Did you know homes and cars have report cards? Do you know what grade your property deserves?
If you haven’t checked your report, you might want to look into it.
This statement is called a Loss History Report. It provides a record of the insurance claims and losses that are associated with a particular property or car. The report typically covers the previous seven years of claims history. The information is gathered by the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (C.L.U.E.).
When insurers underwrite a policy, they typically refer to this report. The history helps define the risk level and determine the rates for future insurance.
As a consumer, you can check your Loss History Report to ensure accuracy for auto claims. Since errors on the report could result in higher premiums, it’s good to verify that all information is correct. You can obtain one free report per year.
If you discover any mistakes, you can contact LexisNexis, which will look into the claim. Depending on the situation, you may be able to add an explanation to the information that will be included in future reports.
Consumers can also make use of a Loss History Report for real estate transactions. If you are considering a home for purchase, you can request a copy from the sellers. (The owner of the property has to make the request directly to C.L.U.E.)
A review of this report will shed light on any previous damage to the house, which you can then follow up on to verify any repairs before you purchase the home.
Is Your Family History Preserved for Posterity?
It used to be that family histories, stories, and traditions got passed down orally from the older generation to the younger generation, to be continually preserved and shared.
Nowadays, in a world where life moves fast and almost everything happens online, that kind of oral storytelling happens less and less. But without it, the memories of our elders will disappear when they pass.
The solution: combine that storytelling with the power of technology to record those stories and make them permanent. Here’s how.
Get your elders on board. This could be your parent, grandparent, or even a neighbor whose stories you enjoy. Explain to them that you love hearing their life’s tales and want to record them so that you’ll never forget.
Choose your equipment. If your storyteller agrees, set up a camera or smartphone on a tripod so that you can capture their voice and their physical presence. If they’re nervous, stick with a recorder or app that does the same.
Use prompts. You’ll want to provide some direction to help inspire your storyteller. This could take the form of a stack of family snapshots, heirlooms, or a list of interview-style questions. (Where did you grow up? Tell me about your wedding day.)
Turn the recordings into a keepsake. This could mean editing your footage into a family movie, interspersed with photos and clips. Or you could create a scrapbook that includes transcriptions of your recordings, along with a USB key that can be popped into a computer to play the audio file.
Can a Social Media Post Change Your Premium?
We all like to share our adventures with friends and family. Sometimes this happens through social media. This can be a fun way to share photographs of our adventures, from our motorcycling vacation to our rock-climbing weekend.
But these images may be more visible than we think, and broad sharing of such information could affect your life-insurance premiums.
Earlier this year, the state of New York provided guidance as to how life insurers may legally use data science to analyze an applicant’s risk via his or her social media posts.
The good news: The technology needed to study social media accounts to make underwriting decisions is not fully developed. The time required to review each and every applicant’s accounts can be costly, so few insurers are currently doing it.
The bad news: Using such technology to make underwriting decisions is likely inevitable. In fact, some data scientists and industry analysts believe it won’t be long before social media is among the most common data reviewed in life insurance issuance.
This could be a trend for property and car insurance, too. Some insurers are already checking explanations of auto accident claims against Facebook testimonials about the accident.
Just to be safe, you may want to review the privacy settings on each of your social media accounts, ensuring that posts are shared only within your closest network. Also ask friends not to tag you in their photos, and un-tag yourself when they do.
If you really want to be safe, avoid posting photos of yourself engaging in risky behavior, such as smoking, motorcycling, and skydiving, and boast about healthy activities, such as going on cycling trips, running marathons, or simply hiking in the woods.
There’s no guarantee that doing so will help your premiums go down, but if you are going to be that careful, why not show good behavior in addition to avoiding displays of bad behavior?
Worth Reading
Computer Eye Strain: 10 Steps for Relief
By Gary Heiting, OD, and Larry K. Wan, OD
Allaboutvision.com
Eye fatigue may be an inevitable consequence of frequently using a computer, but it doesn’t have to hamper your productivity. This article gives some tips for how to prevent over-tired eyes. You can adjust your computer display settings, your workspace furniture, and your lighting. Remember: consult an eye doctor. Regular eye appointments are crucial. Your doctor may be able to give you a prescription for glasses designed for computer use. More: https://tinyurl.com/worth06192
30 Things to Always Keep in Your Gym Bag
By Maghan McDowell
Livestrong.com
A well-stocked gym bag is crucial for a successful workout. Your bag should include proper gear for the gym: headbands, simple running shoes, socks, and a hand towel. As you pack, you should also consider your activities beyond the gym. Include makeup, toothpaste, and a toothbrush so you’re prepared for post-workout appointments. Keep protein bars and salt tablets handy to nourish yourself. And remember: never forget deodorant. More: https://tinyurl.com/worth06191
12 Small-Deck Design Ideas for Outdoor Dining and Lounging
By Lauren Dunec Hoang
Houzz.com
Prepare your small deck for optimal use this barbecue season. Use the space strategically. Overhead lights and hanging plants can free up valuable floor space. Purchase small furniture. Outdoor rugs that are themed for specific seasons can make your space more engaging. More: https://tinyurl.com/worth06193
Is Your Vehicle Burglar Repellant?
Every 45 seconds, a motor vehicle is stolen in the United States, according to reporting from the Insurance Information Institute.
What can you do to protect your car from becoming part of this statistic?
Use the following tips to make your car less appealing and more secure. These precautions can prevent crime as well as keep your auto insurance premiums lower.
Lock It Down
When the weather is warm, it can be tempting to leave the windows open while your car is parked. You may even decide to keep the doors unlocked, if you are running a quick errand. Don’t do it.
Always keep your windows shut and your doors locked if you’re not in your vehicle. Thieves are faster than you think.
Tuck Them Away
If you have personal property in your car, hide it. Purses and other bags should go in the trunk, where they will not be visible to potential thieves. You don’t want to create a temptation by leaving unattended items in sight.
Light It Up
Make smart choices when parking your car. Look for well-lit areas that are highly trafficked. Try to find the most secure spot in a parking garage, such as near entrances or guard booths, that also offer plenty of light.
Turn Them Off
Let thieves know your vehicle is not a good choice by using anti-theft devices. A steering wheel or gearshift column lock can be an effective way to make your vehicle unappealing to a thief.
If your car is stolen, a tracking device can prove helpful to locate the vehicle. These are included in many newer cars, and they can be purchased to install in older models. These devices may even qualify your vehicle for a discount on your auto insurance.
Is your vehicle fully protected? Contact our office for additional tips or to find out if a particular anti-theft device would reduce your premiums.
Picnic Like a Pro This Summer
Summer and picnics just go together. If you’re a fan of the seasonal outdoor party, this year you can picnic like a pro. Here are ways you can enhance your al fresco experiences.
While you’re enjoying the great outdoors, you want to be kind to it too. This means picnicking with a conscience. Think reusable and recyclable. Forget paper plates and napkins. Invest in inexpensive enamel plates. They’re sturdy, light, and reusable. Colorful cloth napkins add a festive touch. Flatware from home beats plastic forks. Choose your menu with attention to simple, safe, and transportable help-yourself foods, or prepack individual meals in divided, covered containers. Finger foods are usually best, but family-style salads and desserts are fun and easy to serve.
Avoid mayonnaise (which can spoil), sticky puddings, and sugary cakes that invite creepy-crawlies. And remember to pack a natural bug balm to keep the nasties away. A frozen juice container will keep your food chilled while the juice defrosts. Or frozen, water-filled balloons will do the trick, and they’re reusable and fun.
A blanket, delicious food, and plenty to drink are the basic requirements. With a little effort, your picnic event can be a memorable one. And that’s the whole idea, isn’t it?
Better Lighting Leads to Better Sleeping
Did you know proper bedroom lighting may be the secret to a good night’s sleep? This means more than buying a blackout blind or thick curtains that can keep the room dark. It also means considering the lights you keep in your room.
Lights should be chosen strategically. Smaller lights are good choices, such as reading lamps on night stands or small lights mounted on walls. These can help you control the amount of light, and they can be less disturbing to others in the room. Light bulbs on the red spectrum can also be helpful, as these encourage sleep. Lastly, experts continue to recommend that people leave screens out of their bedroom, including televisions and smartphones. The blue lights they emit can disrupt sleep. Smartphones and other mobile devices should be charged in another room overnight. Yes, those notifications can wait until morning.
Worth Quoting
This month, some famous quotes on genealogy:
If you don’t know history, you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.
Michael Crichton
We need to haunt the house of history and listen anew to the ancestors’ wisdom.
Maya Angelou
Why waste your money looking up your family tree? Just go into politics, and your opponents will do it for you.
Mark Twain
Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I don’t know who my grandfather was. I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be.
If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.
George Bernard Shaw