5 Tips on How to Protect Valuables in Your Home

Here are some steps you can take to protect the valuables in your home. Below are five tips you can use to keep your most precious items safe from theft and harm.

1. Get a fireproof safe.

To protect valuables and important documents kept in your home, invest in a fireproof safe. If possible, choose a model that can be bolted to the floor to prevent the easy removal of the safe from your home.

2. Lock your doors.

Leaving your doors unlocked makes your home an easy target for thieves. Always keep your doors secured with deadbolt locks, especially when you won't be at home.

3. Install an alarm system.

Even if your doors are locked, some thieves will still attempt to break into your home. To deter them further, consider installing an alarm system in your home. Many of the systems available today offer the option of connecting the system with the police department so that they will be alerted as soon as a break-in occurs. You can also discourage robberies by installing exterior lights with motion detectors, as well as by setting timers on some of the lights inside your home so that they will be lit even when you aren't there.

4. Take inventory of your possessions.

Even when you take all of the necessary precautions, thefts and damage may still occur. Unfortunately, it may be difficult for you to remember all of your missing or damaged items in the wake of an incident. To make home insurance claims and/or property recovery easier, consider creating a comprehensive list of all of the items inside your home.

5. Review your insurance policy.

To ensure that you will be able to recover the full value of your items if they are taken or destroyed, review your homeowners or renters insurance policy carefully to make sure that it covers the “replacement cost” of lost items, as opposed to their “actual cash value,” which will be much less.

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What Risks Do You Face When Serving on a Board?

“Community banks having tough time filling boards – Personal liability risks scaring away candidates” says a headline on the front page of today’s issue of NJBIZ (njbiz.com), February 9, 2015. 

Personal liability risk is a serious concern, not only for community banks, but for any business or non-profit with a Board of Directors. It should also be of concern to anyone serving on a Board, or considering doing so.

Fortunately, there is a solution: it’s called Management Liability (or Directors and Officers Liability) Insurance.

A directors and officers liability policy (D&O) can provide insurance for negligent acts, omissions or misleading statements committed, or allegedly committed, by directors and officers of a company that result in lawsuits being filed against the company. D&O coverage can be purchased to reimburse the company when it indemnifies directors or officers, to specifically cover directors or officers when the company doesn't indemnify them or to provide entity coverage to cover claims made specifically against the company.

Public and private U.S. companies, as well as non-profit organizations, can apply for coverage. Punitive and multiple damages may be covered where insurable by law. Legal costs are generally paid in addition to policy limits. A policy may respond to suits naming only the company and may include coverage for past, present and future executives.

So if you serve on a Board in NJ, or you are considering joining a board, contact us today to discuss D&O.

5 Must Have Tools for Your Roadside Breakdown Kit

Roadside breakdown kits are essential to have in any car. However, many people aren't sure what's important to keep in them. No fear! I’m here to help you create your own top of the line roadside breakdown kit.

Here are the five essential tools I believe everyone should have in their breakdown kit:

1. A portable cell phone charger with flashlight and/or beacon OR a fully charged "emergency phone" stashed in the car: Since we all have had our cell phone batteries run low, a portable charger can be very beneficial, especially if it has the flashlight/beacon feature. There is no such thing as too noticeable when you’re sitting in the emergency lane or the shoulder of a remote two-lane road.
2. Emergency LED Flashers OR Flares (9+) OR Beacons OR Triangle Warning Signs (3): Most professional emergency kit builders recommend at least 3 triangle signs spaced 50 feet apart to give oncoming traffic better information about where the trouble is. Emergency flares can also signal your troubled situation. Much like triangle signs, you should place three flares 50 feet apart to warn oncoming traffic. The cost of flares is low enough to warrant buying boxes of 12 or 24. 
3.  LifeHammer Auto Escape Tool: Made in the Netherlands, LifeHammer® allows people to escape from being trapped in vehicles by cutting jammed seat belts and breaking car windows. www.lifehammer.com, Smittybilt Recovery Strap: You never know when you might need to give or receive a tow. www.smittybilt.com
4. Portable Battery Jumper/Charger OR Jumper Cables OR The Schumacher SpeedCharge: SpeedCharge is a fully automatic battery charger that uses advanced technology to charge up to twice as fast as conventional chargers. While it is important to have a pair of jumper cables in your car, they may not be the best choice if you are stranded on a two-lane back-road with little or no traffic. However, in many cases, insurance companies have "Jump Start / Battery Charge" included in their auto policies' Roadside Assistance.
5. Emergency Space Blankets: Low-weight, low-bulk blankets designed to reduce your body’s heat loss. Space blankets are perfect for emergency breakdowns, especially if it’s in the middle of the cold New Jersey winter! www.nitro-pak.com.

While these are what I consider the 5 most important items to have in your emergency kit, there is a multitude of other items you should consider adding as well. What are your must-haves in your emergency kit? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Sources

1) www.farmers.com/auto/optional-coverage

2) www.cbsnews.com/news/worst-case-scenarios-8-biggest-car-breakdown-headaches/