Acentria Insurance Blog

Life can be unpredictable. That’s why ensuring your loved ones are covered and protected after your death is important, especially we grow older. Family members who depend upon you for an income could be left in a challenging situation if you were to unexpectedly pass away.

Life insurance policies from Acentria Insurance are flexible, affordable and designed to fit both you and your family’s needs. As we somberly honor Widow’s Day, let’s take a deeper dive into the importance and intricacies of life insurance.

Are there different types of life insurance?

Acentria offers several types of life insurance policies suited for varying situations and needs. These policies are divided into two categories: term and permanent (or whole) life insurance

Whole Life Insurance: Otherwise known as straight life or permanent life, whole life insurance is the most traditional life insurance policy. Whole life is designed for customers who value absolute guarantees and consistency in rate of return, cost and benefits. These policies are more expensive than term policies in the early years, but they even out because of steady premiums.

Universal Life Insurance: Universal life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance that offers more flexibility in premiums and face value throughout the policy. Universal life insurance policies have the potential for higher earnings on the savings component, and there is usually a guaranteed return on the cash value. Disadvantages include possible higher fees and increasing premiums.

Variable Life Insurance: A variable life insurance policy is also a form of whole life insurance that typically has fixed premiums. With variable life insurance, you maintain control over the investment decisions for the cash value portion. However, this may be a riskier option because there is no guarantee for the cash value.

Term Life Insurance: Unlike the others, term life insurance is life insurance that protects you and your dependents for a specified period of time. It’s the simplest and cheapest form of life insurance, but there is no cash value. Once the period is up, your policy becomes invalid.

Employers often offer either term or whole coverage (or both). Some employers cover the full cost while others require employees to pay a premium.

What life events affect my life insurance policy?

If you have an existing life insurance policy, it’s important to keep your insurance agent up-to-date on any major changes that occur in your life. Your agent might suggest adding to your current life insurance policy (such as when you have children) or bundling that policy with another necessary policy (such as homeowners insurance for when you purchase a home).

These life changes include, but are not limited to:

• Buying a home or renovating your current home
• Having children or adopting children
• Retiring (and moving residencies)
• Getting married
• Being responsible for a teenage driver
• Buying or selling a business

Contact an Acentria agent to learn more about how these changes affect your current policies.

What factors impact life insurance premiums?

Many factors are considered when looking at life insurance premiums. Women typically pay less than men due to a longer life expectancy, while smokers pay higher premiums than non-smokers. An individual’s health, family history, occupational risk and lifestyle choices all impact your life insurance premiums.

All new life insurance policyholders are required to undergo a medical exam and answer questions about their medical history. It’s important to be honest during this process: lying about your medical history could result in a loss of policy or denied benefits for your dependents upon your death.

While some factors are beyond your control, there are ways to reduce your life insurance premiums through lifestyle changes. Quitting smoking, losing weight through diet and exercise, and improving your cholesterol all may help reduce your current premiums.

You may also have an opportunity to reduce your premiums through a group rate. Call your Acentria agent to learn more about our cost-saving group rates.

Protection Throughout Your Life and Beyond

At Acentria, we know the subject of life insurance can be overwhelming and possibly uncomfortable. We’re here to walk you through the process and answer any questions you have along the way. Our top priority is providing you with a policy that safeguards you and your family after you’re gone.

Request a life insurance quote here to learn how you can start protecting your loved ones today.

Summer brings us together (and outside) to enjoy longer days and fun-filled memories. But with the joys of summer come the hazards, too.

At Acentria Insurance, we want to help you enjoy this season – while staying safe and healthy. Let’s dive into some common summer scenes and learn how to mitigate the risks surrounding them.

Scenario 1: An Outdoor Picnic or Barbeque

Outdoor gatherings over a meal are a great way to enjoy one another’s company while taking in the warmer weather. But with higher temps comes an increased risk of foodborne illnesses. The CDC estimates that 48 million people get sick every year from foodborne illnesses.

Follow these tips to make your next get-together memorable – for all the right reasons:

• Maintain proper temperature: With ongoing conversations and late grazers, it’s easy to let food sit out for too long during an outdoor gathering. Make sure perishable food doesn’t sit out for more than two hours – or one hour if it’s hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Chill correctly: Pack your coolers well, particularly in regard to meat, poultry and seafood. Keep your refrigerated food separated by category (such as fruits, drinks and meat) to avoid cross-contamination. To keep your contents colder longer, keep your coolers closed when you’re not using them.
• Keep your hands clean: If you have access to soap and water, wash your hands regularly – especially after handling raw meat or before eating. No sink? All that hand sanitizer you collected during 2020 comes in handy.
• Wash your produce: Rinse all fruits and veggies with running water, scrubbing if needed. You can skip this step if you buy pre-packaged produce that’s labeled “washed” or “ready to eat.”
• Serve your guests well: Avoid re-using plates and dishes that you used with raw meat, as the bacteria from the raw meat can contaminate food. Serve all food on clean platters and with fresh silverware.

Scenario 2: An Afternoon Drive or Summer Road Trip

Whether you’re driving to a destination or enjoying a leisurely ride through your neighborhood, it’s important to exercise all safety precautions. According to the CDC, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death in the US for people under the age of 55. In addition to securing a proper auto insurance policy (we can help you out with that), you should exercise the following precautions:

Watch for Animals

Over 260,000 road collisions occur between drivers and animals each year. Stay alert, watch your speed and use your brights at night to provide better vision. Wildlife warning signs are typically displayed in areas with a heavier wildlife population, allowing you to better prepare.

If an animal does cross the road, use your brakes and don’t swerve, especially if there are other cars around. If you do hit a large animal like a deer, find a safe spot to pull over – then call the police.

Keep Your Children Safe

Proper installation of car seats and booster seats is crucial to protecting your child – and potentially saving his/her life. Children who are properly restrained in child seats have a lower risk of fatal injury during a car accident. Unfortunately, car seats are often installed wrong or not used properly. Always follow instructions when installing these seats, check before use – and abide by these tips:

• • Infants (0-2 years old): Use an infant-only or convertible rear-facing seat and place it in the back seat only. Select a specific seat based on the baby’s age and weight. Secure the seat by the seat belts or by the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system. The seat should recline at a 45-degree angle and harness straps should fit snugly, sitting at or below the baby’s shoulders.
  • Toddlers (2-4 years old, 20-40 pounds): Toddlers should sit forward in a proper car seat that’s secured by seat belts or the LATCH system. They should always sit in the back seat. Harness straps should fit tightly, sit at/above the shoulders, and the clip should be at armpit level.
  • Young Children (4-12 years old or shorter than 4’9” tall): Put these children in a belt-positioning booster base or a high-back, belt-positioning booster that is used with lap and shoulder belts (never with lap-only belts). Children should continue to sit in the back seat and maintain proper seatbelt use (the belt fitting tightly across the chest, never behind their arms, etc.).

Scenario 3: Swimming in a Backyard Pool

Installing a pool at your home is a great way to stay cool while having a good time. But safety comes first when it comes to swimming.

First, remember that as a homeowner, you could be held responsible for accidents that occur at your pool. Protect yourself (and your assets) with a homeowners insurance policy and possibly personal umbrella insurance. Reach out to one of our Acentria agents to learn more!

You should also take safety precautions ahead of any swimming dates. Consider a fence with a latch that you keep closed when the pool is not in use. Ensure the area around your pool is a nonslip surface. And keep your pool clean with filters and chemicals (just be sure these chemicals are kept out of reach and in a safe spot).

Children can be especially vulnerable around pools, particularly younger ones. Make sure any kids using your pool can properly swim or have a guardian accompany them. Keep a first-aid kit handy in case of an accident and ensure you know how to properly respond in an emergency. Here are some additional tips about keeping kids safe around pools.

Mitigate Summer Risks with Acentria

Regardless of where your summer adventures take you, it’s important to make sure you’re protected by an insurance policy that covers all of you and your family’s needs. Contact Acentria to obtain a free quote today.

Unlike physical threats that prompt immediate action—like stopping, dropping and rolling if you catch on fire—cyber threats are often difficult to identify and understand. Cyber threats include dangers such as viruses erasing entire systems, intruders breaking into systems and altering files, intruders using your computer or device to attack others and intruders stealing confidential information. The spectrum of cyber risks is limitless; threats, some more serious and sophisticated than others, can have wide-ranging effects on the individual, community, organizational and national levels.

Before a Cyber Attack

You can increase your chances of avoiding cyber risks by setting up the proper controls. The following are things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your property before a cyber incident occurs:

• Only connect to the internet over secure, password-protected networks.
• Do not click on links or pop-ups, open attachments or respond to emails from strangers.
• Always enter a URL by hand instead of following links if you are unsure of the sender.
• Do not respond to online requests for personally identifiable information (PII). Most organizations—such as banks, universities and businesses—will never ask for your personal information over the internet.
• Limit who you are sharing information with by reviewing the privacy settings on your social media accounts.
• Trust your instincts. If you think an offer is too good to be true, it probably is.
• Password-protect all devices that connect to the internet and all user accounts.
• Do not use the same password twice—choose a password that means something to you and you only. Change your passwords on a regular basis (every 90 days or so).
• If you see something suspicious, report it to the proper authorities.
• The extent, nature and timing of cyber incidents are impossible to predict. There may or may not be any warning. Some cyber incidents take a long time (weeks, months or years) to be discovered and identified.

During a Cyber Attack

Here are some of the steps you should take during a cyberattack:

Immediate Actions

• Check to make sure the software on all of your systems is up to date.
• Run a scan to make sure your system is not infected or acting suspiciously.
• If you find a problem, disconnect your device from the internet and perform a full system restore.

At Home

• Disconnect your device (e.g., computers, gaming systems or tablets) from the internet. By removing the internet connection, you prevent an attacker or virus from being able to access your computer and perform tasks such as locating personal data, manipulating or deleting files, or using your device to attack others.
• If you have anti-virus software installed on your computer, update the virus definitions, if possible, and perform a manual scan of your entire system. Install all of the appropriate patches to fix known vulnerabilities.

At Work

• If you have access to an IT department, contact someone in it immediately. The sooner someone can investigate and clean your computer, the less damage to your computer and other computers on the network. If you believe you might have revealed sensitive information about your organization, report it to the appropriate people within the organization, including network administrators. They can be alert for any suspicious or unusual activity.

• Immediately inform a manager or authority figure in charge. If someone has access to an IT department, contact the department immediately.

After a Cyber Attack

• File a report with the local police so there is an official record of the incident.
• Report online crime or fraud to the Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3) or the federal government’s internet fraud resource website. Report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission.
• If your PII was compromised, consider other information that may be at risk. Depending on what information was stolen, you may need to contact other agencies. You should also contact your state’s DMV for transportation if your driver's license or car registration has been stolen.
  
  

In addition to insuring your home, Acentria is committed to helping you and your loved ones stay safe when disaster strikes. If you would like more information on how to protect yourself from a cyber-attack, please contact us at 863.374.5084 or www.acentria.com today.

More About PII

PII is information that can be used to uniquely identify, contact or locate a single person. PII includes but is not limited to:

• Full name
• Social security number
• Address
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Driver’s license number
• Vehicle registration plate number
• Credit card numbers
• Physical appearance
• Gender or race

Take these steps if you believe your PII has been compromised:

• Immediately change all passwords, and change your financial passwords first. If you used the same password for multiple resources, make sure to change it for each account, and do not use that password in the future.
• If you believe the compromise was caused by malicious code, disconnect your computer from the internet.
• Restart your computer in safe mode and perform a full system restore.
• Contact businesses, including banks, where you have accounts, as well as credit reporting companies.
• Close any accounts that may have been compromised. Watch for any unexplainable or unauthorized charges to your accounts.

For more in-depth tips on how to protect yourself, your family, and your property before a cyberattack occurs, visit the cybersecurity resources found on Ready.gov.

Are you a business owner interested in speaking with a team member to review Cyber Insurance for your business? We're here to help; contact us to learn more! 

Water may seem unobtrusive. But even a single inch of water can be devastating for homeowners. According to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), floods are the number one natural disaster in the United States, costing Americans millions of dollars collectively every year in flood damage.

Floods have the power to damage not only your home and sense of security but also your financial future. To mitigate your risks from flooding, it’s important to protect your home with a comprehensive flood insurance policy. But what goes into that? What are your flood options? And why is it necessary if I live in a landlocked city?

Let’s dive in.

Why do I need flood insurance?

Everyone is suspensible to devasting flood damage – no matter where you live. It’s estimated that twenty percent of flood claims are filed by people living in moderate- or low-risk areas. 

Just ask Susan Smith.

When floodwater from the storm surge after Hurricane Katrina started pouring through the walls of Susan’s Florida home, she knew she had to get out fast. By the time she and her son ran upstairs to grab the family cat, rising water trapped them on the second floor of their home.

With the help of a neighbor, they manage to escape. But when the water receded and Susan finally returned to her property, she discovered most of the contents and drywall were unsalvageable due to the severe flood damage. She thought her homeowner's insurance policy would cover the losses, but found out most standard homeowners policies do not cover flood damage. 

"The water got so high, everything was just destroyed," Susan told the National Flood Insurance Program. "I didn't have flood insurance because I wasn't in a flood plain, so we were told we didn't need it."

As Susan found out the hard way, flood losses from disasters like these are specifically excluded from homeowners and personal umbrella insurance policies. While some regions like coastal areas are certainly more flood-prone than others, the unpredictability of climate change exposes all property to some risk. 

And storm surge isn’t the only culprit. Flood damage is also caused by torrential rainfall, mudflows and even rapid snowmelt in spring that cause rivers to run high and surge into lower-lying areas. Even small creeks, dry streambeds, dried-up canals or low-lying ground that appears harmless in dry weather can flood.

Are you prepared for a flood?

Knowing what to do during a flood is important – because you may only have minutes to react. 

If flooding is potentially expected in your area, start by moving your furniture and valuables to higher floors – or elevated areas within your home. In case of evacuation, fill your car tank up with gas.

 If a flood warning is issued for your area, take the following precautions:

• Gather emergency supplies and fill bathtubs with clean water.
• Tune your radio to weather updates, disaster directions and signals.
• If you must evacuate, take only essential items with you.
• Move to higher ground, staying away from rivers, streams, creeks and storm drains.

If your home is affected by flood damage, follow the following guidelines immediately:

• Throw away food that is not safe to eat and use only bottled water until local authorities have determined that tap water is safe to cook with and drink.
• Stay away from damaged buildings and structures and do not touch fallen power lines.
• Don’t turn on your power until a qualified electrician has determined that it is safe.
• Wear protective clothing when handling hazardous materials or cleaning up mold.

The thought of a flood permanently damaging your home can be scary. Luckily, there’s a way to protect you and your family’s livelihood: flood insurance.

Finding the right protection

Flood insurance provides the protection you need to cover losses after flooding ravages your property. The cost of premiums varies based on the amount of coverage you need, what your coverage entails and your property’s flood risk. 

Many people believe that federal assistance from the US government (FEMA) will suffice if they suffer flood damage. This is a dangerous gamble. Federal assistance is only available if the US president formally declares a disaster – and if that doesn’t happen, you’ll have to shoulder the massive costs alone. If you do obtain federal assistance, you’re also often required to repay it with interest – along with any mortgage loans that you still owe on the damaged property.

Only a personal flood insurance policy can provide secure protection that safeguards your most valuable asset – while providing invaluable peace of mind. And unlike federal aid, flood insurance claims never have to be repaid.

What does flood insurance cover?

For your losses to be covered under a flood insurance policy, the following definition of a flood applies: a general and temporary condition of inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area or two or more properties (at least one of which is your property) from an overflow of inland or tidal waters.

You might be surprised to learn that not all water losses are considered flood damage. For instance, water damage from mold – that is not due to flood damage – is not covered by flood insurance, as this could have been avoided through homeowner proactivity. 

It’s important to note that new flood insurance policies usually have a 30-day waiting period. You will not be insured if you buy a policy a few days before a flood. However, if your lender requires flood insurance to make, increase, extend or renew your loan, there is no waiting period.

Getting started with a flood insurance policy

As long as your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), you’re eligible to purchase personal flood insurance. Acentria can assist you in determining if your community participates in the NFIP.

You don’t have to face the threat of floods alone: contact an Acentria agent today to learn more about affordable flood insurance coverage options.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes new Federal mandates that may impact your business and formerly full-time employees.  The new law provides tax credits for the full cost of COBRA or State Continuation coverage for certain individuals.  Employers have requirements to notify qualified individuals of eligibility for the subsidies.  Below is an FAQ related to the new subsidies. 

Who is eligible for the APRA COBRA Subsidies?

Employees that have lost group medical coverage due to a reduction of hours OR an involuntary job loss. The subsidy does NOT apply to:

COVID-19 VACCINE CONVERSATIONS 
How to talk to your friends and family about Covid-19 Vaccinations and navigate theses sometimes tough conversations. 

COVID-19 vaccinations are a major tool to help us return to normal. There is a lot of information out there about the COVID-19 vaccines—and many people you know may have questions or concerns, or even lack accurate information about the vaccines. You can play a key role in helping those close to you navigate this topic.