Happy Halloween!

Brock Insurance was swept away by a tornado last night and landed in OZ!

Homeowners Insurance and Halloween Risks
Safety Tips on How to Protect the Home and Trick or Treaters Read more at Suite101.com:

Celebrating Halloween usually includes buying candy, costumes, pumpkins and scary decorations. Whoever thinks about sprucing up the insurance policy for Halloween?
Although homeowners insurance is not usually the first thing that comes to mind at Halloween, it should be one of the items that is near the top of the Halloween list. The mere fact of the increased exposure (meaning a stream of people visiting the property), increases the possibility of a homeowners insurance claim.

Listed below are a few things a homeowner can do to reduce the risk of having to report a Halloween insurance claim.

Keep Fido out of the way. The constant ringing of the doorbell and the Halloween hustle and bustle gets dogs excited. The oddly dressed people on the other side of the door don't do much to calm Fido down. It's best to make sure that the dog is occupied or kept away from the door so that he does not feel the need to protect his turf or playfully jump on trick or treaters, knocking them to the floor. The last type of Halloween treat a homeowner wants is a liability suit because of the dog.
Practice extreme caution with candles. While the orange glowing effect of a candle adds to the Halloween ambiance, it can cause a fire if the candles are not carefully placed and monitored.
Illuminate walking paths for trick or treaters. It is possible to decorate a home for Halloween keeping with the dark and gloomy tradition while simultaneously providing enough light for the walking path. Whether the walkway is lined with glowing pumpkins or the muted illumination of solar lights, it is important for the homeowner to properly illuminate the walking path to avoid unnecessary trips and falls.
Keep all wiring off the walking path. Along with proper theme related lighting, homeowners must take care to keep the extension cords off the walkway or cover them with mats in such a way to prevent tripping and falling. Trips and falls are common causes for homeowner insurance third party liability claims.
Be careful of the 'shock and awe' affect. The Halloween celebration invokes thoughts of horror, fright and shock. However, in an attempt to reduce the possibility of a law suit, it is recommended to refrain from tactics such as suddenly jumping out from darkened bushes or other such scare tactics. These blood rushing tactics may be fun at an amusement park fun house, but it opens the homeowner up to another source of liability. Amusement parks carry Haunted House Insurance to cover such risks, homeowners do not.
Purchase additional coverage. If the thought of pulling in the reigns on a Halloween celebration puts a damper on the fun, maybe its time to consider purchasing additional insurance to cover the holiday. Homeowners can call their insurance agent to find out how much it will cost to increase their liability limits to cover the increased holiday exposure.
By taking just a few precautions, homeowners won't have to spend their time worrying about potential insurance claims. The only thing they should be concerned about is whether or not they have enough candy for the hungry little trick or treaters.

Read more at Suite101: Homeowners Insurance and Halloween Risks: Safety Tips on How to Protect the Home and Trick or Treaters

Happy Fall!

Fall is my favorite time of year. How about you?

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and enjoys this incredible fall weather!

Water, Not Fire, a Frequent Peril for Homeowners!

Travelers Insurance recently analyzed its claims in North Carolina, excluding claims related to catastrophes, and found damage caused by water accounted for 28 percent of all property claims in the state between April 2009 and October 2009, compared to three percent for fire. Furthermore, weather accounted for only five percent of those water damage claims, meaning that proper maintenance within the home may help homeowners avoid some of these problems.

Simple maintenance techniques can help you avoid the top causes of water damage to homes. The following list provides preventative measures to help avoid the top four common causes of non-weather-related water damage:

*Leaks from washing machine hoses: Washing machine hoses should be inspected annually and replaced every five years – or immediately, if there are any signs of cracking or bulging.

*Leaky plumbing around water heaters: Plumbing should be inspected annually and repaired if there are any signs of leaks or corrosion. When possible, water heaters should be installed in an area with floor drains to minimize damage if leaks should occur.

*Leaks from refrigerator ice machines: Ice maker connections, usually located behind the refrigerator, should be inspected annually and hoses replaced if they appear cracked or corroded.

*Clogged drain lines on air conditioning units: Air conditioning drain lines should be checked yearly.

To learn more about how to protect your home from water damage you can use these resources:

Home Maintenance Guide

Loss Prevention Resources

Information for Creating a Home Inventory

Operation EDITH!

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to speak to Mrs. Miller's 3rd grade class at Bethel Elementary school about Operation EDITH. EDITH stands for "Exit Drill in the Home". October 3-9 is National Fire Safety Week. The Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina created Operation EDITH to coincide with Fire Safety Week. This public safety campaign allows independent agents, like myself, the opportunity to speak to kids about the importance of fire safety.

From the moment I stepped into the classroom the children were attentive and excited. We started out by talking about smoke detectors and what to do when the detector goes off. We played a game where a student was the "smoke detector", another student was asleep in his bed, and two other students were the smoke (or in this case a big blanket). The students learned that when there is smoke in the room you get low on the ground and crawl out. You can imagine what happened next. The "smoke detector" started beeping and the student had to crawl under the smoke to safety. Needless to say, the kids thought this was a lot of fun!

Next we talked about sitting down with their parents and family members and planning and exit strategy in the case of a fire. Many had said they have already done this with their families. What a relief to hear!

Finally, we played one last game. I read them a story called "The Cow that Destroyed Chicago". This was about the Great Chicago Fire that happened on October 8, 1871. (It was a surprise to me that this is the reason we have Fire Safety Week!) I read the short story and asked the students questions at the end. For each one they got right, they won a prize! All of the students received pamphlets, stickers and a coloring book.

This was such a wonderful experience and I'm thankful to Mrs. Miller for letting me talk to her class. This is something our agency will be involved in each year for years to come!

Think You Don't Need Life Insurance? Think Again!

If you died tomorrow, how would your loved ones fare financially? It's not a pleasant scenario to think about, but not doing so can have serious consequences. At Brock Insurance, we are asking people this month to think about their life insurance needs to make sure their families are protected if the worst were to happen.

The fact is, most Americans need life insurance. If someone depends on you financially, you need life insurance. It's that simple. Unfortunately, roughly 70 million adult Americans have no coverage at all, and most of those who do have far less coverage than financial experts recommend.

Life insurance provides cash to your family, it can help your family pay for funeral and other expenses, eliminate credit card balances, car loans, and provide loved ones with income to live on for a period of time.

Whether a person needs life insurance depends on his or her particular situation and financial objectives. Here are some factors that determine whether you need life insurance:

You're Married: Married people share a life with one another, but also share financial obligations. If you died suddenly, would your surviving spouse have enough money to pay for your final expenses and buy time to adjust to a new ay of life? Life insurance can help ensure that these financial goals will be met.

You’re Married With Kids. Having kids is the most obvious reason to own life insurance. If you and your income were suddenly gone, would your spouse and kids be okay financially? Life insurance replaces lost income to help make sure those who depend on you will be provided for, no matter what life throws your way.

You’re a Single Parent. As a single parent, you're the caregiver, breadwinner, cook, chauffeur, and so much more. You need to make doubly sure that you have safeguarded your children’s future in case you are no longer there to care for them. Make sure you have enough life insurance and designate who will take care of your children in case the unthinkable were to happen.

You’re a Stay-at-Home Parent. Just because you don't bring home a paycheck doesn't mean you don't make contributions to your family that would be expensive to replace. If you were no longer there, could your spouse afford to pay someone to provide the childcare, transportation, cleaning, cooking and other household responsibilities that you handle every day?

You’re Approaching Retirement. The kids may be gone and the mortgage paid off, but that doesn't mean Social Security or your savings will necessarily take care of everything that lies ahead. If you died tomorrow, would your financial strategy, without insurance, enable your spouse to maintain the lifestyle that the two of you worked so hard to achieve?

You’re a Small Business Owner. Life insurance can help protect your business in a number of ways in the event you, your partner, or a key employee dies prematurely. A buy-sell agreement funded with life insurance allows surviving business owners to buy the company interests of a deceased business owner at a previously agreed-on price. Key-person insurance can provide business owners with the flexibility to hire a replacement when the key employee dies.

I urge everyone to take a few minutes out of their busy schedules this month to make sure they have adequate life insurance protection. And, as always do not hestitate to give me a call for a free quote or guidance.

Have a great weekend everyone!