensures that the sugar found in the fruit is slowly released so that there are no sudden spikes in blood sugar levels which can cause diabetes.
Smoothies are also more ver-satile than fruit juices when it comes to the number of in-gredients that can be added to them. You can add yogurt, spinach, protein powder and any other ingredient you choose. This is because the ingredients of your healthy fruit drink are blended to-gether so that even the solid ingredients are well integrat-ed into the mixture.
It is best to make your healthy fruit drink at home as you can control the ingredients. However, you can purchase them from health food stores and supermarkets. If you do buy them instead of making them yourself be sure and always pay attention to the label of the fruit drinks to know all the ingredients. You should choose a drink that has no additives and is not made from concentrate.
The best thing of course about a healthy fruit drink is that it taste so great. How many foods do you find in life that have a delicious taste but are still good for you?
eating the fruit itself. Having them drink a fruit drink is an easy way of getting them the nutrition that they need for their bodies to grow strong.
A major advantage of a healthy fruit drink is that they do not contain near as many calories as fruit drinks typically contain. They also will have no fat, though they have a little sugar that provides energy. Fruit also contain enzymes that aid in digestion so that the pancre-as is not overworked.
There are numerous healthy fruit drinks that are easy to make and very delicious. The best fruit drinks can be categorized into fruit smoothies and fruit juices. Fruit smoothies are made of blended fruit that may be fresh or frozen (or both), yoghurt, milk or water, ice cubes and sometimes ice cream. Juice on the other hand is made by extract-ing the liquid from a fruit. Therefore, a fruit smoothie and a fruit juice are different because a smoothie is made using the whole fruit (even the skin if it is edible), but when juice is made, the fruit pulp is usually gotten rid off.
Between the two kinds of healthy fruit drinks, the general consensus is that the fruit smoothie is more nu-tritious than the fruit juice. By using the whole fruit, the
50
HOW TO GET OUT OF A BAD MOOD
When a bad mood kicks in, you might feel like there’s
nothing you can do to get out of it.
Are you caught up with
feelings of negativity and just can’t seem to see a way out? There really are things you can do to better your mood. Although each of us is unique, and we all measure our bad moods in different ways, there are some tried and tested techniques for
breaking out of a bad mood. As a result of your negative mood, it’s likely you might not be open to try some of these, but give them a go anyway. Even though your heart might not be in it at first, once you get into some of these techniques, you won’t be able to stay in a bad mood for long.
1. WORK IT OUT.While doing exercise when you’re feeling grumpy might not seem like an attractive plan of action, it’s actually one of the best things you can do. Physical activity releases endorphins, which are associated with feeling good. Not only this, but it could well help you work through some anger or feelings of aggres-sion that have triggered your bad mood.
2. GET UNPLUGGEDMany people, when in a bad mood, waste time clicking around the Internet and on social networking sites. This generally does very little to help, but is more likely to put you in an even worse mood. Looking at social networking might affect you in a negative way because many people begin to compare what they have to others when browsing their friends’ online profiles. What people share online are usually the best of the best moments, rarely a complete snapshot of their lives, but this can make you feel like your own life could never be so perfect. Do yourself a favor and turn off your computer and put down your smartphone if you’re feeling down in the dumps.
LIFESTYLE
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Bad moods - we all have them from time to time. In this interesting and helpful article, a leading UK psychotherapist gives tips on how to snap out of a bad mood and feel better.
3. GET OUT OF THE HOUSENow that you’ve closed your Internet down, get yourself out of the house for a period of time. Go outside and be in nature if you can. It this isn’t really possible, then get out and go to one of your favorite spots where you’re forced to be around other people. Maybe try a local coffee shop, restaurant, store, or park.
4. CALL YOUR FRIENDS UPBeing in a bad mood usually makes us pretty antisocial, but if you surround yourself with good friends, your bad mood won’t be able to stick around for long. You might find yourself faking a good mood for your friends’ sake until you surprise yourself and you actually start to feel better!
5. DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSENothing snaps a person out of their bad mood better than a little bit of perspective. There is always someone who has it worse than you do, and if you set out to help a person in need you’re guaranteed to have your own problems put into per-spective in no time.
6. LAUGHPut on your favorite movie. Listen to your favorite radio show, comedian, or call up a friend who makes you laugh. Put on your favorite song and dance around your house like a crazy person. You might not feel like laughing at first, but once you start you’ll find that, despite what you expectedFree Web Content, your mood will change.
MAKELEMONADEFROM ALEMON
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About 2 months ago my family grew by one more. When we had our baby, the reality that we could no longer fit our family into a car hit us.
O ur back seat simply would not fit 2 carseats and a carrier car seat. So off the the dealership we went to buy a mini-van.
After browsing several dealerships in one day. I found two vans that I liked at two different dealerships. Here is how I got a van that is practically brand new, though the year of the van is 1996, for $8,999.00. The best part about it is, you can do it too!
First, my husband and I went to 3 different dealerships. We found three vans that we loved. at the last dealership, I fell in love with a particular van. The van was marked at $13,995. I mentioned to the salesperson that there was a van that was practically identical at the dealership right across the street that was priced at only $9,999. I told my husband that maybe we should just go across the street and see about getting that one. I did this intentionally right in front of the sales-man loud enough so that he could hear me. Within two seconds, maybe less, he chimed in with, “Let me talk to my sales manager and see what we can do for you.” I agreed. I was expected him to come back with a price that matched the dealership across the street. To my amazement, he came back with a price of $8,999! That was a full $5,000 LESS that the original price with NO trade-in and nothing down! We jumped on that offer and signed the contract within 45 minutes. We did insist that they give us a 30 day dealer warranty with no deductible. They agreed.
Being the “savvy shopper” that I am, I im-mediately drove my new van off the lot and took it to my father, a mechanic. He gave the car a good evalutaion and gave me a list of everything that was wrong with it. On my way home that night, my service engine light came on, six hours after I signed the contract. To say I was upset would be an understate-ment!
I got up the next morning and purposely got myself all worked up and ready for battle. I waited for one hour after the dealer opened then drove my new van back to the dealer-
ship. The trick here is to not call ahead of time and go to the dealership at a busy time, usually on the weekends.
One thing that dealers count on you not knowing is that, by law, you have a 72-hour cooling off period to take any major purchase back to where you got it and return it for no reason. So knowing this, I went back. As soon as I pulled into the lot, I was approached by another salesman. His first reaction to me was to ask me how I was. I replied with a simple, “Not good!” He asked what was the matter and I told him and gave him a list of everything that was wrong, including a cup-holder being missing. I let him know that no matter how much I liked the van, I was had no reservations about giving it back, after all, I was within my legal limit.
He immediately went back and got the sales manager, I vented to him, in front of other customers. He took back my keys and put my van into the shop immediately to save face in front of the other customers. he gave us a loaner van to use in the mean time.
After two days, I still didn’t have my van back, so I called the dealership and told them that unless I could get another 72 hour cool-ing off period, he could keep my van. I was obviously not going to be stuck with a van that I only had for 6 hours! Needless to say, I got my time extended.
My van was returned to me that day. My cooling off period was extended, I had the 30 dealer warranty and the repairs were made. Curious as to what needed to be fixed? He is the list: the catalytic converter, several sensors, the transmission, the alignment was out, two tires were worn, it needed an oil change, the gas cap was missing and my cup holder was broken. By the time my repairs were done, my $8,999 van was worth a total of $15, 127! I got a practically new van after all the work was done! Then 2 days before the dealer warranty was up, I took it back in and got a new belt in the motor. I got a lemon and made lemonaide, you can too!
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Hi Folks,Why did calendars show up and become ubiquitous tools for most people in the last few decades? Pretty
simple: Life’s commitments got more complex than our heads could effectively manage. What’s remar-
kable to me is the resistance so many people still have to managing everything else in the same trusted
way. I’ll expand, below.
If you’re like me, with quite a number of lists of many next actions, projects, someday/maybe’s, etc., you’re likely to encounter people who question your efficiency if not your sanity. “You’ve got so many lists! That’s just too much work!” (Sound familiar?) If you ever feel like you need to defend your lists, ask your skeptical friend if they are sitting around trying to remember what appointments they have on their calendar for next month. They’re probably not biting their nails about where they need to be a week from next Thursday at 4pm. They’re probably not even thinking about it. Why? Because they have their appointments tracked in a system they trust—a calendar they trust they’ll review at the appropriate time and place.
So, why not have the same lack of distraction about all the things that you need to be reminded of?
A calendar is nothing more than a list of next actions in the context of sequence in time—something to look at when time is of concern. My “Calls” list is the same thing—a list of next actions that can be done from any phone, to be reviewed when I have time and a phone. In the same way I’m not distracted by trying to remember and remind myself about who to call—it’s in a trusted system. The problem with most people’s system is that the calendar is the only list they trust, and more than 95% of what they really
need to keep track of is not a set of appointments but all the things to be done in between them. Thinking that your head is a better place to keep track of stuff, and yet finding it critical to maintain a calendar, seems to me a kind of intellectual dishonesty.
So, now that you have this secret knowledge of GTD lists, you no longer need to defend them!
productiveliving
by David Allenwww.davidallen.com
56
Recently, our family had the opportunity to care for sisters’ children for a couple days, when she and her husband traveled to a bed and breakfast for some much need rest and relaxation. They don’t have a chance to get away that often, so I was more than happy to help them out for this little getaway. And, well, I would hope that she would do the same thing for me.
Once I agreed to taking care of her children, reality set in. My sister has six children, and while the youngest wouldn’t be staying with me, all the others would be. Add those five children to my three, you have eight, and add that to my small apartment and you have enough to drive any mom up a wall! How would I keep eight children occupied in my small home, without spending a lot of money?
One of the first activities we played was Twister. Twister was a gift for Christmas, so it was a game the children were still learning. As I watched them play, my I started thinking about the games my siblings and I played as children -- those easy games that usually required no extra supplies. There were six of us, and I can remember keeping ourselves occupied with old favorites such as “Mother May I?” and “Old Maid”. After reminiscing, I decided that I would take this opportunity to teach them these favorite games.
I am not sure who had more fun with it, but I taught them several of the games I played as a young child, and everyone had the greatest time. I taught them “Red Light, Green Light” and “Red Rover”, among others. Even the older children had fun playing “London Bridge” for the sake of the little ones. Want to know the best part? It has been over a week since I taught the kids these games, and on several occasions, I have caught them playing them on their own. Now, what could be better than that?
I encourage you to think back to some of your favorite childhood games. Did you love to play “Simon Says”? When was the last time you built a hopscotch? Do your children even know that there is actually a way to play marbles? Think of your favorites, and start teaching them to your children. Not only do most of these games require very little supplies, if any, but they show your children that there are fun activities that don’t have to be plugged in.
GAMES OF THE PASTMEET THE PRESENT
LIFESTYLE
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One of the biggest steps in life is that moment when a driver’s license becomes more than a dream, it becomes a reality. Millions of teenagers today are just itching to get behind the wheel of a vehicle, legally, so that they can get a taste of freedom. As a parent it’s important to not only help them get on their way to getting this privilege, but to also understand a few things before finally moving forward. Not every teen should get a license, there are certain things that parents must consider. Above all else, it’s imperative that they go through training, no matter what. Searching online for things like Georgia online drivers Ed course, can be helpful in the process of finding education solutions to help with learning how to drive. The following things every parent must consider will help as well.
Age- There is an age restriction placed on driving, and even learning. Getting a learner’s permit first at the right age is crucial, if they are ready. Only you can fully understand if your child is
ready to take on the challenge of driving. If they are not ready, don’t push them, and don’t let them dictate the age barrier.
Responsibility- Driving is not something that should be taken lightly. There are a lot of dangers that are on the open road, and that can prove to be difficult to deal with for a parent, which is why responsibility is a major factor in deciding whether or not a person is ready to start taking on the privilege of driving. Keep this in mind so that an appropriate time is considered for the learning process.
Peer Pressure- In line with responsibility, parents
must know whether or not their children are influenced by others. If they are easily convinced
to do dumb things by friends, they may
not be ready for the pressures of being on the
open road.
Drinking and Driving- Parents should always try to gauge certain things from their teenagers, especially when it comes to the law. You’ll want to understand what their thoughts on drinking and driving are, especially in the context of small
amounts. It’s imperative that they are firm in
their answer, without hesitation, as you don’t want to risk them getting a license, drinking and driving.
Cell Phone Usage- If you have a teenager that
is glued to their cell phone, you’ll want to have a stern talk and push the issue of focusing on the phone while driving. This is a major cause of death across the board for teens that are in the driver’s seat. Make sure that they are fully aware of the issues involved with doing this and enforce the notion that it is illegal.
Are you looking for more information regarding Driver’s License? Visit http://www.instructorleddriversed.com today!
YOUR TEEN WANTS TO GET THEIR DRIVER’S LICENSE5 Things Every Parent Must Consider
LIFESTYLE
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These 5 things that
every parent should
consider, are just some
of the things that are
imperative to discuss
and fully be aware of.
Teenagers are at great
risk when behind the
wheel, which is why
it’s important to
not skip out on
the above
issues.
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DECLUTTERYOUR HOME
1. PICK A ROOM -- ANY ROOM. Decide on what
room to start on. Write it at the top of an 8 1/2 x 11
inch sheet of paper. This will be your Action Sheet.
Example: BEDROOM A
2. CHOOSE AN ENTICING REWARD. Designate an
appropriate reward to give yourself on the Dumping
portion of the job. The reward concept serves as
your motivation, so be sure to choose something that
you’d really enjoy! Write this reward on your Action
Sheet. Example: Treat yourself to a massage or go out
for a nice dinner -- whatever it is that you love to do.
Write it on your Action Sheet.
3. SET A DEADLINE. Set a specific Dumping
Completion Deadline for this one room. Write it on
your Action Sheet. Example: DUMPING DEADLINE:
APRIL 30
4. SCHEDULE TIME TO DUMP. Schedule 3 specific
dumping dates (one hour for each). Hopefully this
will be enough to complete the dumping portion of
the job. Write it on your Action Sheet. Then, post
the Action Sheet in a prominent place where you are
certain to see it every day, like your bathroom mirror.
It will serve as a reminder of your goal, deadline and
pending reward. Example: DUMPING DATES: APRIL
18 from 8-9A, APRIL 21 from 8-9A, APRIL 24 from
8-9A
Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of organizing
your home? Start on a smaller scale instead and it
will be a whole lot easier. For example, instead of
starting with the entire house, commit to starting
with one room. Follow these 11 steps, and you’re
well on your way to an organized home:
LIFESTYLE
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5. KEEP YOUR APPOINTMENT. When the 1st
dumping day arrives, keep that appointment, just as
you would any other important appointment. Bring a
bunch of large garbage bags. Play your favorite music
in the background.
6. TIME IT. Set a timer for 1 Hour -- one that sounds
off when the hour is up.
7. SORT THROUGH IT. Pick up one item at a time, and
start dumping. (If you come across items you want
to give to charity, designate a special bag for those
items) Whatever you are going to keep, just put to
one side of the room.
8. DO IT UNTIL THE TIME IS UP. Continue doing this
until the timer goes off. If you prefer to continue,
keep going. Otherwise, stop and follow the same
procedures for your next two scheduled dates. Don’t
let the garbage bags sit there. Make sure they are
thrown out now (or donated), or on Garbage Day at
the latest.
9. CELEBRATE. Once you’ve managed to dump
everything you don’t want or need in that one room,
it’s time to celebrate. Take advantage of that reward
you designated.
10. KEEPING IT ORGANIZED. Now that everything
in that room that you wanted dumped is gone, you’re
ready to begin putting everything you are keeping
back in an organized manner. Be very careful not to
put anything else in this room that you don’t want.
11. REPEAT. Repeat this process for each of the other
rooms in your house.
IN 11 EASY STEPS
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