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  January 2012
News You Can Use
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Are You Making These Insurance Blunders?

When it comes to buying insurance, what you don’t know can hurt you…and your family…for years to come.

Learn how to identify the top ten insurance mistakes and what you can do about them with my free guide, "The Top 10 Insurance Blunders - and How to Avoid Them."

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What English-speaking Caribbean Island has a Spanish name meaning "bearded"?
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Recipe: Mexican Tomato Soup

Serves 4
  • 6-8 medium tomatoes, whole
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup chicken stock, plus more, to taste
  • ½ teaspoon dry thyme
  • Tabasco sauce, to taste
  • 2 small avocados, cubed
  • 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
  • ½ pound Mexican-style cheese, cubed
  • Tortilla chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tomatoes, onion and garlic on a baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until tomatoes and onions are soft and starting to brown. Remove tray from oven and carefully place everything in a blender.

Gradually add chicken stock while blending until you reach the desired consistency. Pour into a pot and simmer, adding more salt and pepper, thyme, and/or Tabasco, to taste.

Serve soup in bowls with avocado, chicken, cheese, tortilla chips and cilantro on the side.
Worth Quoting

To mark the new year, here are some famous quotes on the subject of beginnings:

Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.

Demosthenes

Genuine beginnings begin within us, even when they are brought to our attention by external opportunities.

William Bridges

  

Is Your Home Properly Covered for 2012?

The beginning of the year is a good time to review your insurance policies to make sure you have adequate limits and coverage.

If there were a total loss of your home, it is possible that the house may not cost as much to replace today as it would have this time last year - although this reflects CONSTRUCTION costs and not REAL ESTATE value.

Insurance companies use a cost per square foot to determine what they would need to pay out to replace your home. If you have a 2,500-square-foot home and the insurance company is paying $110-$125 a square foot (the average in this area), then your replacement value would be between $275,000 - $312,500.

If you don’t agree with the limit of coverage on your home, another option is to get an independent appraisal of your replacement cost. Insurance carriers generally honor these reports and will charge you based on the limit that you request.

Another area to review is contents coverage. Have you bought or sold any big-ticket items throughout the year? If you purchased electronics for your new home theater or specialized equipment for a hobby, you may want to adjust your limit of contents coverage to make sure it is adequate. Likewise, if you have sold something of substantial value, you may want to have your contents coverage reflect the decrease in limit.

This is where your insurance agent can shine and help you determine the best choice in coverage for your needs. Your agent can tailor your coverage to your needs.

Need a home quote?  - www.hsbrinsurance.com/home

How Smaller Resolutions Can Get You Bigger Results

Clock approaching midnightOn Jan. 1, many people pledge resolutions of titanic proportions. By the time February rolls around, though, about 75% of those people will have given up.

People fail on resolutions because big goals aren't realistic. So instead of making big goals, make smaller, more realistic goals that are not only doable but also rewarding. For example:

Play More: Get involved in a fun recreational activity like a cooking class. Try out a new hobby or rekindle an old one. That way you'll be carving out more time for yourself and doing something relaxing. Stepping away from what you normally do most of the day also makes you a more creative thinker.

Get Social: Find out what's going on locally. Go to local events like fairs and markets. This is a great way to meet the people in your community and strike up new friendships.  

Work on Your Body: Instead of making a big plunge into working out, start by making a commitment to doing something active for 20 minutes each day. Even 20 minutes of stretching a day can make a big difference toward a leaner, healthier you.

Start Saving: Saving can be hard in tough economic times, but you can start off on the right foot by tossing all your daily change into a bowl. For an extra boost, start putting all your $1 bills in a savings jar. You'll be less inclined to break a big bill and will quickly save up to go on a special trip, pay off a bill or save for a rainy day.

5 Tips for Losing Weight After the Holidays

Weigh scalesAfter weeks of parties, baking, extravagant dinners and holiday-themed cocktails, many people wake up in January to find they've added a few extra pounds.

According to several studies from the last 10 years, the average adult gains at least one pound during the holiday season. A study by The New England Journal of Medicine indicates most people don't ever shed that weight.

Following are some tips and tricks to help you sensibly shed the holiday weight:

Trade Sugary Juice and Soda for Water: Drinking water will help your body flush out toxins and can stop you from overeating. If you overindulged in seasonal cocktails, try eliminating all alcoholic beverages in January.

Eliminate Starch and Sugar From Your Diet: This can help kickstart your weight loss. Refined sugars and starches - like those found in candy and white bread - can add to waistline bulge.

Eat Small Meals: Christmas meals usually involve long, sit-down meals with several courses. Try eating five small meals instead of three large ones, with no snacking in between. Aim to include protein, whole grains, and fruits or vegetables in each meal.

Snack Responsibly: Have a container of washed and cut vegetables and fruit in the fridge so that an easy and healthy snack is always available.

Eliminate Processed Foods: Highly processed items such as potato chips, some granola bars and frozen meals are often high in sugar and sodium.

4 Ways to Reduce Your Auto Insurance Claims

Many auto accidents in the United States could easily be prevented. Following are some tips for avoiding accidents and thus reducing your insurance claims:

  • Distracted driving is happening at epidemic levels every day. Not a day goes by that you don't see someone on his or her cell phone, talking or trying to text while operating a moving motor vehicle. States are now enforcing laws to regulate this behavior. Common sense should rule. Focus on the task at hand and be aware of your surroundings at all times while driving.
     
  • The next most important part in reducing auto claims is wearing a seat belt. Serious injuries can happen on one-lane back roads just as easily as they happen on main thoroughfares. Be the designated seat belt wearer in your car and make sure all of your passengers are too.
     
  • Be sure to have enough room between you and the car in front of you. Should the vehicle in front of you stop short, you won't have the amount of reaction time you think you do to stop. A good rule of thumb is to have at least one car length for every 10 miles per hour you are traveling. If something unexpected happens, you've given yourself plenty of time to stop and prevent a crash.
     
  • Auto safety includes keeping your vehicle up to snuff in the care and maintenance department as well. Keep up on regular oil changes, tire rotations and brake pad inspections. It'll not only keep your car running in optimum condition, but you also won't have to worry about your vehicle breaking down while you're on the road and potentially causing an accident. Likewise, if you see another driver in a beat-up, run-down vehicle, you'll want to steer clear so you're not involved in an accident.

Driving can be a fun experience. Do everything in your power to make it that way.

Need to reshop your auto policy?  - www.hsbrinsurance.com/auto
 

Is it Wise to Go Without Life Insurance?

As the economy continues to struggle, many Americans are cutting back.

And for some, that means going without life insurance coverage.

In fact, about 35 million U.S. households currently do not have life insurance. That's the highest percentage in more than four decades, according to insurance industry research group LIMRA.

Can going without life insurance be justified?

Of course, only you are familiar with your individual financial circumstances and goals, so only you can decide if life insurance is something that's necessary for you.

But consider this: Among households with children under 18, four in 10 respondents to a survey by LIMRA said they would have trouble meeting immediate living expenses if the primary wage earner died.

The same survey indicated that three in 10 would have trouble after several months.

Thus, going without life insurance may not be a good idea for those who have dependents.

That said, it can be difficult to justify the expense of life insurance in troubled times.

Employers have scaled back or eliminated coverage, with the number of households getting life insurance from employers falling, according to LIMRA.

Many people think they just can't afford to purchase life insurance on their own.

Many people also don't know how to purchase life insurance, given that the number of company-affiliated life insurance agents has dropped by nearly one-third since the 1970s, according to LIMRA.

Life insurance may be less expensive than you think, however, and many options are available.

Your insurance agent can help you find a suitable policy that's right, given your individual needs and financial circumstances.

Get a life insurance quote - www.hsbrinsurance.com/life
This newsletter and any information contained herein are intended for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial or medical advice. The publisher takes great efforts to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this newsletter. However, we will not be responsible at any time for any errors or omissions or any damages, howsoever caused, that result from its use. Seek competent professional advice and/or legal counsel with respect to any matter discussed or published in this newsletter. This newsletter is not intended to solicit properties currently for sale.
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