by Downey Insurance Group | Mar 15, 2013 | Blog
Have you ever failed to renew your registration or license only to find out at a very inconvenient time? This has happened to the best of us. Or, are you concerned that you will miss your renewal date and have to pay fines to reinstate? No need to worry anymore!
Downey Insurance has a few useful new features on our virtual Insurance Office: a Registration Renewal Reminder, a License Renewal Reminder, and an Inspection Sticker Expiration Reminder. All you have to do is enter the expiration date and this cool new tool will send you an email reminder 30 days prior to your renewal date.
We value our clients at Downey Insurance, which is why we are offering up this extremely useful tool. But we don’t want anyone to miss out on this important opportunity.
This new Renewal Reminder is available for clients and non-clients as well. Please share with anyone you feel would find this renewal reminder useful, you just might save them the aggravation of dealing with an expired license or registration!
by Downey Insurance Group | Mar 12, 2013 | Blog
The American Red Cross does more good work than nearly any other organization in the country. They help millions of Americans every day, and no one knows when they might be the one who receives that aid. In honor of American Red Cross Month, here is a quick guide to the organization and how to get involved.
The American Red Cross has been around since 1881. The focus of the organization is on humanitarian relief efforts. Whenever tragedy strikes anywhere in the country, the American Red Cross is there to help people pick up the pieces and move on with their lives.
Most people know about the Red Cross through their work collecting blood donations. It is amazing to realize that the American Red Cross collects half of the blood that is donated every year in the United States. That is around 7 million pints every year.
Another way that lots of people know the American Red Cross is through their efforts in disaster relief. Whether it is a fire, flood, earthquake, tornado or hurricane, the organization is one of the first on the scene to help out the victims. Their first priority is to provide shelter, food and water to the victims.
Once the victims’ basic needs are met, then the Red Cross works with the victims to help them move on from the tragedy. They will help them to find a new place to live and to find funding sources to help them recover from their tragedies.
In honor of American Red Cross Month, many people like to get involved in any way they can. The organization is always accepting financial donations, but they also love to receive people looking to become volunteers. The American Red Cross would cease to function without volunteers. More than 95 percent of their workers are volunteers. Donating blood is another great way to get involved with the American Red Cross. Organizing a blood drive at your school or office is even better.
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by Downey Insurance Group | Feb 28, 2013 | Blog
When a close family member passes away, you may be left with a lot of questions regarding all the things he left behind. Not only will you need to go through his belongings and figure out what to do with everything he owned, but you will have to get his affairs in order as well. Understandably it can be a daunting and cumbersome task – especially if you are not really sure what comes first and when everything needs to be done.
You will need to contact close family and friends and make arrangements for someone to take care of any kids or pets. You will also want to contact the person’s boss to find out about benefits and any pay that was due. You will want to find out if there was any type of life insurance policy as well.
Within a few days of your loved one’s death, you will need to make funeral arrangements. Your loved one may have already paid for a burial, so be sure to look through any paperwork you can and ask other family members for help. It can sometimes feel emotionally overwhelming. You do not need to do it all alone. Having someone with you as a second set of ears can really relieve some of the burden.
Once the funeral proceedings have finished, you will need to get a copy of your loved one’s death certificate. It will be requested by a lot of different agencies, so you will do best to get several copies right now. If you locate a will, contact your town or county to see how to expedite the process. Contact your insurance agent with any questions you have about benefits or policy cancellations. And throughout the process, take time to grieve and remember the good times with your loved one. Remember that while the task you are completing may be hard, your loved one is worth it.
by Downey Insurance Group | Feb 14, 2013 | Blog
Making the decision to develop a time management system be a great first step toward improving at work and elsewhere. However, some people struggling in the early phases of developing a time management system, and these struggles can lead to anxiety. Unfortunately, this anxiety can be debilitating, and many who experience it eventually give up. Here are a few tips for people who are facing time management obstacles.
– Start slow
One mistake some people make is to commit themselves to a rigorous time management schedule from the beginning. Especially rigorous systems are hard to manage for those who have not practiced time management skills, and early failures can cascade into severe frustration. Whether you are starting a time management system for the first time or have attempted systems in the past, give yourself some latitude.
– Keep notes
Another technique that can help is to keep a small diary of your progress. After your work for the day is finished, write down anything you noticed and make a special note of any obstacles you faced. By learning precisely what your obstacles are, you may be able to find ways to work around them. Obstacles are not always avoidable, but you may be able to develop means of mitigating them.
– Do not forget about rewards
While time management is about discipline, you should not be afraid to give yourself rewards on occasion. If you have completed a particular system successfully, go ahead and give yourself a well-earned treat. Motivation is often the primary obstacle people face, so do not be afraid to use techniques to give yourself a bit of extra motivation along the way.
– Make a commitment
Even if you have given up on developing a time management system in the past, do not be afraid to make a major commitment again. It is possible to develop a time management system regardless of past failures, so remain optimistic even if you feel that obstacles are insurmountable; they are not.
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by Downey Insurance Group | Jan 30, 2013 | Blog
The New Hampshire House of Representatives is voting on a bill that would allow the executor of an estate to have full legal access to and control over Social Media profiles, texting, and email accounts of a deceased family member. Allowing the executor legal access to make changes to their profiles. Such as having their Facebook page memorialized, shut down, or edit any social media profile and email accounts. In our
Keene, NH Insurance office, part of what we do every day is Financial Planning and Life Insurance, and we hear questions like this all the time. We feel it is good to start having these conversations, and to start to pay attention to what we are leaving behind in our on-line life. To date social media sites and email providers are all making their own rules that are laid out in their terms of service agreements.
This New Hampshire bill has come with mixed responses, with opponents stating that it may be too far reaching, hard to enforce, or may conflict with federal legislation which is currently under consideration. While supporters believe that times are changing with most people’s lives being documented and executed on-line their needs to be a solution to this growing problem. Leaving the profiles inactive leaves them vulnerable to being hacked and it does nothing to memorialize the deceased, possibly causing confusion to people who may not have known they had passed.
Some people argue that that there are other functions that can tackle this problem. Everyone may have different wishes and how do we make sure these very personal choices are honored?
One solution would be to include your wishes for your on-life in your will leaving control and instructions for your loved ones regarding your digital life after death. There are a few websites that have recognized this need and are offering a product to help make sure your wishes are fulfilled. Legacy Locker is a popular one, but it comes with a price and not everyone is willing to pay for such a service. Keeping an active list of all your social media profiles, email accounts, and passwords is probably the most helpful thing you can do to make sure that family will be able to easily access your accounts to fulfill your wishes.
Digital life after death can be a touchy subject but we feel it is something we should be considering. If you have not made a plan for your loved ones for your digital afterlife now might be a good time to start. If you have any questions about other types of end of life planning such as Life Insurance, Long Term Care Insurance, or Financial Planning you can contact Downey Insurance Group at our Keene, NH Insurance office at 888-895-3638.
