'TIS THE SEASON
Christmas Shopping
by Becky Middaugh / Personal Lines Director
 It's almost that time again and thieves could be lurking in your shadows. Car break-ins are on the rise and your Holiday Shopping could be someone else's Christmas presents.
No matter what time of the year, it is important to be careful of your surroundings. Never leave valuable items in your vehicle. Always lock your doors when you leave your car even if you will only be gone for a short while. Never put items in your trunk then go into the store because you never know when someone could be watching you.
Remember, it only takes seconds for a thief to break into your car or trunk and ruin your day and Holiday Season.
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HOW FAR WILL YOUR RETIREMENT DOLLARS TAKE YOU?
by Tim Lehman
These days it can be pretty scary out there to plan for your retirement.
It has been hard to grow wealth in stocks, real estate is down, and bonds and CD's aren't paying much either.
With bank failures, Wall Street failures and a slow economy, it is hard to accumulate enough cash to retire.
We need to accumulate assets to replace our income when we stop receiving paychecks and we also need a safe way to build assets.
We would like to make you aware that we offer products that more and more individuals are looking into once again, and they are annuities.
[FULL STORY]
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MICHELLE'S LAW
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110...
by The Congressional Research Service
On October 9, 2008, President Bush signed H.R. 2851, known as "Michelle's Law." The new federal law applies to medical plan years beginning on or after October 9, 2009.
H.R. 2851 is named in memory of Michelle Morse, a 22 year old Plymouth State University student who died of colon cancer in November 2005. The Law protects students who are forced to take a medically necessary leave of absence due to a serious illness or injury. Here is how it reads:
[FULL STORY]
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SURETY COVERAGE
Inside Insurance - Commercial Corner
by PIA
Do you have unique exposures, or regulatory requirements enforced by a local authority that require a bond for the successful operation of your business? Generally speaking, a contract of surety is a contract whereby one party agrees to be answerable for debt, default or failure of another. The surety contract involves three parties; the principal, obligee and surety. A principal, also known as obligor, is obligated to perform in some way for the benefit of the obligee. The surety guarantees to the obligee that the principal will fulfill the underlying obligations.
The concept of surety is pretty easy to understand if you compare it to a more common surety-like event. A son is buying a new car, but the bank feels that the son does not have enough credit history to approve a loan without a co-signer. The boy’s parent agrees to co-sign the loan, thereby guaranteeing the bank will be repaid if the son defaults. In this case, the parent is the surety agreeing to step in and fulfill the son’s (the obligor and principal) responsibility in the contract to the bank (the obligee).
[FULL STORY]
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HOMEOWNERS CHECKLIST
Inside Insurance - Personal Lines
by PIA
 A home and its contents frequently represent a major portion of a person’s net worth. Failure to keep coverage current could result in a claim not being covered. Whose responsibility is it to maintain adequate insurance coverage? When all is said and done, it is the policyholder’s responsibility to review the policy regularly and inform his/her agent of any obvious shortfalls and ask pertinent questions. While we can search through the maze of complex coverage’s and advise you how to cover your exposures to loss, your involvement is absolutely necessary. Who else knows more about what you have and the activities with which you are involved.
[FULL STORY]
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SAVE THE PLANET
... and Your Company's Bottom Line
by ByTheNumbers
According to PayItGreen, paying employees via direct deposit has saved U.S. businesses a total of $6.7 billion over the past 10 years, an average annual savings of $605 million.
If every U.S. employee with access to direct deposit used it, it annually can:
- Save 11,082,971 pounds of paper
- Avoid the release of 105,709,380 gallons of wastewater
- Save 4,105,889 gallons of gas
- Avoid the release of 31,581,675 pounds of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, equivalent to 112,329,703 miles not driven; 1,345,379 trees planted and 13,756,978 square feet of forest preserved
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