Roughly two million burglaries occur each year. Protect your home and family when you implement five landscaping tricks that don’t compromise your home’s exterior appearance or value.
1. Place Hostile Plants by Entryways
Burglars typically target easily accessible windows and doors. By placing hostile plants loaded with thorns, briars and brambles near these entryways, you discourage potential burglars. Several hostile plants to consider include roses, holly, raspberries, bird’s nest spruces, needle bushes and Spanish bayonet.
2. Trim Shrubbery Near the House
Overgrown shrubs, bushes and flowering plants look untidy, and they give burglars plenty of places to hide. They also prevent neighbors and anyone on the street from seeing suspicious behavior near your home. Protect your home when you keep shrubbery trimmed to lower than three feet tall all along the exterior of your home. Remember to trim plants away from the sides of your home too.
3. Use Noisy Ground Cover
Burglars try to be as quiet as possible, but noisy ground cover around your windows and doors alerts you to their every move. Pea gravel or other crunching stones do the trick, and you can find these burglar deterrents in colors that match your existing landscaping.
4. Install Short Privacy Fencing
Tall fences and tree barriers increase privacy, but they also obscure burglars. Install short fencing with an open design instead. If you already planted trees or shrubs, trim them so that the canopy starts at eight feet or higher off the ground.
5. Turn on the Lights
Most outdoor landscaping includes lighting of some sort. Opt for strategically placed motion-activated lighting as you reduce your chances of being burglarized. Place these lights near all your doors and windows and along pathways. They frighten burglars away and warn you when someone walks near your home.
Your home’s landscaping adds beauty and value to your property. It also deters burglars. Talk to your insurance agent today and discuss additional landscaping tricks that deter burglars and protect your home.
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Ringing in the new year often means that it is a great time to take an inventory of your business. Far beyond simply an inventory of any supplies that you might possess though, a thorough inventory of your business practices could bring to light some weak spots that could stand to be shored up. Periodic examinations such as these can help make your business both stronger and more successful.
As April 15th, Tax Day, quickly approaches, many businesses spend a great deal more time scrutinizing their financial records. While this is a job that can certainly be overseen by you, for the most objective view of your financial situation, enlist in the help of an outside agency. The company that you entrust with completing your taxes each year can be a good resource for this type of review.
The business insurance policy you have in place is a crucial element of its success. Not only does it protect you in the event that something unexpected happens, it also ensures that your employees are treated well, giving your company the reputation of being a great place to work. Each year, though, it is a good idea to make an appointment with your insurance carrier.
At this appointment, you and the representative from your insurance company can go over your business insurance policy to ensure that it is still providing the type of coverage that meets the needs of your business. New regulations regarding the insurance industry as well as laws that could potentially affect you are often implemented at the beginning of the year. Working with your insurance agent to customize a policy to meet the growing needs of your business will help get the year off to a good start and ensure your continued success.
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Business insurance is a necessary step in ensuring that your company is compliant with any applicable laws. While many of those laws are designed to protect the public, your insurance is also designed to protect your business — and by extension — yourself as well. After all, if you are like most business owners, you put a great deal of yourself as well as your own financial backing into ensuring that your business is a success.
While no one likes to think about it, the fact is that catastrophic events sometimes befall businesses. Indeed, many types of insurance are designed to minimize the effects of these types of events on the business to help ensure that it can emerge from it relatively unscathed. One such type of insurance is involves including a discretionary payroll expense endorsement on the policy.
As you look toward the new year, now is the time to decide if an endorsement for discretionary payroll expense is a good move for your business. While you are probably like most businesses and you want to make sure that your employees are paid first, there are some times when this is does not make good business sense. It is for times such as these that this type of endorsement was designed.
If your business income is interrupted — either due to a crisis or another reason — a discretionary payroll expense endorsement allows you to pay those employees that are deemed necessary. Similarly, you can specify which classes of employees should not be paid under a particular set of circumstances. Doing so can help you protect your bottom line as your business begins to recover.
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Since 1984, Monterey County has participated in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This participation, as well as the continued compliance with federal regulations, allows county residents to purchase flood insurance. Even if your business is far from any form of water such as rivers or creeks, it could still be affected by the intricate system of drainage improvements and facilities that the county maintains in an effort to protect its residents and their properties.
Federal Mandates
If you wish to relocate your business to an area that lies within the 100 year floodplain as determined by Monterey County engineers, or build within that area, federal regulations mandate that you purchase flood insurance in order to take advantage of any federally backed financial assistance for doing so. Even if you are not planning to move your business and you are happily ensconced in your current location, purchasing flood insurance is a wise business decision.
Weather Conditions Warranted Protection
Businesses that are not located within the flood plain are still at risk for being damaged due to flooding. Weather occurrences such as El Nino, for example, can cause extreme amounts of water to be dumped in areas that are ill-equipped to deal with such an onslaught of weather. Weaken structural supports like building foundations, or even elements of the property itself such as hills, can allow water to breech the boundaries of your business and cause flooding.
Industrial Accidents Pose a Concern
Water main breaks are incidences that do not occur often but the results can be devastating if you have not prepared for the possibility prior to it occurring. Not only will you need to be concerned with paying for the costs of replacing your damaged inventory and property out of your own pocket, you might struggle with losing sales from your customers during this period of time.
Flood insurance is a way to gain peace of mind that allows you to rest easier at night. Knowing that your business – and its assets – are protected in the event of an unexpected flood is a smart business move for the longevity of your company.
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With the new year comes the tendency to make resolutions that are designed to help a person address what they perceive to be as their own shortcomings. While resolutions such as “exercise more” and “lose weight” are often at the top of the list, these types of resolutions often fall by the wayside all too soon after the first of the year. The following insurance resolutions for the new year are simple to implement and can have long lasting effects.
1. Purchase Life Insurance
This is a resolution that should be on everyone’s list but it does not always seem to make it to fruition. Make 2015 the year you talk to your insurance agent and find the ideal life insurance plan for your circumstances and your budget. You’ll rest easier at night knowing that your loved ones are taken care of and your assets are protected.
2. Take a Fresh Look at Your Homeowners Insurance
Did you or a member of your family receive an expensive gift this holiday season? If so, you might want to take a look at the deductibles that you previously chose for your homeowners insurance. While a high deductible often looks attractive because it can make your payments lower, if it is too high it can be difficult to replace items that are covered unless you dip into savings or other monetary reserves.
3. Does it Make Sense to Bundle?
If you have insurance with more than one company, you could be missing out on significant savings. Most insurance companies have a bundle plan that allows you to save money if you have more than one policy with them. Much like car insurance policies that give you a multi-car discount, bundling your insurances with one company can often allow you to enjoy savings on your policies.
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Valued at $46.2 million, the Graff Pink diamond is one of the most expensive pieces of jewelry in the world. Your jewelry box might not hold anything that priceless, but you certainly want to insure your valuable or sentimental pieces, including the diamond cufflinks you wore at your wedding or your grandmother’s ruby brooch.
1. Hire an Independent Appraiser
An independent appraiser will carefully and thoroughly inspect each piece of jewelry you own, and he or she will then determine the exact value of your works of art. Be sure to obtain a signed document that includes a detailed description and appraiser’s value for each piece.
2. Check Your Current Insurance Policy
Most homeowner or renter insurance policies include cash value or replacement coverage for personal belongings. As long as that figure is high enough to cover everything you own, including your real jewelry, you’re set.
3. Purchase a Rider
If your current policy does not cover your valuable gems, purchase a rider. It offers additional coverage for your precious collection.
4. Take Pictures of all Your Pieces
The police need detailed descriptions of your jewelry if a piece is lost or stolen. Take detailed pictures of each piece to increase the likelihood of recovery.
5. Update Your Inventory Regularly
Once you’re sure your jewelry is adequately insured, mark your calendar for an annual inventory review. Add new pieces you recently purchased and remove pieces you sold or gave away to ensure your collection is completely covered.
6. Inspect Your Jewelry
As part of your annual review; take your jewelry for an inspection. The jeweler will look for loose settings, chips or scratches. Take new pictures after any needed repairs are made.
7. Store Your Jewelry in a Safe Place
Insurance will replace your real jewelry if it’s lost, stolen or damaged, but don’t take chances. A fireproof safe hidden in your home or a safety deposit box at the bank protects your gems, especially if you own expensive pieces that you wear only on rare occasions.
You do not want to file a claim for stolen jewelry and find out it wasn’t insured. Follow these tips and talk to your insurance agent today as you protect your valuable collection.
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