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11 Myths About Florida Workers Comp Insurance (That You Probably Believe)

11 Myths About Florida Workers Comp Insurance (That You Probably Believe)

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Jason Levine in Workers Compensation with Comments Disabled

You’ve heard of workers compensation. You (hopefully) have it. You may even have had employees who needed it when they were injured on the job. But there are also many myths and misinformation about Florida workers comp insurance that you might believe. Misinformation that could prevent you from protecting your business the way you need to.

As insurance brokers, our goal is to see everyone receiving the right amount of coverage for their property, person, and business. And—whether you work for or own a business—you need to know the truth about Florida workers comp insurance.
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9 types of restaurant insurance you needed yesterday

9 Types of Restaurant Insurance You Needed Yesterday

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Jason Levine in Commercial Insurance, Coverages, Employment Practices Liability Insurance, ID Theft, Power Outage, Spoilage, Workers Compensation with No comments

Owning a restaurant is a dream you’ve held for years and now it’s coming true! You’ve thought about your menu, seating options, even your logo, but have you thought about restaurant insurance?

Between your inventory, customers, and the business itself, restaurants carry a large amount of risk. But your pizza parlor, bakery, or cafe is also your livelihood. Is that a risk you’re willing to take? Having the right restaurant insurance policy can prevent you from having to kiss your dream goodbye.

So let’s take a look at 9 essential types of restaurant insurance that will keep you in business for years to come.

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Use an independent insurance agent to get an insurance rate comparison and save time, money, and stress.

5 Reasons to Use an Independent Insurance Agent

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Jason Levine in Coverages, Independent Insurance Agents with 2 comments

Put down the phone! You can save hours, stress, and money by getting an insurance rate comparison from an independent insurance agent.

Maybe you’re starting a new business. Or perhaps you’re just curious about whether you’re overspending on your premiums. Getting an insurance rate comparison is a great way to research your options and get a policy that’s right for you.

But you have a choice: use up next week’s lunch breaks calling every insurance company you can or getting an insurance rate comparison from an independent insurance agent.

Aside from the fact that they’re completely free (yep!), here are five reasons why you should work with an independent insurance agent rather than buying your policies directly from the corporate office.

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home insurance premiums going up

Why Your Home Insurance Premiums Are Going Up

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Jason Levine in Homeowners Insurance with No comments

You haven’t even made it all the way inside from your mailbox, and you’re already frustrated!

It seems like every year when that homeowner insurance renewal comes, it’s asking for more money. You haven’t had a claim since you bought the home 15 years ago; it just doesn’t seem fair.

Well, when it comes to one of the biggest causes for home insurance premium increases, you’re right. It’s not fair.

When Homeowners Become Victims

The State of Florida is currently faced with a major insurance crisis.

It comes in the form of widespread fraud…specifically fraud perpetrated by crooked contractors and public adjusters responding to claims caused by alleged water damage and hail storms. Homeowners become victims when they fall for a too-good-to-be-true offer from the scammer.

Let’s take a look at some examples of how this fraud is committed.
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insuring a home based business

Insuring a Home Based Business

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Jason Levine in Commercial Insurance, Homeowners Insurance with 1 comment

“Do I need liability insurance for an e-commerce store? What should I consider when insuring a home based business?”

There are approximately 14,000,000 home-based businesses in the U.S. Many people choose this type of business because they love the flexible hours, the lack of commute, the comfort of working in their pajamas, and the added benefit of saving money.

“Since I don’t have a warehouse or storefront,” they determine, “I can spend less on rent, taxes, and insurance. Right?”

Unfortunately for these uninformed business owners, that is simply not true.

Home-based businesses—whether the customers come to you, you go to them, or the business is completely done online—are not exempt from needing insurance.

And if you think you’re off the hook because you have insurance on your home, think again.
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Do I Need Flood Insurance? (In short: yes!)

Does My Homeowner’s Policy Cover a Flood?

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Jason Levine in Flood Insurance, Homeowners Insurance with No comments

Whether it’s mortgages or storm damage, it’s never a good thing when your home is underwater. But how can you make sure that your property will be protected when the next Big Storm strikes?

If Harvey and Katrina have taught Americans anything, it’s that flood insurance can make or break your cleanup efforts after a catastrophic incident. You may have even seen the ads on TV warning you against relying solely on your homeowners policy for flood coverage.

“Yeah,” you might be asking. “It’s nice to have. But do I need flood insurance?”

 

Yes. You Do Need Flood Insurance.

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Does your business need insurance even if you run an LLC out of your home? Yes!

Does Your Business Need Insurance?

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Jason Levine in Commercial Insurance, Professional Insurance, Workers Compensation with No comments

Let’s say you run a small business from your home. You don’t have employees; customers don’t come into your store (so no risk of them slipping on a wet floor and suing you); and your custom-designed hair bows aren’t going to injure anyone. Does your business need insurance?

In short, yes.

No matter how safe your business is—or how careful you are—there’s no such thing as a “risk-free” business.
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What Are Commercial Bonds?

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Kathy Barton in Commercial Insurance with No comments

What Are Commercial Bonds and Why Would I Need One?

Many times a client will come to me questioning why someone is requiring them to have a commercial bond. This article will provide some information to help explain what commercial bonds actually are, who they are protecting, and what types of commercial bonds are most commonly written.

Bonds function much like insurance in that they guarantee that obligations are fulfilled. If a promise is breached, the bond will pay to fulfill the promise. There are generally 3 parties: The bond holder (principal), the party for whom the work is being done (obligee), and the company providing the bond (surety company).

The two most common bond types are Surety Bonds and Fidelity Bonds. The basic difference is that a surety bond protects the public. A fidelity bond is employee dishonesty insurance coverage. In a nutshell, if someone is requiring you to provide a bond, you are looking for a surety bond. If no one is requiring the bond, you are more than likely looking for a fidelity bond.

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Think your small business won't be affected by cyber crime? Think again! Find out how to protect your small business from data breach and cyber ransom.

How Data Breach and Cyber Ransom Threaten Your Small Business

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Jason Levine in Cyber Liability, Data Breach with No comments

When it comes to insurance, most people think about protecting physical objects from loss or harm, but there’s something else—something vital—that your small business needs to put under lock and key: your data.

“But Data Breach and other types of cyber crime only happen to giant firms like Dairy Queen and Target. I don’t have the kind of records the bad guys want. Plus, who would even think to target little ol’ me?”

Every day, insurance professionals hear comments like this from their clients. But the truth is, data breach and cyber ransom issues effect an ever-increasing number of small businesses (that is, firms under 100 employees) in the United States. Often, these victims are “Mom & Pop” operations with under 20 employees. In fact, small businesses are actually the perfect target for cyber criminals.
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