Cool Christmas Stuff
Looking for some cool Christmas decorations, Christmas decor, Christmas ornaments, Christmas recipes, or general Christmas ideas? Here’s a compilation of some of my favorites which I found online. Enjoy…
Book Tree
"Redneck Christmas Tree"
Santa Pancakes (Link to Recipe)
Santa Claus Crackers (links to recipe)
Mustache Christmas Ornament
Santa Hat Brownies
Click to see Dogs in Christmas Hats
Merry Christmas for Every Smoker
Personally, I love the Dollar Store
Printable bottle gift tags in case, you've given up shopping and are just giving away all your wine
A Cab Fare Can Be A Lot Like an Insurance Premium
Picture this scenario: You’re at a party with friends drinking alcohol throughout the night. It’s getting late and time to start thinking about making it home. You drove to the party, but driving home after having a “few” drinks? Hmm….decisions decisions. You might not be wasted or anything, but what if you get behind the wheel to drive? Are you willing to take that risk?
The irrational side of your mind is telling you “This is going to be a good $40-$50 just to get home.” Then, I’m going to have to get up tomorrow morning and get a ride from someone to pick up my car.”
The logical side of your brain tells you “What’s $50 bucks compared to getting pulled over and slammed with a DUI and going through ten years of hell and torment and spending tens of thousands of dollars in penalties for making a stupid decision?”
What decision would you make? Have you made in this situation in the past?
This scenario got me thinking about how a cab fare can be a great analogy for buying insurance.
Calling the cab to get home in this sequence of events is a lot like buying insurance. With insurance, you are spending a small amount of money (an insurance premium) that you don’t necessarily want to pay, but do so to protect your livelihood. With a cab fare, you’re paying the price to make it home safely. It kind of sucks having to spend that money on an insurance premium or cab fare when you can technically use it to buy those new Nike shoes you’ve been eyeballing on Zappos.
If you choose the alternative, to play with fire and drive your own car, you are taking on a serious amount of risk. This is a lot like NOT buying insurance.Yeah, you may get lucky and make it home fine, but if you get pulled over, or hit someone, you can be screwed forever, possibly for life! You want to save some money and avoid the hassle of paying your insurance premium, but if you suffer a loss, your business could be done for good.
Ask yourself, are you in a position where you would rather “save your money” and not buy the necessary insurance to protect your business? By paying the monthly premium, you’re protecting you and/or your business from otherwise serious risk.
Trust me on this, should you decide not to purchase insurance and suffer a loss, you’ll really be wishing you can turn back the clock and pay that monthly insurance premium to save your business.
Sadly, many learn the hard way when it comes to purchasing insurance. That monthly insurance premium is nothing in comparison to what you might be paying for a loss when you’re not insured. Think ahead and consider buying it now before it’s too late! Take that cab home instead of getting behind the wheel and putting yourself at risk.
Change Brings Opportunity
Lately I noticed it’s been difficult for me to write about insurance all the time here. Yeah, I love what I do and I love to share what I know about insurance with others, but how much can I possibly write about it and keep people even the least bit interested in reading this blog? I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately and finally decided tonight that I don’t want to write ONLY about insurance anymore here. Yeah, I will continue to do so, but I am going to change it up a bit. With change brings opportunity.
Besides insurance, there a lot of other cool things that I encounter everyday that I have an opportunity to share with others…..local restaurants, stores, businesses, products, events, people, places. The opportunities are endless. So this is what you’re going to start seeing a lot more of from me- change in what I write and share here. No longer is this blog about sharing insurance topics only. You’re going to see all kinds of stuff about the local Southern California community and things that need to be shared and for you to know about. Maybe I can open your eyes to new things, or hear from you about what you like and I should try for myself.
Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to do so! I look forward to the opportunity of hearing from you too.
-JK
Back To Work!
Happy Monday morning! I hope you all had an outstanding Thanksgiving.
I spent most of the weekend in Lake Arrowhead, CA with my family just as we have done traditionally for the past 30 years. My family has a place there, so we’re up there at least a handful of times a year to kick back and relax. It was great to get a few days to sit back, watch a lot of football (USC 50- UCLA 0), and eat more than we can handle. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:
View of Lake Arrowhead from our balcony
My Family- from L to R: Me, Joanelle (my fiance), Dad, Mom, Julie (sister), Pat, Tom (brothers)
My fiance Joanelle and Me
What about you? How did you spend the Thanksgiving weekend?
–JK
How Your Small Businesses Can Prepare For Small Business Saturday
Get ready, here it comes. Saturday, November 26, the day after “Black Friday,” is the Second Annual “Small Business Saturday.” Is your business ready? Included are some ideas to rally your customers to encourage them to Shop YOUR Small this coming Saturday.
What can you do to get ready?
- Download and print free in-store signage.
- Online marketing kit: Put Small Business Saturday badges on your website, Facebook Page or email signature. Send emails to your customers.
YourBuzz
- Take charge of engagement: YourBuzz is a tool that allows users to read and respond to customer reviews and online mentions in one location.
Go Social
- Coupon-less offers: Provide mobile-based deals to your American Express card-wielding customers.
FedEx
- Save on printed materials: You can save 20% Small Business Saturday-related promotional materials through Nov. 26.
So go on, get the word out and bring in customers! Join the Day! #SmallBusinessSaturday #SmallBizSaturday
Source: Mashable Business
–JK
Happy Hour Networking Tomorrow Night, 11/17, In Redondo Beach
Anyone in the Los Angeles area who’s interested in doing some happy hour networking in the South Bay, let me know. We have a small group meeting at 5pm in Redondo Beach at Bouzy Gastropub at Chez Melange. The address is:
Your Workers Compensation Insurance Premium Likely To Increase in 2012
Are you a California business concerned about your workers compensation insurance costs? Well get ready to see some premium increases in 2012.
On Friday, November 4, 2011, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones approved new workers’ compensation insurance advisory pure premium rates for policies that renew January 1, 2012 or later. This decision will likely mean a substantial increase in the price employers pay for workers’ compensation insurance compared to what they paid last year for identical coverage.
- The average pure premium rate approved for January 1, 2011 was 4.66
- The average pure premium rate approved for January 1, 2012 is 6.34
- This is an average rate increase of 35.87%
Even though all of the rates for the 490+ standard classifications are increasing in 2012, it is important to know that not all rates will increase uniformly by 36%.
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California, which tracks trends in the workers compensation insurance market and advises the state, had recommended an average $2.33 per $100 of payroll in the summer. The state insurance commissioner can adopt what the Rating Bureau suggests or offer his own recommendation. Workers’ compensation insurers, in turn, use the recommendation as guidance when setting rates but they are not bound by it.
Pure premium or “base” rates reflects only the estimated cost of benefits and insurer loss expenses. They don’t account for other carrier expenses.
The insurance market as a whole has been very soft over the past several years with rates on the decline. Insurance industry professionals have been waiting anxiously to see when the tides will change and the pendulum will start swinging towards a “hard” market with increasing insurance premiums. There has been a lot of speculation as to when the market will turn, but this workers compensation pure premium increase is a good indication that the tides will start turning in 2012.
Against the theme of a terrible economy and many small businesses in trouble, it will be interesting to see how all this plays out. Business owners- keep a close eye on your 2012 workers compensation insurance policy renewals.
–JK
Sources: WorkCompare.com, Sacramento Business Journal
Los Angeles and Orange County Halloween Events 2011
Happy Halloween! For those looking for details on Southern California Halloween events, look no further. I put together some links to help you in your search. Find out about pumpkin festivals, street fairs, public trick-or-treating events, and haunted houses in Los Angeles and Orange County:
- Halloween activities in the L.A. area (L.A. Times)
- Halloween events and activities (South Bay Daily Breeze)
- Los Angeles Halloween Events 2011 (ABC 7 Los Angeles)
- Orange County 2011 Halloween Celebrations (OrangeCounty.net)
- Orange County Halloween Events 2011 (ABC 7)
My Pumpkin Carving Skills...
While you’re at it, here are some Halloween safety tips courtesy of Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America
Prevent Accidents: Remove or move lawn furniture, or any other obstacles, to avoid accidents or damage. Ensure your home’s entry is in good condition, free of loose or broken pieces on stairwells and walkways to avoid trick-or-treaters’ injuries on your property.
Fire Dangers: Prevent fires by making sure pumpkins containing candles are placed at a distance where a child’s costume cannot be ignited or a curious guest may tip it over. Extinguish all candles before going to bed and use battery operated lights wherever possible.
Costume Safety: Be careful with costumes. All disguises should be made from flame-resistant materials and shouldn’t be too long or contain sharp accessories. Try to avoid masks that may obscure vision and try to use hypo-allergenic make-up instead.
See and Be Seen: Encourage each trick-or-treater and adult chaperones to carry a flashlight. Apply light-reflecting material to costumes.
Don’t be a Scary Driver: Drive sober, slowly and even more carefully than usual on Halloween. Watch for children who may be running or wearing dark costumes in the road.
Power in Numbers: When walking, travel in groups and cross only at corners and crosswalks—never between parked cars—and stay on well-lit streets.
Unwelcomed Guests: Scare away potential property vandals who often use the chaos of Halloween night to strike by keeping outdoor lights on.
Pet Safety: Keep pets inside. Warn your children to stay away from animals as they go door-to-door. Halloween night can be stressful, even on the friendliest dog or cat or other creatures.
Candy Inspection: Cavities aren’t the only candy-related risks on Halloween. Inspect all children’s treats. Never eat unwrapped items, collect candy only from those you know and ask the local police department if it offers a candy x-ray and/or inspection service. Throw away any suspicious candy.
–JK
Massive Overnight Fire Destroys Businesses in Cerritos
This morning I woke up and was having my morning coffee and catching up on the news when I read on Twitter that a major fire broke out locally overnight and destroyed a retail strip mall about four miles from my home. I decided to jump in the car to check out the scene of the fire. Here’s a short video I took:
According to the Cerritos-Artesia Patch, flames burned for more than three hours at Cerritos’ Fountain Plaza, destroying businesses in the two-story strip mall. Estimates are the fire caused about $5.5 million in damages.
The blaze broke out at 2 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 23 and burned for more than three hours, according to the Los Angeles County Fire
Cerritos on the map
Department. About 75 firefighters were on scene to battle the massive blaze.
The fire reportedly began at a Chinese restaurant in the building along the back-end of the shopping plaza — then spread to adjoining businesses. The roof of the restaurant eventually caved in as firefighters tried to tame the flames, according to reports from the scene.
Aside from the restaurant, the commercial building also housed at least 10 other businesses, including an ultrasound clinic, a dental practice, and an escrow firm.
Damage to the structure was estimated at $4 million, and roughly $1.5 million worth of contents were also destroyed, a county fire inspector said. The cause of the fire was not yet known.
Lesson Learned
When’s the last time you reviewed your property insurance coverage? Do you have adequate coverage to protect your assets? What about business interruption coverage? Whether you own a commercial building or a business, don’t think that a catastrophic fire won’t ever happen to you! This single fire completely destroyed ten different businesses. Not only are all the contents destroyed from fire and water, but all the businesses will need to be re-built and relocated. It will be quite some time before operations are restored, but the bills won’t stop coming. The salaries, loans, mortgage, and overhead still need to be paid. Don’t get burned before it’s too late.
–JK
What Does “Third Party” Mean In Employment Practices Liability Insurance?
I’ve touched on Employment Practices Liability Insurance in the past here.
In a nutshell, Employment Practice Liability Insurance provides protection for employers against claims made by employees, former employees, or potential employees for discrimination (age, sex, race, disability, etc.), wrongful termination of employment, sexual harassment, and other employment-related allegations.
Some Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) policies have “third-party” coverage included. “Third-party” coverage refers to claims made by non-employees, usually customers, who allege that an employee engaged in wrongful conduct such as sexual harassment or discrimination. Without a specific policy endorsement for third-party claims, EPLI policy forms do not cover this exposure. Without third-party coverage, a gap in coverage results because EPLI policies are written to cover employment related claims by employees or applicants against their respective employers.
Beware that coverage for third-party employment practices liability claims is excluded under commercial general liability (CGL) policies.
Companies that are heavily customer oriented, such as retail stores, restaurants, or auto dealerships, are most exposed to third-party liability claims. On the other hand, companies not involved much in customer interaction such as manufacturers are not nearly as exposed to these kinds of claims.
Third-party liability coverage is generally available by endorsement for additional premium and should be seriously considered by firms which face these exposures.
Our economy is in such a state where liability claims are on the rise. Many, but not all people, are out there are looking for any way they can make an extra buck during these challenging times. This rise in claims doesn’t only apply to Employment Practices Liability insurance, but general liability, workers compensation, and other forms of liability as well. Business owners beware!
–JK
About Me
I grew up in Fullerton, CA and graduated from Servite High School in Anaheim. I have my Bachelors degree from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. I currently live in Tustin, CA.
Please contact me if you need help with any of the following lines of insurance for your business:
-Cyber / Data Breach
-Commercial Property
-Commercial General Liability
-Products Liability
-Workers Compensation
-Commercial Auto
-Umbrella/Excess Liability
-Errors & Omissions/ Professional Liability
-Employment Practices Liability
-Directors & Officers
-Life & Disability Insurance
Jimmy Kinmartin, CPCU 