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  • 9 Seasonal Flu Shot Myths Busted

    9 Seasonal Flu Shot Myths Busted

    Don’t Skip That Flu Shot

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends anyone over the age of 6 months get a flu shot each year. Unfortunately, many people don’t get one because they believe one or more of the following myths.

    Myth 1: The flu isn’t so bad.

    Fact: The flu can lead to serious illness, including pneumonia, even for otherwise healthy people. Plus, a normal bout of the flu can keep a person out of work or school for several days.

    Myth 2: The flu vaccine will make you sick.

    Fact: The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu, although you may get side effects like a sore arm, low fever or achiness. Side effects are generally mild and short-lived

    Myth 3: Healthy people don’t need a vaccine.

    Fact: Anyone can become sick with the flu and experience complications, even people who are active and healthy. Plus, if you get the flu, you may endanger those around you who are at a higher risk for complications.

    Myth 4: You can still get the flu after getting the vaccine.

    Fact: This one is partially true for the following reasons:

    • You may have been exposed to a non-flu virus, such as the common cold.
    • You may have been exposed to the flu after you got vaccinated but before the vaccine took effect, which takes about two weeks after vaccination.
    • You may have been exposed to a flu virus that was different from the viruses included in the current year’s vaccine. The standard flu vaccine protects against the three influenza viruses expected to be most prevalent, but other flu viruses circulate as well.

    Myth 5: It’s too late to get protection from a flu vaccine.

    Fact: As long as the flu season isn’t over, it’s not too late to get vaccinated. Flu seasons can begin early in fall and last until spring, so getting a vaccine can still be beneficial into the spring months.

    Myth 6: You only need to get vaccinated if family and friends get sick from the flu.

    Fact: If you wait until people around you get sick, it is often too late to protect yourself, because it takes about two weeks for the vaccine to kick in.

    Myth 7: The discomfort of getting a shot isn’t worth it.

    Fact: The very minor pain of a flu shot is nothing compared to the flu. Plus, many people can get the nasal-spray vaccine instead of getting a shot. Talk to your doctor about which is the best choice for you.

    Myth 8: If you got the vaccine last year, you don’t need it this year.

    Fact: Research suggests that your body’s immunity from the flu vaccine declines throughout the year, so there is often not enough immunity left to protect you from getting sick for multiple seasons. This is why the CDC suggests getting a flu vaccine annually.

    Myth 9: The vaccine isn’t safe.

    Fact: Flu vaccines have been used for more than 50 years and have a very good safety track record. They are made the same way each year, and their safety is closely monitored by the CDC and Food and Drug Administration.

  • Cavities to Cancer: Poor Oral Hygiene Hurts Your Health & Your Wallet

    Cavities to Cancer: Poor Oral Hygiene Hurts Your Health & Your Wallet

    Don’t Forget to Floss

    Oral hygiene problems—ranging from cavities to cancer—are painful and costly, affecting millions of people each year. This is alarming because almost all oral diseases can be prevented with the proper knowledge and prevention techniques.

    Tooth Decay

    For children, cavities are a common problem that can strike at an early age. Untreated cavities can cause pain and infection, which can lead to difficulty eating, speaking, playing and learning.

    Tooth decay is also a problem for adults, especially for the increasing number who retain most of their teeth throughout their lives. In addition, tooth loss can become an issue as adults get older. Tooth loss can affect self-esteem and may contribute to nutrition problems by limiting the types of food that someone can eat.

    In addition, poor oral hygiene can lead to a number of diseases and conditions, including gum disease, oral cancer and more.

    Prevention

    Keep your oral health in good shape by practicing the following:

    • Drink fluoridated water and use fluoride toothpaste.
    • Take care of your teeth and gums: Thoroughly brushing and flossing can reduce dental plaque and prevent gingivitis.
    • Avoid tobacco: In addition to the many other health risks posed by tobacco, smokers have four times the risk of developing gum disease as non-smokers. Tobacco use in any form—cigarette, pipe or smokeless spit tobacco—increases the risk for gum disease, oral and throat
    • Cancers and an oral fungal yeast infection called candidiasis – Spit tobacco containing sugar also increases the risk of tooth decay.
    • Limit alcohol consumption: Heavy use of alcohol is also a risk factor for oral and throat cancers. When used alone, alcohol and tobacco are risk factors for oral cancers, but when used in combination the effects are even greater.
    • Eat wisely: Adults should avoid snacks with sugars and starches. Limit the number of snacks eaten throughout the day. The recommended five-a-day helping of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables stimulates your salivary flow to aid in the re-mineralization of tooth surfaces with early stages of tooth decay.
    • Visit the dentist regularly. Check-ups can detect early signs of oral health problems and can lead to treatments that will prevent further damage, and in some cases, reverse the problem. Professional tooth cleaning, called prophylaxis, is also important for preventing oral problems, especially when self-care is difficult.
    • If you have diabetes, maintain control of the condition. This will help prevent complications from the disease, including an increased risk of gum disease.
    • Ask your doctor if other drugs may be substituted if your medications produce a dry mouth. If dry mouth is unavoidable, drink plenty of water, chew sugarless gum and avoid tobacco and alcohol.
    • Have an oral health check-up before beginning cancer treatment. Radiation to the head or neck and chemotherapy can cause problems for your teeth and gums. Treating existing oral health problems before cancer therapy may help prevent or limit oral complications or tissue damage.
  • How to Maximize Employee Benefits – Are You Getting the Most for Your Money?

    How to Maximize Employee Benefits – Are You Getting the Most for Your Money?

    Employee Benefits: Essential But Unruly

    Employers and employees both know the critical role that the workplace plays in offering a better quality of life through a robust benefits package.

    What employees may not know, however, is how to capitalize on benefit offerings, or how to select the right benefit options for themselves or their families. And employers may not know how to properly analyze claims made on benefit plans, how to interpret data to adjust their benefits offerings to deliver more of what employees want, or when to develop wellness programs to prevent excessive medical expenses for conditions caused in part by unhealthy lifestyles.

    Technology-driven Solutions

    To help workers better grasp and employ benefits knowledge beyond orientation and yearly renewal periods, employers need an online collection of benefits and wellness materials that serves as a real-time solution generator for employee benefits questions.

    Data collected and housed in a central online program will allow employers to refine popular offerings, pinpoint underutilized benefits and analyze employee insurance claims—all of which adds value your benefit package.

    Besides data storage and sorting functions, employers need a central hub for educational materials that explain the complex world of health insurance to their employees, alleviating the burden of providing in-depth personal instruction. At Lawley, we provide this to our clients via our Technology Solutions team and with ZyWave/MyWave, an online client portal for employee benefits and HR resources.

    For Employees

    Providing a benefits suite can be a dynamic asset for your company that bolsters your bottom line in two critical ways: by acting as a magnet for attracting and retaining top talent, and by keeping your employees and their dependents healthy and free from expensive claims.

    Sophisticated benefits analysis tools give workers a chance to research various benefits options and discuss their elections for the coming year with their families. To recoup the costs of offering benefits and to achieve gains in productivity, morale, and talent acquisition and retention, it is critical to highlight the value of your company’s benefit package. Having a proper platform in place to disseminate information is crucial. An ideal platform should include support in the form of:

    • Notifications that send out alerts prior to important benefits deadlines
    • Multiple education resources that explain differences between health plan options, medical savings accounts and retirement information, customized to the needs and ages of a diverse workforce
    • A plan selector tool that uses personalized lifestyle data to help employees decide what benefit options are best
    • A tracking calendar that enables users to stay informed about important deadlines pertaining to medical savings accounts
    • Comprehensive plan information for health insurance companies or network providers
    • A direct line of communication with the HR department

    For Employers

    The cost of health care is rising at an unsustainable rate, placing a significant burden on employers. With new health care reform rules, some employers may be tempted to drop coverage and accept a penalty instead, but should also consider the employee satisfaction implications.

    Instead of potentially overreacting by dropping benefits altogether, employers can choose to manage costs through claims analysis. While health claims data analysis has long been an option, getting good data can often be challenging. To get full value out of claims analysis as quickly as possible, employers need a tool that is extensive and illuminating, and includes certain features, such as:

    • Outlining rules and calculating model or projected budgets for various types of health and retirement plans and medical savings accounts
    • Using health and prescription claims data to uncover high-cost problem areas
    • Benchmarking costs and claims against national data
    • Illuminating cost drivers for targeted wellness initiatives
    • Showing the impact of plan design changes
    • Surveying your employee population to determine their priorities
    • Gauging what employees value from underused offerings

    For more information, contact Lawley today.

  • 1 in 8 Women Are at Risk for Breast Cancer, Are You?

    1 in 8 Women Are at Risk for Breast Cancer, Are You?

    All Women Are at Risk for Breast Cancer. Did you know…

    Research from Breastcancer.org, indicates that all women are at risk for breast cancer— numbers that estimate 1 in 8 or about 12 percent of women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at some time in their lives. Read on to learn about causes and risk factors, and how to identify and prevent breast cancer.

    The most common indication of breast cancer is discovering a lump in the breast or underarm area. Other signs include swelling, skin irritation/dimpling, nipple pain/abnormalities, redness or scaly skin and discharge from the nipple.

    To detect breast cancer, physicians may use the following tests:

    • Mammogram – a breast X-ray
    • Biopsy – the removal of cells or tissues so they can be viewed under a microscope
    • Estrogen and progesterone receptor tests – to determine the levels of each hormone
    • MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) – a procedure that uses a magnet, radio waves and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of inside the body

    The chance of recovery and the treatment options depend on many factors including the stage of cancer, how fast the tumor is growing, hormone receptor levels, and a woman’s age. The four standard types of treatment used for breast cancer are:

    1. Surgery, ranging from a small lump of tissue being removed to an entire breast (mastectomy)
    2. Radiation therapy
    3. Chemotherapy
    4. Hormone therapy

    Healthy Hints for Finding Factors that Lead to Breast Cancer

    Medical experts attribute the development of breast cancer to a combination of both unknown and known factors. An extensive list of these factors can be found at: www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors.

  • The Health Benefits of Yoga

    The Health Benefits of Yoga

    Yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years as a way to improve health and well-being.

    Yoga Basics
    Yoga is a science that consists of observations, principles and theories regarding the connection between the mind, body and spirit. It is physically, emotionally and mentally challenging. Despite this, it is a misconception that you need to be flexible and in good physical shape in order to practice yoga.

    Yoga will help you become more aware of your body’s patterns of movement, posture and alignment—increasing your flexibility and fitness level. Not only that, but yoga is also often used as a stress-management and relaxation technique.

    The practice of yoga involves performing a variety of poses, called asanas, along with breathing exercises and meditation to cleanse and unify your body, mind and spirit. These combined actions increase blood circulation, which can stimulate the body to “flush out” toxins. Regular practice of the stretches, twists, bends and inversions—the basic movements of yoga poses—have many physical and mental health benefits.

    Flexibility
    Because yoga requires you to stretch your body in new and sometimes unfamiliar ways, it helps you to become more flexible by using a greater range of motion of your muscles and joints. This releases the lactic acid build-up within your muscles that causes stiffness, tension and fatigue. Yoga also stretches the soft tissues of your body, such as ligaments and tendons. As you continue to practice yoga, you can expect to notice increased flexibility in your back, hamstrings, hips and shoulders.

    Strength
    There are many specific styles of yoga, and practicing any kind of yoga will help improve muscle tone and strength. While some poses target upper-body strength and others stress lower-body strength, almost all yoga poses build core strength in the abdominal muscles.

    Posture
    With greater flexibility and strength comes better posture. Because yoga poses develop core strength and body awareness, you will become more conscious of your posture. With a stronger core, you are also more likely to sit and stand without slouching.

    Stress Reduction
    Any kind of physical activity contributes to relieving stress, and this is especially true with yoga. Due to yoga’s quiet and precise movements, it has the capability to pull your focus away from busy daily responsibilities towards an increased calm state by moving your body through sets of poses with balance and concentration.

  • A Two-Tier Approach to Protect Yourself from Identity Fraud

    A Two-Tier Approach to Protect Yourself from Identity Fraud

    Cyberattacks are increasing at an alarming rate and the resulting data breaches have led to countless amounts of personal information being exposed to unscrupulous individuals. While banks have become more proactive in monitoring accounts for activity that appears to be fraudulent, their services only play a small part in the overall campaign against identity fraud.

    Are you familiar with how your personal information can be used by criminals? Many people immediately think of fraudulent credit card charges, which is certainly one widely used method. However, your personal information can also be used to:

    • Open up new credit cards or lines of credit
    • Illegally obtain tax refunds due back to you
    • File false medical claims to health insurance companies

    This is where identity theft insurance comes into the equation. Will it help? Certainly. But don’t expect it to be a comprehensive solution.

    Whenever discussing identity fraud with clients and prospects, Lawley’s team tries to reiterate to them that identity fraud insurance is just like any other type of insurance. It’s reactive in nature. This means the coverage won’t provide you with any benefit until the damage is already done and you have to end up spending time restoring your identity and/or bank accounts.

    Some suggest utilizing a two-tier approach. The first tier should be preventive. Employ a service that is proactive and constantly monitors your identity along with your financial accounts. Therefore it offers some flexibility rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. It also offers the option to monitor the identities of your children. Criminals love to get their hands on social security numbers that have no history attached to them.

    The second tier in your fight against identity fraud should be insurance. This is reactive and will provide you with services such as access to fraud specialists, assistance with filing police reports, access to a credit monitoring service, and even expense reimbursements for lost wages, credit bureau reports, and various postage, phone and shipping fees associated with the theft of your identity.

    If you want to take things a step further, consider freezing your credit. This will make it extremely difficult for identity thieves to open any new accounts using your information. Just make sure you lift the freeze in the event you need to undertake a legitimate transaction that requires your credit report!

    Unfortunately no single method is 100% foolproof, but the more layers you can add to your identity protection, the better off you’ll be.

  • Renters Insurance: Why It’s Important for Landlords

    Renters Insurance: Why It’s Important for Landlords

    Anyone who has ever rented a residence (or is currently considering renting a residence) has most likely heard about the importance of having renters insurance in place. We all know that our “stuff” is important and needs protecting. We also know that these types of policies provide liability coverage, but we may or may not fully understand what that means.

    But what if you’re a landlord? Should your tenants have renters insurance?

    Absolutely! Your house, condo, or apartment is just as valuable as your tenant’s “stuff,” correct? Here’s why it shouldn’t only be suggested, but required by the terms of your lease.

    • Your tenant fell asleep with the stove on and caught the house on fire. If your tenant has renter’s insurance, his policy may respond and pay out due to his negligence. If there is no renter’s policy in place, you as the landlord would be completely responsible for the damages and could eventually face adverse underwriting action on your policy, though the accident was not your fault.
    • Your tenant hosts a gathering and drinks spill, causing the floor to become slippery. A guest of the tenant slips and falls. If your tenant has a renter’s policy, coverage will likely be available to pay for his liability to the guest. Without a renter’s policy, you could face having to pay for the guest’s damages.

    Just as we see with complex commercial accounts, the landlord-tenant relationship should have appropriate risk transfer in place. You should require your tenants to have renters insurance and additional insured status on the policy (via ISO form HO 04 41 or equivalent) ensuring that your tenant’s insurance policy can protect you if you are dragged into a claim that another insurance policy should potentially cover.

    Lastly, be sure to ask the renter for a certificate of liability insurance or a copy of their declarations pages each year. This proof of insurance will help to make sure that they are keeping the appropriate coverage in place and are compliant with the terms of your lease.

    Owning rental properties is a business and should be treated as such. With a wealth of industry-specific knowledge and experience, one of our specialized teams will really get to know your organization, your business insurance needs and goals.

  • Top 10 Threats To Small Business To Consider, Including Sexual Harassment

    Top 10 Threats To Small Business To Consider, Including Sexual Harassment

    Simple strategies that small business owners can take to help identify and manage top threats to their business

    Optimism is the fuel that drives the entrepreneurial spirit, so it isn’t surprising that most small business owners consider themselves optimists. Too much optimism, however, can get a small business owner into trouble. A business plan built solely on the “best case scenario” is like a house of cards—one gust of wind (or fire or wrongful termination lawsuit) and the entire business can come crashing down. That’s why smart business owners temper their innate optimism with a healthy dose of reality. In other words, they learn to manage risk.

    The first step in implementing a comprehensive risk management plan is identifying potential risks. To help you get started, we have provided a list of the top 10 threats to small business facing small business owners. As you read through the list, consider the unique risks facing your business and ask yourself whether those risks are being managed effectively.

    1. Protecting your Property

    Property holdings are often a small business owner’s largest asset. Therefore, for the long-term security of your small business, it is vital that you evaluate potential threats to your property and develop a plan to manage those threats. Begin by taking a complete inventory of all of your assets to determine how a loss might affect your business and how much coverage you need. Property coverage can come in many forms to suit your specific needs, but a typical policy will provide the replacement cost value for your building and the actual cash value for your business property.

    You have a lot weighing on your budget already, but don’t make the mistake of planning for the “best case scenario” when it comes to your property coverage. Leaving your small business “underinsured” is a risk too great to take.

    1. Business Interruption

    The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that more than 40 percent of businesses never reopen following a disaster such as a fire or flood. Is your business prepared to weather the storm if disaster strikes? If a fire causes the facility to be temporarily unusable, what would you do? Ideally, you would move to a temporary location while your permanent place of business is being repaired, but traditional Property Insurance does not cover this move or the loss of income while the permanent business location is being repaired. Ill-prepared businesses are often forced to completely shut down operations during repair, which can do irreparable damage to their brand and leave employees without work for extended periods of time. To mitigate this risk, consider adding Business Interruption coverage to your Property Insurance policy. This invaluable, though often overlooked, coverage safeguards your business by covering operating expenses and lost income while the permanent business location is being repaired. This will allow you to maintain payroll and, if needed, reallocate current employees to help with the cleanup effort.

    1. Liability Losses

    No matter how well you plan, running a small business can be fraught with unexpected surprises—the only way to completely avoid liability is to shutter your business. Smart business owners do the next best thing: protect their assets by carrying adequate Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance coverage. CGL policies provide coverage for claims of bodily injury or other physical injury, personal injury (libel or slander), advertising injury and property damage as a result of your products, premises or operations. A CGL policy with adequate coverage limits enables you to continue normal operations while dealing with real or fraudulent claims of negligence or wrongdoing, and also provides coverage for the cost of defending and settling claims.

    1. Key Person Losses

    Many small businesses are built around the talents and expertise of a few individuals. If an employee crucial to the functioning of your business departs unexpectedly due to death or injury, would day-to-day operations continue as usual or would disorder and uncertainty ensue? Would you be able to maintain your current level of performance and current revenue stream? How would you cover for the financial loss of the employee or pay for a temporary replacement during his or her recovery? Key Person Insurance can help you answer these questions with confidence. This coverage is designed to provide financial stability in a time of stress and uncertainty, allowing you to keep your business moving forward without missing a beat.

    1. Injuries to Employees

    Small business owners, especially those with less than 10 employees, often struggle with understanding their employee health and safety obligations. Just like their larger counterparts, small businesses have the same responsibility to indemnify workers who are injured or become ill during the course of their employment. Many businesses do not realize the full effect workplace accidents have on their organization. Beyond initial treatment costs and lost production time, on-the-job injuries have an impact on insurance premiums, which can increase your costs for years to come. Thankfully, by managing exposures and promoting safety, it is possible to control workers’ compensation premiums. Having the proper pre- and post-accident procedures in place can drastically reduce the severity of a workers’ compensation claim, and implementing a comprehensive safety program can reduce the accident rate. Together, these two steps can produce tremendous long-term savings.

    1. Managing Electronic Data and Computer Resources

    Small businesses often lack a formal IT department or even rudimentary internet security measures, which leaves them vulnerable to unscrupulous cybercriminals searching for an easy target. With an estimated liability of more than $200 per compromised record (multiplied by hundreds or thousands of customer records), the cost of a single data breach incident can be devastating for a small business. If your business stores customer records electronically, it is crucial that you have robust security measures in place. In addition to taking preventative measure to reduce Internet-based exposures, specialized technology coverage, such as Cyber Liability Insurance, can help protect your business against damage from cyber attacks, data breaches and other Internet-based exposures.

    1. Environmental Exposures

    Think of a business with significant environmental exposures. What comes to mind? Most people think of a large manufacturing, mining or petroleum operation, but these are not the only industries at risk for environmental liability losses. It is important to perform a comprehensive risk analysis to determine your own level of exposure. Keep in mind that because most commercial insurance policies contain pollution exclusions, unless you carry Environmental Insurance, you may be uninsured against significant environmental loss exposures.

    1. Employment Practices

    From the moment you begin the pre-hiring process until the final goodbyes at the exit interview, you are at risk for a lawsuit. In fact, three out of five employers will be sued by a prospective, current or former employee while they are in business. Although many lawsuits are groundless, defending against them is costly and time-consuming. Your business should take a hard look at whether it can afford to defend itself against accusations of wrongful employment practices. If not, there is an insurance solution called Employment Practices Liability that will protect your company against wrongful termination, discrimination (age, sex, race, disability, etc.) or sexual harassment lawsuits.

    1. Contracts

    When first starting out, many new business owners simply don’t have the time or expertise to adequately evaluate each clause in everything they’re signing. This oversight, however, can create major problems down the road. In many cases, small businesses become saddled with large additional risks, accepted via risk transfer from savvy suppliers or customers. While it’s tempting to shave costs by skimping on legal fees, making sure your business isn’t accepting additional and unnecessary risk can save you a lot of money over the long haul, both in legal costs and in insurance coverages.

    1. Manage Your Supply Chain

    Do you rely on one or more third-party suppliers to produce certain components used in your products? If you do, a disaster that interrupts your supplier’s regular business operations could have a crippling effect on your production abilities. Although you should always try to minimize potential liability through contingency planning and other risk management techniques, as supply chains grow across the globe, sometimes there is little you can do about the exposures faced by your suppliers. In a perfect world you could simply avoid doing business with companies that present numerous risks or that are unwilling to conform to your standards, but pricing constraints and niche markets limit the number of potential suppliers to choose from. Supply chain insurance is meant to cover losses you incur as a result of an interruption to your supply chain. Such coverage allows you to work confidently with suppliers who face exposures beyond your control.

    Insurance is a key component of any comprehensive risk management plan, but successful risk management also involves prevention, training and contingency planning. Contact Lawley’s small business team today to learn more about the tools and resources we can offer to help you manage risks, control workers’ compensation costs, advance safety and boost employee morale.

     

     

  • Hurricane Florence Watch: What To Do During & After The Storm

    Hurricane Florence Watch: What To Do During & After The Storm

    Hurricane Florence is currently barreling towards the East Coast of the United States. Tonight, Thursday, September 13th, 2018 it will make landfall. If you have not evacuated, here are some brief tips to consider during and after the storm to help you stay safe.

    Safety Tips During a Hurricane

    • Listen to the radio for important storm information and instructions
    • If at home, stay inside and away from all windows, skylights and glass doors. Do not go outside, even if the weather appears to have calmed. The “eye” of the storm can pass quickly, leaving you outside when strong winds resume
    • If you must evacuate, leave as soon as possible and be sure to tell someone outside of the storm area where you will be
    • The storm surge may be reaching up to 9 feet. Cars can be swept away during a storm surge of only 3 feet, so a surge of 9 feet will be completely life threatening. Reaching high ground is a complete must

    Safety Tips After a Hurricane

    • Stay tuned to the radio or television. If you have had to evacuate, return home only after authorities advise it is safe to do so
    • Avoid downed power lines
    • Beware and check for gas leaks or electrical system damage
    • Make temporary repairs as necessary
    • If you are a Lawley client, promptly report the loss using Lawley’s toll-free claim reporting number

    We hope everyone stays safe during this catastrophic weather event.

  • Life Insurance Awareness Month – Why Do I Need Life Insurance?

    Life Insurance Awareness Month – Why Do I Need Life Insurance?

    September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. Throughout the month, the team at Lawley will be bringing you important information on different areas of life insurance. Today, we try to help answer the question: Why Do I Need Life Insurance? by providing a real-life scenario and how quickly events can change.

    Life insurance isn’t a pleasant thing to think about, and it may seem like an unnecessary expense. But if you have dependents who rely on you for financial support, then life insurance is really about protecting them in case something happens to you. Your designated beneficiary would collect a financial benefit upon your death.

    Why Do I Need Life Insurance? This Real Life Insurance Example May Help Answer That Question.

    Youth minister Preston Newby and his wife, Tara, met during college and were soon married. After visiting their local insurance agent to purchase auto and renters insurance, they decided to look into life insurance policies. With a 19-month-old son and another child on the way, life insurance policies made a lot of sense in case anything ever happened to either of them. Unfortunately, this worst-case scenario became reality a couple of months later.

    While driving to Canada to visit Tara’s parents, a group of cars up ahead of the Newbys slammed on their brakes and veered to the right side of the road. After coming to a stop, Preston hopped out of the car to find out what happened. One of the cars had hit an elk, and when Preston realized a passenger was bleeding, he ran back to his car to tell Tara to dial 911. As she reached for her phone, a car flew by and hit Preston, killing him instantly.

    Thanks to the life insurance policy the Newbys purchased months earlier, Tara was able to pay off the family’s existing debt and provide for her two young sons after Preston’s death.

    Whether you are 25 or 55, a life insurance policy gives you the peace of mind that should the worst happen, your loved ones will be taken care of.

    Even if you already have life insurance through your employer, you may be underinsured. Talk with Robert Digiore at 716.849.1517 to speak about your individual needs and ensure that there aren’t any gaps in your current coverage.