Pekin

I Give Thee My Troth, Not My Identity

Royal newlyweds William and Kate had access to the world’s finest designers, florists and chefs to pull off the nuptials of the century. The rest of us commoners have to pop off to a wedding expo.

These cattle calls for vendors are a one-stop shopping experience for busy grooms- and brides-to-be. But they’re also a place where fraudsters prey on unsuspecting couples. Instead of finding a caterer or photographer, couples may find themselves victims of identity theft.

“When couples give out too much information at bridal shows, they’re saying `I do’ to identity fraud,” said Raul Vargas, an Identity Theft 911 fraud operations team leader. “They need to say, `I don’t.’”

Enticed by opportunities to win free giveaways such as a dream honeymoon, couples supply exhibitors with personal information on raffle tickets or entry cards. Also, vendors themselves often ask for personal information, but Vargas advises against giving out account numbers, Social Security numbers or driver’s license numbers.

When couples fill out paperwork with personal information, it’s impossible to know where it will wind up. A vendor may not thoroughly shred documents. Or paperwork can wind up sitting for months in boxes in a stranger’s car.

Couples also make the mistake of paying vendors with personal checks, which have all the information fraudsters need: a name, address, phone number, bank name and address, and bank account number.

Sharing too much information and using checks makes couples vulnerable to:

•    Credit card
•    Utilities fraud
•    Check fraud
•    Email phishing attacks

“The spam is effective because it’s specific,” Vargas said. “It purports to be from a legitimate florist or photographer and is designed to get people to give out their account information.”

Vargas suggests couples open a free Gmail account that’s separate from their regular email accounts. This will reduce the amount of spam to their regular email account. Couples also should consider using just one credit card account for all wedding-related expenses. That way it’s easy to check statements and limit exposure to fraud.

The more couples can do to protect themselves from identity theft before getting married, the better. Vargas recommends carefully reviewing credit reports and talking to your future spouse about any past incidents of identity theft.

“You can really get yourself in trouble if you start adding a name to your account without having all of the information,” Vargas said. “That’s not how you want to start a marriage.”

Protect yourself against identity theft related to marital status change with these tips from fraud specialist Patricia Oliver.

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Preparing Your Pets for Emergencies Makes Sense

If you are like millions of animal owners nationwide, your pet is an important member of your household. The likelihood that you and your animals will survive an emergency such as a fire or flood, tornado or terrorist attack depends largely on emergency planning done today. Some of the things you can do to prepare for the unexpected, such as assembling an animal emergency supply kit and developing a pet care buddy system, are the same for any emergency. Whether you decide to stay put in an emergency or evacuate to a safer location, you will need to make plans in advance for your pets. Keep in mind that what’s best for you is typically what’s best for your animals.

If you must evacuate, take your pets with you if possible. However, if you are going to a public shelter, it is important to understand that animals may not be allowed inside. Plan in advance for shelter alternatives that will work for both you and your pets.

Make a back-up emergency plan in case you can’t care for your animals yourself. Develop a buddy system with neighbors, friends and relatives to make sure that someone is available to care for or evacuate your pets if you are unable to do so. Be prepared to improvise and use what you have on hand to make it on your own for at least three days, maybe longer.

Preparing for Your Pets Makes Sense. Get Ready Now.

Access the Community Pet Preparedness Toolkit.

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Summertime and the Living’s…Not So Easy for the Parents of Teen Drivers

Summer months mean teen drivers are out of school, on the road, and behind the wheel more frequently, which can be a strain on the fortitude as well as the finances of their parents. Families with teen drivers should educate them about driving safely and make sure they and their teen are properly insured, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).

The odds of a teenage driver having an accident are high. According to SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) research, teens spend 44 percent more hours driving each week in the summer than during the school year. Furthermore, 16-year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year olds. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 3,490 drivers in this age group died in motor vehicle crashes in 2006 and an additional 272,000 were injured. In the same year, drivers aged 15 to 20 accounted for 12.9 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes and 16 percent of all drivers involved in police-reported crashes.

“Teens think they are indestructible and often engage in risk-taking behavior,” said Loretta Worters, vice president of the I.I.I. “They are distracted by things they shouldn’t do in a car like eating, talking on their cell phones, text messaging, talking to friends in the car-and they often don’t wear their seatbelts.”

Protection for your teen

The Insurance Information Institute recommends taking the following steps to ensure the safety of your teen:

1. Pick a safe car.
   The type of car a young person drives can dramatically affect the price of insurance. You and your teenager should choose a car that is easy to drive and would offer protection in the event of a crash. You should avoid small cars and those with high performance images that might encourage speed and recklessness. Trucks and SUVs should also be avoided, since they are more prone to rollovers. For more information, see Teenagers and Safe Cars.
2. Have your teen take a driver’s education course.
   A teen who has learned to drive though a driver’s education course is viewed more favorably by insurers than a teen who has been taught by his or her parents. Indeed in some states, teens must take a driver’s education course if they want to get a license at age 16; otherwise, they have to wait until they are 18. Learning to driving safely will not only keep your son or daughter alive and healthy, it can also save you money. Driver’s education courses can be good for discounts of up to 15 percent. But before signing up, check to make sure the course you have in mind is approved by your insurer.
3. Enroll your teen in safe driver programs.
   Some insurers offer “safe driver” programs. Teen participants in these programs sign contracts stating that they will not, for instance, drink and drive. Check whether your insurance company has such a program-if your teenager completes the program, you may be eligible for a discount. In addition, some insurers now offer discounts for parents and teens who install tracking devices in the car. Parents can monitor their children’s driving with a small global-positioning device fastened to the dashboard. A Web site lets parents set limits on their children’s driving; for example, if the car goes over a certain speed, or ventures too far from home or school, the parents will automatically receive a message.
4. Talk to your teen about the dangers of combining driving with alcohol, drugs, lack of sleep and distractions.
   Teach your children about the dangers of drinking and driving, and other distractions. Accidents occur each year because a teen driver was drinking, using a cell phone, text messaging, playing the radio or talking to friends in the backseat. Also, teens should be careful not to create distractions and to exhibit safe behavior when they are passengers in their friends’ cars.
5. Be a good role model.
   New drivers learn by example, so if you drive recklessly, your teenage driver may imitate you. Always wear your seatbelt and never drink and drive.
6. Graduated drivers license programs.
   New drivers are restricted from certain activities, such as driving with passengers, until they have had their licenses for a set period, such as six months. A number of states have reduced teen accidents by restricting the amount of time new drivers may be on the road without supervision. If you live in one of these states, ask if any discounts are available. If your state does not have such a program, you can still institute this same policy with your own children.

Protection for you

You can protect yourself financially while keeping the increased cost of adding a teen to your insurance to a minimum by doing the following:

1. Insure your son or daughter on your own policy.
   It is generally cheaper to add your teenagers to your insurance policy than for them to purchase their own. If they are going to be driving their own car, insure it with your company so that you can get a multi-policy discount.
2. Find out how your insurer assigns drivers to cars. Some insurers will assign the driver who is the most expensive to insure (generally the teenager) to the car that is the most expensive to insure. If possible, assign your teen to the least valuable car. Some insurers will allow consumers to do this if the number of automobiles equals or exceeds the number of insured drivers on a policy. With this kind of arrangement there can be no exceptions; your teen must use only the car to which he or she is assigned, even in an emergency. Otherwise if your teen is involved in an accident with an unassigned car, there could be penalties imposed and an increase in your premiums.
3. Increase your liability insurance. State minimums for liability insurance will probably not be enough to fully protect you from lawsuits, should your teen get into an accident. Many vehicles today are worth more than $15,000 and medical bills for injuries could easily exceed $20,000 for one person. If your teen is found negligent in an accident and the damages exceed your insurance limits, you will be financially responsible and can be sued in court for those amounts not covered by your insurance.
4. Raise your deductible. Going from a $250 to $500 or $1,000 deductible can save you 10 percent to 20 percent on your premium. You can use that savings to increase your liability insurance.
5. Let your insurer know if your teenager is going away to school.
   You may be eligible for lower premiums once your teen heads to college, providing he or she leaves the car behind. Many insurers will reduce rates for students attending a school at least 100 miles away from home and who do not have a car on campus.
6. Encourage your teen to get good grades and to take a driver training course.
   Most companies will give discounts for getting at least a “B” average in school and for taking a recognized driver training course.
7. Shop around.
   Insurance companies differ dramatically in how they price policies for young drivers.

“Contact your insurance agent when your teen is about to get his or her learner’s permit,” said Worters. “Your agent will explain the costs involved in insuring a teen driver. The good news is, as your teenager gets older, insurance rates will drop-providing he or she has a good driving record.”

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I Am a Life Insurance Policy

I recently received a one-page description of life insurance titled “Just a Life Insurance Policy.” The original author is unknown, but it appeared by the style and wording to have been written some time ago. This one page description of life insurance made me think of where our industry is today and where we need to focus our energy tomorrow – the growth of permanent life insurance.

Too many of the younger agents in our industry don’t understand what permanent life insurance really provides to our clients or have not been in the business long enough to have experienced a death claim, but that is when the true magic of life insurance is understood. Have you ever had a client call to say they had too much cash, or beneficiary tells you they didn’t need or want the death proceeds? Probably not.

Financial pundits tell their readers they should only buy term insurance and invest the difference and never purchase permanent life insurance. Why? Because they say it is a bad investment. But how many of our clients actually invest the difference in wealth building accounts or products? Very few. Most spend the money to maintain their lifestyle.

What happens if the term insurance terminates at a time when the client’s health is not good, and he or she is not able to renew the policy or cannot afford the guaranteed premium rates? Wouldn’t the client have been better served with a permanent policy, which cannot be outlived?

If the client has been able to build wealth, but it is in bricks, stone and steel, or needs to be retained for a long period of time to achieve maximum value, do these same advisors recommend that these assets be sold at a loss? Permanent life insurance, the worst investment, becomes the best investment at death, because the cost has only been pennies for each dollar of death benefit provided. It pays the most at a time when it is needed the most, a time when financial certainty is of the utmost importance.

I have revised the wording of this one page description to be more appropriate for today and wanted to share it with all the readers. This does a superb job of putting life insurance in perspective and would be an excellent piece to deliver with your client’s policies.

I am a Life Insurance Policy

I am a piece of paper, a drop of ink and a few pennies of premium.

I am a promise to pay.

I help people see visions, dream dreams, and achieve economic immortality.

I am savings.

I am property that increases in value from year to year.

I lend money when you need it most, with no questions asked.

I pay off mortgages, so that the family can remain together in their own home.

I assure people the daring to live and moral right to die.

I create money where none existed before.

I am the great emancipator from want.

I guarantee the continuity of business.

I conserve the employer’s investment.

I am tangible evidence that a man is a good husband and father, and a woman a good wife and mother.

I am a declaration of financial independence and economic freedom.

I am the difference between an old man or woman and an elderly gentleman or lady.

I provide cash if illness, injury, old age, or death cuts off the breadwinner’s income.

I am the only thing that you can buy on the installment plan that your family doesn’t have to finish paying for.

I am protected by laws that prevent creditors from assessing the money I give to your loved ones.

I bring dignity, peace of mind and security to your family.

I supply investment capital that makes the wheels turn and motors hum.

I guarantee the financial ability to have happy holidays and the laughter of children – even though father or mother is not there.

I am the guardian angel of the home.

I am life insurance.

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Blue-Screened

Father’s Day Shirt and Tie

“Dad will love this twist (and tie) on an old favorite. You and the kids can surprise him with this cute design on a full pan of the classic recipe.”

3 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 (10 ounce) package regular marshmallows

6 cups KELLOGG’S® RICE KRISPIES® cereal Canned frosting

Directions:

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG’S® RICE KRISPIES® cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Using canned frosting pipe tie and shirt collar on top. To serve cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

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