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by Wayne Texeira  Marketing Director, CFMP, AINS, AIS, API

Every so often a new law goes into effect without getting a lot of press. Last year on September 1, 2012, a new Massachusetts Mulch Fire-Safety Regulation became law. We notified our customers at that time, but now that everyone is sprucing up their yards and mulch is being freshly applied, it's a good time to remind everyone about this regulation, which was established in response to a number of large building fires that involved mulch that was close to a building being ignited.

Residential buildings with less than six units are exempt from the law; however, the guidelines were established as a fire-safety prevention measure, so it can be wise for a property owner to follow these rules voluntarily from a safety perspective. It's understandable to want your grounds to look their best, but who wants to see...

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by Laurie Marinelli  Personal Insurance Manager, CPCU, CIC, AAI, AIS 

The term cohabitation most commonly refers to unmarried couples living together, but it also applies to roommates and other living situations. If you choose to cohabitate, take care to obtain the right coverage for your situation. The general overview below highlights key concerns; however, it doesn’t address every circumstance. Talk with our Associates about your specific situation, so that we may offer you appropriate guidance.

Homeowners’ & Condominium Owners’ Insurance Insurance companies have made it easier for unmarried couples to purchase a homeowners’ policy together, which wasn’t always the case. However, if only one partner own is the home/condo, the other partner’s possessions and liability are not covered by the home policy. In this situation, there are two solutions. 1) Add your partner to the policy as a co-occupant. 2) Have...

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by Wayne Texeira  Marketing Director, CFMP, AINS, AIS, API

Economic conditions over the last few years have continued to present financial challenges causing most of us to take a closer look at our financial situation...both current and future. Meeting monthly commitments can be a challenge, but, it's still essential to plan for the future. In addition to saving for retirement and other needs, you need to consider the unpleasant possibility of how your loved ones would manage if you were to die prematurely. 

Almost everyone knows that they need life insurance, but statistics show that many people haven't addressed their life insurance needs. And, many who have purchased life insurance fail to update their plans as needs change which results in their being under-insured. 

I purchased life insurance when I was in my mid-20s right after I bought a house. In fact, I purchased it through Murphy Insurance Agency about 18 years before becoming an employee. Perhaps, my parents having life insurance and encouraging me to get it made the difference in my decision, which I've never regretted. 

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by Dennis F. Murphy, Jr.  CEO  CPCU, CLU

Spring is here, but only six months ago the east coast faced Super Storm Sandy. I was touched by the empathy of our staff, who instead of their usual holiday gift exchanges pooled their money and made a sizeable donation to Sandy Relief efforts. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families and business owners affected by the storm. As reported, Sandy’s winds caused serious damage; however, the most severe destruction was caused by flood water. Home, condo, renter and most business insurance policies exclude damage caused by floods. You need a separate flood insurance policy for protection. Yet, unless flood insurance is required by a lender, many people forgo this coverage because of the additional cost or not perceiving it to be a risk.

With spring comes a greater potential for flooding, which can occur in areas that are not considered high risk. You don’t have...

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by Wayne Texeira  Marketing Director, CFMP, AINS, AIS, API

Are you a small business owner? Do you personally use social media such Facebook®, Twitter®, LinkedIn®, Pinterest®, Yelp®, Youtube®, etc? More importantly, do you use it for business purposes? 

Social media a cost effective “tool” for business sales and marketing as a way to build or maintain a reputation and communicate with customers. While social media will continue to evolve and change, there is no going back. It's here to stay in one form or another, so you can't afford to be left standing on the sidelines.

REASONS SOCIAL MEDIA IS IMPORTANT FOR BUSINESSES

Be part of the conversation. Consumers are constantly talking about products and services online. These discussions define how others perceive a business, so it’s important for businesses and their employees to be involved in the discussion...

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by Laurie Marinelli  Personal Insurance Manager, CPCU, CIC, AAI, AIS

What happens if… - at a party, someone slips and falls injuring their back. - your jewelry and electronics are stolen in a burglary. - you cause fire or water overflow damaging your apartment and other units. - a pipe bursts causing damage to your furniture and possessions.



According to a survey by Apartments.com, 58% of renters don’t purchase tenants insurance...often because they didn’t know that it existed or thought it was expensive. Yet, the average cost for a policy covering $20,000 in personal property and $500,000 of personal liability is approximately only $200 a year. That’s less than $17 a month or 55¢ a day. If you reduced going out to eat by one time a month, you could pay for renter’s protection.  And, if you skip a “big night out”, you could pay for the entire year of coverage in one night.   

Your landlord’s...

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by Wayne Texeira  Marketing Director, CFMP, AINS, AIS, API

Recent changes to discounts for having auto & home/condo/renter policies with the same company can be confusing. We're always working to help you maximize your discount opportunities and save money. In the past, a multi-policy discount only applied on a home-type policy. Now, discounts are available on both home and auto policies, which can mean greater savings:

auto policy discounts with a home range from 8%  to 10% home policy discounts with an auto range from 5% to 20%

Here are several ways to take advantage of these discounts. If one of these situations sounds like you, call us to talk about it.

New Drivers – In the past, parents providing a car for a new driver often put the young driver on the car title. Now, the title name could make a big difference with the multi-policy...

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by Laurie Marinelli  Personal Insurance Manager, CPCU, CIC, AAI, AIS

When buying car insurance there are lots of different coverage issues to consider, most of us tend to focus on coverage for situations where we damage our vehicle, pay for damage to other peoples property and paying for damages if we physically injure another person. But, what if someone hits you? Have you ever said to yourself, "If someone else hits me then their insurance will pay."  But, what if they don't have insurance or what if they have really low limits that doesn't cover the damage/injury they cause?

As of 2009, the Insurance Research Council (IRC) estimates approximately 1 in 7 drivers (13.8%) across the country is driving without insurance. 

Most states require drivers to have auto liability insurance, but a few do not including New Hampshire. While Massachusetts has a low incidence of uninsured drivers (4.5% in 2009), you are on...

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by Wayne Texeira  Marketing Director, CFMP, AINS, AIS, API

New Year’s Day is the closest thing we have to a worldwide public holiday. Over the years, many traditions and superstitions have grown.  Here are some interesting facts and superstitions that might spark some conversation with friends and family.

The famous lowering of the New Year’s Eve Ball in Times Square first happened in 1907.  It was an illuminated 700 pound iron and wood ball covered with one-hundred 25-watt light bulbs. Today, the ball, designed by Waterford Crystal, is 12 feet in diameter and weighs 11,875 pounds. It’s covered with 2,668 Waterford crystals.

* Dropping the ball was a practice started in the 1800’s in England. A "timeball" was dropped daily at one o'clock to allow sailors to synchronize their chronometers. 

* More vehicles are stolen on New Year’s Day than on any other holiday according to the NICB.

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by Wayne Texeira  Marketing Director, CFMP, AINS, AIS, API

At this festive time of year most of us have decked our halls to one degree or another and are planning holiday festivities. One thing that I really enjoy is driving around and seeing homes decorated with lights. Whether the display is big or small, it’s an outward sign of people sharing their holiday spirit with their neighbors and the community.

As we celebrate the holidays with home decorating and increased entertaining, keep in mind that these activities can also increase risks of fire and accidents. Certainly, I’m not trying to take the fun out of the holidays by turning it into an insurance lesson, but you can’t deny that every year you hear news stories about situations that can darken a holiday. Just be sure that you’re taking precautions that keep your holiday festivities safe as well as fun. Here are a few things to consider.

TREES Christmas trees are beautiful, but can be a fire hazard. Even artificial trees, can pose a hazard, so look for the “Fire Resistant” label when purchasing a tree. When buying a live tree, check for freshness…needles should be hard to pull from branches and don’t break when bent. Tap it on the ground…it shouldn’t lose lots of needles. When setting it up at home, fresh cut the trunk and put it in water immediately.

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