Flooding is the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States, causing billions in economic losses each year. According to the National Flood Program (NFIP), 90% of all natural disasters in the United States involve flooding. There is no coverage for flooding in standard homeowners or renters policies or in most commercial property […]
3 Types of Water Damage
Is Your Home Insured For Water Damage? Water is one of the most common causes of damage in homes, and it represents a large number of insurance claims. Water damage to your property can happen from any number of sources: Plumbing or Appliances Severe Weather or Storms Accidents Infiltration Causes of Water Damage in Insurance: […]
Common Questions About Flood Insurance
Check out the answers to some common questions about flood insurance. Answers all come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). I Don’t Have Flood Insurance – Why Do I Need It? Floods are the nation’s most common and costly natural disaster and cause millions of dollars in damage every year. Floods cost America, on […]
Homeowners Insurance: Premium, Policy Limits and Other Home-Related Insurance
Premium Many factors influence your premium and it will also vary by insurance company. An independent agent can help you shop for the best price without compromising your coverage. Some of the things that can affect your premium include: The cost to rebuild your home (this is not the same as the purchase price which […]
Unoccupied and Vacant Home Insurance: What is it and Do I Need it?
If you leave your home unattended for weeks at a time, your homeowners policy likely won’t provide coverage in the event of a claim during the time it is unoccupied or vacant. As a result, any damages or losses that occur would have to be paid out of pocket. For these times, unoccupied and vacant […]
Renters No More: Millennial Home Buyers
According to Primary Residential Mortgage Inc., Millennials are currently the largest class of homebuyers in the market. It may come as a surprise to some, but this young, tech-savvy generation is still set on finding a home, even during a volatile market with rising interest rates and fewer homes on the lower end of the […]
Water Damage in Your Home
Water damage is the leading cause of property-related losses for homeowners, according to Chubb claims data. A recent Travelers report revealed similar findings. After analyzing eight years of claims data, the insurer found that 20% of homeowners claims were attributable to non-weather water issues including plumbing, sewer or appliance leaks and failures – making non-weather […]
One-Third of Homeowners Liability Claims are From Dog Bites
In 2017, dog bites and dog-related injuries accounted for more than one-third of homeowners liability claims according to the Insurance Information Institute. There are approximately 89.7 million dogs in the United States and 36.5% of U.S. households own at least one dog. The average cost per dog bite claim was $37,051, totaling over $700 million […]
Breaking Down Your Homeowners Policy
Homeowners insurance is important to many people and is often required to satisfy your mortgage requirements. But how well do you actually understand your policy? Most homeowners policies can be broken down into six sections. Dwelling: This pays for damage to your house and structures that are attached to your house. This includes plumbing, electrical […]
How to Secure Your (Easily Hackable) Smart Home
As more devices and appliances with Internet capabilities enter the market, protecting those devices from hackers becomes critical. Unfortunately, many of these non-computer, non-smartphone devices – from toilets to refrigerators to alarm systems – weren’t built with security in mind. So what can someone who’s already bought one of these devices do? When it comes […]
How to Survive a Ransomware Attack – And Not Get Hit Again
Made famous by the WannaCry attack that crippled the NHS in 2017, ransomware is continuing to hit businesses. According to security research firm Symantec, infections have steadily increased every year since 2013, reaching record levels in 2017. Even over the last few months, ransomware has impacted multiple organizations, including the PGA of America, and the […]
Cybersecurity 101: Practical Tips to Protect Your Personal Data
The integration of smartphones in both personal and professional life has created a culture of vulnerability in which we walk around with our most sensitive information literally at the tips of our fingers. The results? A lucrative black market for data thieves eager to hack and sell passwords, credit card numbers and other personal data. […]
8 Types of Cyber Attacks Your Business Needs to Avoid
1. Malware What is it? Malware is an all-encompassing term for a variety of cyber threats including Trojans, viruses and worms. Malware is simply defined as code with malicious intent that typically steals data or destroys something on the computer. How does it work? Malware is most often introduced to a system through email attachments, […]
10 Cyber Security Trends to Look Out for in 2019
2018 was an interesting year for all things cyber. It was the year that brought major breaches pretty much every week. Most recently, the Marriott Hotel group suffered a significant data breach, while Quora fell foul to some cyber criminals. Cyber security is still the issue on every business leaders mind. This year, organizations have […]
Frequently Asked Questions about Ransomware
What is Ransomware? Ransomware is a type of malicious software that infects a computer and restricts users’ access to it until a ransom is paid to unlock it. Ransomware variants have been observed for several years and often attempt to extort money from victims by displaying an on-screen alert. Typically, these alerts state that the […]
Marriott Data Breach: What You Need To Know
What is the Marriott Data Breach? On November 30th, Marriott International announced that the private information of up to 500 million guests became compromised. The breach is one of the largest in history and brings up a variety of concerns regarding consumer privacy safety. They noted that an internal tool recognized a data breach in […]
American Heritage New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s Resolutions. Some people make one each year while others did in the past, but have stopped after not completing too many of them. It is difficult to come up with a realistic goal each year and even more difficult to follow through on those goals. Most people give up on their resolutions within […]
10 Cheap and Fun Family Activities To Do This Winter
While the term “cabin fever” likely originated with sailors who lost their marbles after spending too much time at sea, it’s a feeling that most of us face at some point in the winter months. Grey skies, cold temperatures, and dreary weather keep up locked up indoors and, after a while, we start to feel […]
Winter Holiday Travel Tips: 8 Good Ideas for your Trip
It can be especially stressful and arduous to travel during the winter holidays: Airports and flights are crowded. Roadways are jammed with vehicles. Snow and ice storms can delay your journey. You can’t make other people or bad weather just go away as you try to reach your destination, but you do have ways to […]
Happy Holidays! Celebrating December Holidays Around the World
Happy…I mean Merry…I mean Mazel Tov…I mean, where am I? “Happy Holidays” in December is an all-encompassing term that covers many special days, from many different cultures. So depending on where you are during this holiday, you may be given a different kind of greeting and it would be nice to not only know what […]