by Downey Insurance Group | Jun 11, 2013 | Blog
With the warm weather underway you may be ready to start enjoying some outdoor barbeques with friends and family. In fact, you may have already started! Now that barbeque season is here, it is a good time to brush up on some food safety so that you can enjoy those delicious party foods without the risk of getting sick. Here are some easy reminders to keep with you this summer:
• Clean everything. Start with your hands. Then wash your work surfaces and utensils. Then wash all the foods you will be using. Be sure to keep all raw meats away from other foods. Use separate cutting boards for each different type of food you are preparing.
• Keep cold foods cold. Macaroni salads, potato salads, and anything that comes out of the refrigerator to be put on the table should promptly be put back in that fridge when everyone is done having their share. Keep them on the table no longer than one hour if it is hot outside. You can even keep them cooler by setting the bowls in trays of ice on the table.
• Keep hot foods hot. Letting hot foods like burgers, hot dogs and other things from the grill get cool will only increase their chance of bacterial growth. Meats need to reach and maintain certain minimum temps in order to keep bacteria away. Poultry’s minimum temp is generally 165F, ground meats are generally 160F and steaks are generally 145F. To avoid unnecessary waste, only grill enough for each guest to enjoy with the offer of firing up the grill again for a second round if anyone wants it.
Once the cooking is done, sit back and relax with a nice cold drink and your family and friends. You deserve it after that wonderful meal!
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by Downey Insurance Group | Jun 7, 2013 | Blog
The MA Safe Driver Insurance Plan or Massachusetts SDIP, was created in 2006 to replace the old “Step Based” system that was previously in place. The new SDIP Point system was designed to be a cleaner and easier system for Massachusetts drivers.
The MA SDIP premium adjustment is the last rating factor that is applied during the Massachusetts Auto Insurance rating process. The MA SDIP system allows drivers to have more control over their Auto Insurance rates, because your driving record controls your Point Value allowing the safest drives to be rewarded with the best rates possible.
If you are a good driver you will save money by receiving a significant discount to your Massachusetts Auto Insurance Premium. If you have an at-fault accident or traffic violation your rates will go up as you incur surcharge points.
SDIP Points:
98: Excellent Driver Discount, a driver who has been licensed and incident free for the last 5 years.
99: Excellent Driver Discount Plus, a driver who has been licensed and incident free for the last 6 years.
0: Drivers with no at fault accidents or moving violations are considered a Step 0. This will not increase or decrease your premium.
01 – 45: Accidents and Moving violations will increase your Premium.
Points are accumulated based on the following: (For a more detailed explanation of points and what type of incidents are considered minor vs. major, our blog post Massachusetts SDIP Points Explained may be helpful.)
Major Traffic Violations: 5 SDIP Points
Minor Traffic violation: 2 SDIP Points
Major at-fault traffic accident: 4 SDIP Points
Minor at-fault traffic accident: 3 SDIP Points
Surcharge Points will affect the rating of 4 parts or your Insurance Policy:
Part 1: Compulsory Bodily Injury to Others
Part 2: Personal Injury Protection
Part 4: Property Damage
Part 7: Collision
How will this affect your Insurance Premium?
An experience driver (that has been licensed for more than 6 years) will experience a 15% increase in premium in each of the above converges for every point they accumulate. An inexperienced driver will experience a 7.5% increase.
A driver with a 98 Excellent Driver Discount will experience a -7% rate reduction in these 4 coverages.
A driver with a 99 Excellent Driver Discount Plus will experience a 17% rate reduction in these 4 coverages.
As you can see your driving record is a very large factor in your insurance premium!
If you do have points what can you do to reduce your premium?
The best answer is to not accumulate any more points, and they will slowly start to come off based on the following:
Points have a life span of 6 years, after 6 years they are removed. Regardless of additional points applied.
If you have 3 consecutive years of clean driving you are eligible for the “Clean in 3″ provision:
The value of surcharge points for each surchargeable incident is reduced by 1 point if:
(1) you have 3 or fewer surchargeable incidents on your driving record in the 5 years immediately preceding your policy’s effective date,
(2) the most recent surcharge date is at least 3 years before your policy’s effective date, and
(3) you have at least 3 years of driving experience.
For information on appealing a surcharge:
Appealing MA SDIP Points
If you have any questions about Massachusetts Auto Insurance or talk to one of our specialists about starting a policy call us today at 508-485-0130. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for Insurance and community related tips and information or subscribe to our blog to receive subsequent blog posts on this topic and other important Insurance related topics from your Insurance experts Downey Insurance Group.
by Downey Insurance Group | May 30, 2013 | Blog
June is a great time to spruce up your home with a remodel, but beginning a home remodeling project can seem daunting at first. Hiring the right contractor will make your home remodeling project a breeze.
Collect References
If you have never worked with a particular contractor it is important to get references from people who have. Ask the contractor for names and phone numbers of people they have completed remodeling projects for. Asking to see before and after pictures is also a good idea because you should be able to see the entire scope of the contractor’s work in the pictures. When you talk to the people who have worked with the contractor be sure to ask them if they would hire this contractor again. You may also want to ask if there were any delays or significant issues with their remodeling project.
Check the Contractor’s License and Insurance
You may talk to a contractor that is very personable on the phone and in person, but make sure that they have adequate insurance coverage and all the licenses they need to complete your remodeling project legally. The contractors should have personal liability insurance coverage as well as property damage coverage. It’s also smart to check the company’s rating with the Better Business Bureau to make sure there haven’t been any complaints filed. If your remodeling job is large enough that the contractor is planning to hire subcontractors to do some of the work you need to make sure that they have licenses and insurance coverage as well.
Communicate
One of the biggest issues that homeowners have with contractors is that they are hard to communicate with. The contractor you hire should return your phone calls or emails within 24 hours. They should be very direct when they communicate with you about the timeline, costs and other aspects of your remodeling project. If you call a contractor for an estimate and they are too busy to look at your project within a few days they are probably too busy to complete your remodeling project in a timely fashion. It’s best to find someone else to do the job.
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by Downey Insurance Group | May 24, 2013 | Blog
Hurricane season begins June 1st and is right around the corner for us here on the East Coast. With all the rain storms, flood watches, and tornado warnings that we have been experiencing lately severe weather seems to be a constant threat this time of year. Having the right protection, with Massachusetts Homeowners Insurance, MA Business Insurance or Flood Insurance can make a world of difference.
An Independent Insurance Agent is a great ally in navigating the insurance market and can be an excellent resource four you by evaluating your specific risk vulnerabilities, personally or in your business. An unexpected disaster can drain the life blood from your business, or can cause tremendous headaches and financial hardship for you personally if you are unprepared.
Over the years we have shared some great information on our Downey Insurance Blog. Here are a few that we think are the most helpful in regards to disaster preparedness and recovery:
Hurricane Preparedness Week –Do You Have an Emergency Preparedness Plan?
Massachusetts Homeowners Insurance + A Disaster Kit = Protection for Your Family
Steps to Prepare your Home or Business for a Disaster
Tips for Earthquake Mitigation Strategies
How to Get Flood Coverage with Your Vermont Insurance
Flood Recovery Information
Thinking about Business Interruption Insurance?
Tornado Warning Terminology and Coverage with Massachusetts Homeowners Insurance
Protecting Your Homes Attached Structures from Strong Winds
Home Inventory and Massachusetts Homeowners Insurance
Does Running a Generator Affect My Massachusetts Homeowners Insurance Policy?
Earthquake Coverage – Homeowners Insurance MA
Would you be able to financially survive a Flood?
Downey Insurance is dedicated to helping our clients in the unfortunate event of any natural disaster. We can discuss recovery from a storm or flood loss, whether or not the property was insured, offer unbiased claim information, and answer any questions that come up during the recovery process. For a comprehensive look at your insurance needs, call us at 508-485-0130. Also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for current Insurance and community related tips and information!
by Downey Insurance Group | May 15, 2013 | Blog
We here are Downey Insurance take Employee Health and Fitness very seriously. Last year we started running an in house Yoga program taught by one of our own very Customer Service Representatives who also happens to be a yoga instructor. We even have a space designated to Yoga, complete with candles, music, and yoga mats. It really is like our own yoga studio. We all appreciate this so much and feel lucky to have this offered at our place of work.
Her lunch time class makes me feel fantastic. Yoga is not only good for your body but can also do wonders for calming the mind and reducing stress.
Not every company is going to have the advantage of an in house yoga instructor, but there are many things you can do to encourage Employee Health and Fitness.
Yoga for Business – Bring in a Yoga instructor once a week or as a special event. You never know it could inspire someone to live a healthier lifestyle.
A Walking Club – A walking club could walk during lunch, or before and after work. Now that the weather is nice here in New England this might be a great option.
A Weight Loss Pool – We have done this in the past. All participants put in $10 or $20 and whoever losses the most weight, or drop their BMI the most wins!
Smoking Cessation Programs – There are many models out there, thankfully we do not have anyone in our office that smokes so we have not had to explore them. Therefore I don’t have one to recommend!
There are so many benefits of offering an Employee Health program for your employees that can benefit both the employee and the employer.
Benefits for the Employee:
Improve physical fitness
Enhance wellbeing
Lower stress levels
Increase self-esteem and self-image
Benefits for the Employer:
Improved productivity
Decrease in employee sick time
Lower heath care costs
We love our employees as much as our clients and are happy to make their well being a priority. We also love to support businesses that offer employee health programs, by offering insurance products that can fit their specific needs. If you need
Massachusetts Business Insurance we can help! Call us at 508-485-0130. Also follow us on
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LinkedIn for current Insurance and community related tips and information!
