Scurich Insurance Services has proudly served the Monterey Bay area since 1924. Scurich will take care of all of your insurance needs. Are you a business owner, did you get a new car or maybe you are looking to protect your family in the event of a tragedy? Give us a call, we can help!
We are located at:
320 East Lake Avenue, PO Box 1170
Watsonville, CA 95077-1170
Office: 1-831-722-3541
Toll Free: 1-800-320-3666
“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”-Mother Theresa
Studies suggest that smiling, forced or not, can have a positive effect on your mood, decrease stress levels, and even make everyone around you feel better. Here are 9 surprising benefits of smiling that will really give you something to smile about.
1. Smiling is Contagious
Because of complex brain activity that occurs when you see someone smiling, smiles are contagious. Studies report that just seeing one person smiling activates the area of your brain that controls your facial movement, which leads to a grin.
Because of complex brain activity that occurs when you see someone smiling, smiles are contagious. Studies report that just seeing one person smiling activates the area of your brain that controls your facial movement, which leads to a grin.
2. You’ll Decrease Stress and Anxiety
It’s not easy to keep smiling in stressful situations, but studies report that doing exactly that has health benefits. When recovering from a stressful situation, study participants who were smiling had lower heart rates than those with a neutral facial expression.
3. Smiling Releases Endorphins
Smiling decreases stress and anxiety by releasing endorphins, chemicals that makes you happier. Endorphins are the same chemicals you get from working out or running, resulting in what is known as a runner’s high.
4. You’ll Be More Attractive
A smile suggests that you’re personable, easy going, and empathetic. In fact, a study in the European Journal of Social Psychology found that smiling actually makes you more attractive to those you smile at.
5. Smiling Strengthens Your Immune System
Smiling even makes your immune system stronger by making your body produce white blood cells to help fight illnesses. One study found that hospitalized children who were visited by story-tellers and puppeteers who made them smile and laugh had higher white blood cell counts than those children who weren’t visited.
6. You’ll Be Friendlier
Studies have found that people are more willing to engage socially with others who are smiling. A smile is an inviting facial expression that tells people you are willing to talk and interact with them.
7. Smiling Will Make You More Comfortable
Our natural tendency is to stick to things that are familiar, but smiling decreases this need. A study found that smiling can make you more comfortable in situations you would otherwise feel awkward in.
8. You’ll Be More Trustworthy
Trusting doesn’t come easily to many, but smiling at someone may help. Participants in a University of Pittsburgh study rated people who smiled as more trustworthy than people with non-smiling facial expressions.
9. You’ll Be a Better Leader
If you’re in a position of power, or want to be, smiling may be the key to your success. A group of researchers from The University of Montpellier discovered that smiling is a more effective leadership technique than having great management responsibilities.
Scurich Insurance Services has proudly served the Monterey Bay area since 1924. Scurich will take care of all of your insurance needs. Are you a business owner, did you get a new car or maybe you are looking to protect your family in the event of a tragedy? Give us a call, we can help!
We are located at:
320 East Lake Avenue, PO Box 1170
Watsonville, CA 95077-1170
Office: 1-831-722-3541
Toll Free: 1-800-320-3666
Information Provided by: http://inspiyr.com/9-benefits-of-smiling/
When people hear the term life insurance or permanent life insurance most people think primarily of death benefits. What about life insurance as a life planning strategy?
It’s been done. People, ordinary people with a dream, made it happen. And not only was their strategy to benefit themselves but it also benefits us today. And just to name a few:
These everyday people took a chance and it changed their lives (and ours too!).
Withdrawing from your life insurance policy early is not without its drawbacks. Depending on your policy outlines, you could face penalties and taxes.
Talk with a Scurich staff member today to see what we can do for you!
Scurich Insurance Services has proudly served the Monterey Bay area since 1924. Scurich will take care of all of your insurance needs. Are you a business owner, did you get a new car or maybe you are looking to protect your family in the event of a tragedy? Give us a call, we can help!
We are located at:
320 East Lake Avenue, PO Box 1170
Watsonville, CA 95077-1170
Office: 1-831-722-3541
Toll Free: 1-800-320-3666
statistics by: http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2012/04/06/6-famous-brands-started-or-saved-by-life-insurance?page=2
Information provided by: Read more at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2013/08/07/dont-get-swept-away-cars-and-flood-insurance/#K01tpMfW6B8iMqqH.99
July is known for being a peak summer month filled with sunny days, but this year it also turned out to be a notorious month for flash floods across the country.
Drivers are advised to avoid driving during a flood if at all possible for a very good reason: According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, nearly half of all deaths during a flood are vehicle-related.
When asked for tips for driving in a flood, Carroll Lachnit, features editor for automotive research site Edmunds.com, says, “Don’t do it.”
Driving tips for flash floods
While the best advice is to stay off the roads, sometimes drivers get caught in an unexpected flood.
“The classic ‘turn around, don’t drown’ statement that gets repeated during every major storm is excellent advice,” says Lachnit. “Never drive through flooded areas. If it’s raining heavily and you’re driving in a familiar location where you know there are vulnerable areas, then you need to avoid them.”
Lachnit says you should never drive beneath an underpass during a heavy rainstorm because they are prone to flooding.
Another tip for driving when flooding begins is to be wary of water levels. “According to FEMA it takes only 1 foot of water to float almost any car,” she says. “Even an SUV can be swept off a bridge (or down a road) in a foot of water. Six inches of water reaches the bottom of most cars, which means you could lose control of your car or wash out into the flood.”
If you’re on the road and see signs of high water or stranded vehicles, Lachnit says, you should pull over or take a different route. If you see water rising above the bottom of the tires of the car in front of you, that’s an indication to turn around. You can sometimes guess how deep the water is compared with the curb, but you may not know about flood damage to the roadbed underneath.
If your car gets caught in a flash flood and stalls or you lose control, FEMA recommends that you get out if you can before it gets carried downstream.
If it’s too late to climb out and your car is beginning to be submerged, Lachnit says, it’s important not to panic.”Once your car is submerged you should be able to open your doors, so you’re supposed to hold your breath and climb out,” she says. “If you’re caught in a stream of rushing water, point your feet up and downstream so you flow with the water to avoid getting hurt on rocks under the surface.”
In addition to the danger of floodwaters, heavy rainstorms create major visibility problems.
When driving in heavy rain, slow down, put extra space between your car and the car in front of you, and don’t slam on your brakes or make any sudden turns, says Lachnit.
“If you have anti-lock brakes like most cars, don’t pump the brakes,” she says.
All of these tips are meant to prevent an accident or a water-damaged car, but sometimes an event that results in an insurance claim is inevitable. It’s important to have the right car insurance so that you don’t end up financially swept away.
“If you don’t have comprehensive and collision coverage on your car insurance policy, you need to get it before hurricane or flood warnings are given for your area,” says Penny Gusner, a consumer analyst for CarInsurance.com. “Insurance companies can’t add new coverage or write a new insurance policy when a storm warning has been issued.”
Here’s the insurance coverage you could need if you’re caught in a flood:
Comprehensive. “Comprehensive insurance covers any type of damage to your car up to its actual cash value that’s caused by natural events instead of an accident,” says Gusner. “So if your car is damaged by rising water or a flood, you could make a claim with your comprehensive coverage.”
Collision. If you hydroplane during a storm and flip your car or hit something like another car or a tree, collision insurance will pay to repair it or will pay the actual cash value of the car. Gusner says you’ll have to pay your deductible regardless of whether the accident was your fault, someone else’s or caused by the storm.
Rental car reimbursement. “Rental reimbursement coverage is optional and pays you a certain amount of money per day or per week for a rental car to drive while your car is being repaired,” says Gusner. “If you have another car or another way of getting around without your car, then you don’t need it.”
Gap. “If you owe more money on your car than it’s worth, gap insurance will pay the difference,” says Gusner. “For instance, if you owe $15,000 on your car loan but your car is only worth $12,000, gap insurance will reimburse your lender for the extra $3,000.” You can get gap insurance from your regular car insurance provider or from your car financing company, but it’s usually more expensive from your lender.
“Your insurance company expects you to take care of your car, so make sure you don’t cause more damage by driving it after a flood with the check engine light on,” says Gusner.
Scurich Insurance Services has proudly served the Monterey Bay area since 1924. Scurich will take care of all of your insurance needs. Are you a business owner, did you get a new car or maybe you are looking to protect your family in the event of a tragedy? Give us a call, we can help!
We are located at:
320 East Lake Avenue, PO Box 1170
Watsonville, CA 95077-1170
Office: 1-831-722-3541
Toll Free: 1-800-320-3666
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Scurich Insurance Services has proudly served the Monterey Bay area since 1924. Scurich will take care of all of your insurance needs. Are you a business owner, did you get a new car or maybe you are looking to protect your family in the event of a tragedy? Give us a call, we can help!
We are located at:
320 East Lake Avenue, PO Box 1170
Watsonville, CA 95077-1170
Office: 1-831-722-3541
Toll Free: 1-800-320-3666
Information Provided by: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-insure-small-business-20130802,0,2637620.story?track=lat-email-topofthetimes
California’s small businesses next year will have a range of competitively priced options offered by a new state government health insurance exchange.
The agency, Covered California, unveiled its portfolio of policy options for smaller businesses Thursday. They include both health maintenance organizations and preferred provider networks and will be available in all parts of the state as of Jan. 1.
Rates in most of the state’s populous counties are expected to be significantly below premiums now charged by insurers for similar plans. Average premiums for a 40-year-old employee are slated to fall 17% in southern Los Angeles County and 13% in the northern part. Rates for younger and older workers are expected to drop proportionally, Covered California said.
An important element of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, these small-business exchange policies will take effect Jan. 1. Insurance companies will continue to offer small-business policies apart from the exchange.
Giving small-business owners new options to help their employees is crucial in California, healthcare advocates argue. According to the California Healthcare Foundation, the state has more than 7 million people under the age of 65 who don’t have health insurance. Statewide, 25% of workers are not insured. That rises to 40% at companies with fewer than 10 people.
“This adds competition to the marketplace,” said Scott Hauge, a San Francisco insurance broker and president of Small Business California, which advocates for half a million employers around the state. “The exchange clearly will be a major competitor.”
Businesses with fewer than 50 employees can take advantage of the buying power of the exchange’s new Small Business Health Options Program. However, they are not required to do so under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Small businesses with fewer than 25 full-time workers that purchase the state-backed coverage could further lower their costs by qualifying for a federal tax credit of as much as 50% of total employer-paid premiums.
Individuals not covered by employer or government programs will be subject to financial penalties if they don’t get insurance.
Participating insurance companies include Blue Shield of California, Chinese Community Health Plan, Health Net, Kaiser Permanente, Sharp Health Plan and Western Health Advantage. Each provider will offer four tiers of benefits dubbed Platinum for the most comprehensive, followed by Gold, Silver and Bronze.
Employers will pick the level of coverage they want. Employees would still be free to choose among all the locally available products within that category, even if they are from different insurance companies. Prices and benefits can vary from insurer to insurer, even if they are in the same category.
Not participating in the small-business exchange is Anthem Blue Cross, the largest for-profit health insurer in the state.
California has aggressively prepared to put into place Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act — informally known as Obamacare — since he signed it into law in 2010. Earlier this year, the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown made public its programs for covering individuals.
The latest offering should be a boost for small businesses because it will put them “on par with larger employers in terms of benefits,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California.
“Employer-sponsored health coverage,” he said, “has historically played an important role in insuring Californians. Our launch of a full-choice, small-group market is a testament to the state’s commitment to build on the critical role of employer-based coverage.”
Although Covered California gives small employers a range of options to attract and keep employees, it might not be the best deal for all companies, especially those that operate on slim profit margins, said John Arensmeyer, founder and chief executive of Small Business Majority, a national lobbying group based in San Francisco Bay Area.
“They may sit down and do calculations and there may be situations where it’s better for the employees to go to the individual exchange and get subsidies,” Arensmeyer said. But, what’s important, he stressed, is that either way the workers will have health insurance that they couldn’t previously get.
Call Scurich Insurance Services today and for your rates!
Scurich Insurance Services has proudly served the Monterey Bay area since 1924. Scurich will take care of all of your insurance needs. Are you a business owner, did you get a new car or maybe you are looking to protect your family in the event of a tragedy? Give us a call, we can help!
We are located at:
Scurich Insurance Services
Phone: (831) 661-5697
Fax: (831) 661-5741
Physical:
783 Rio Del Mar Blvd., Suite7,
Aptos, Ca 95003-4700
Mailing:
PO Box 1170
Watsonville, CA 95077-1170
E-mail address:
[email protected]
Available 8:30am - 5:00pm