By berryinsurance on March 3, 2011
While reading National Underwriter magazine I came across an article called “Making Divorce Pay Through Insurance”, before this, I never realized this was possible. Insuring for the potential end of your marriage; that doesn’t sound so romantic, but it turns out some people would rather be safe than sorry.
Today half of all marriages end in divorce. So why not plan for financial hardship, while reducing future stress and worry? Divorce insurance is meant to ease financial burden and plan for a difficult time that could occur in the event of a divorce.
Normally, insurance policies assess risk involved, before establishing a premium according to that specific situation. The policy for divorce insurance works a little differently. Divorce insurance is sold directly to consumers via the internet. Policies can be purchased for as low as $15.99 per month ($15.99 per unit of insurance). Anywhere from 1 to 200 units can be purchased by an individual per month, this is dependent upon the financial loss the purchaser is planning for. Each unit of insurance is worth $1,250 upon payout, which occurs only after the divorce is final.
WedLock’s divorce policy also has a unique method of payout in the event of a divorce. WedLock’s policy is not meant to insure a year-long marriage, and then payout for the divorce. The first day the policy could potentially payout is the first day, of the fifth year that the policy has been active. Each unit owned equates to $1,250 of payout, which increases by $250 each year following the fifth.
WedLock Divorce Insurance is not for everyone, but some people are taking notice. Thus far, the policy has struck the interest of currently married individuals, but could certainly benefit individuals that are not married. The company does not advertise, so interest is generated through word of mouth and sharing the news, which has worked for WedLock Divorce Insurance thus far. In the future months and years, I am curious to follow the progress of the WedLock Divorce Insurance company, as well as the growth of divorce insurance in general.
For more information about this topic, or to get some answers about your current insurance situation, please visit our virtual insurance agency at www.berryinsurance.com, stop by one of our two locations, or give us a call at (800) 941-3317.
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Posted in All Posts, Misc, Personal Protection, Uncategorized Tagged auto home insurance ma, auto insurance agents in quincy ma, auto insurance in wrentham ma, automobile insurance franklin ma, bellingham ma commercial auto insurance, berry insurance, berry insurance agency, berry insurance franklin ma, business insurance in ma, commercial insurance quotes massachusetts, Divorce Insurance, Home Insurance ma, massachusetts Insurance agents
By berryinsurance on November 24, 2010
I love the holidays! Christmas music, the scent of pine, stockings on the mantle, family gatherings….I could go on and on. I especially love seeing the color changes. With Thanksgiving, we see lots of rich autumn colors like oranges and yellows. But with Christmas, everywhere you turn you see red and green! Which reminds me, with Thanksgiving upon us, and Christmas right around the corner, I’m going to need some extra “green” in my pockets to buy all my presents this year!
During this time of year, holiday shopping can often put our bank accounts in the red. (And it’s not the red we like to see!) I’m always shopping for bargains to try and keep some funds in my account at the end of the season. One thing I don’t skimp on though is my auto or home insurance. But I bet you didn’t know there were ways to save there too (without lowering your coverage)! It’s easy; all you have to do is “Go Green” this holiday season!
At Berry Insurance, we represent a number of quality insurance companies for you to choose from. Understanding the economic pressures we are all under today, several of those companies are offering clients’ ways to further save on their insurance.
One of the easiest ways to save is by changing your payment plan. We find that most of our clients elect to pay their insurance bills in monthly installments. This means that the insurance company mails you a bill each month with the amount due, and you mail them back a check. But have you ever looked at your bill closely to realize what this payment plan is costing you? Most companies charge a processing (aka billing or service) fee for every bill they mail to you. This fee could be as much as $5-7 or more per month, costing you on average $60-$80 in additional payments per year! Yikes!
Many insurance companies now offer the ability to enroll in an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payment plan. With this option, you authorize the insurance company to withdraw your monthly payments directly from your bank account (and sometimes credit card account). Because the company now does everything electronic, and no longer has the expense of mailing you a bill, the company offers to remove the billing fees. How’s that for some extra “green” in your wallet?
Another option to save even more money is to choose to “Go Green” by receiving all your policy documents electronically instead of receiving paper copies in the mail. Many insurance companies are now starting to offer a discount on your policy premium just for this, sometimes up to 3% of your total bill!
Here are just a few examples of discounts available for “going green”:
- For personal auto and home policyholders, Commerce Insurance reduces your monthly billing fee to $1 per month when you enroll in their EFT payment plan. They also offer a 3% premium discount on your auto policy when you enroll to receive your policies electronically.
- For personal auto clients, Safety Insurance offers savings of up to 7% when you qualify for an account credit and select combined policy billing with EFT. Whether you have your auto or home insurance with Safety, when you enroll in EFT, all billing charges are eliminated.
- Quincy Mutual provides $5 in savings off service charges if clients choose to participate in EFT.
- Peerless Insurance waives the $5 billing fee for both personal and business clients that opt into EFT for billing.
- Travelers Insurance waives fees on homeowners’ policies if customers opt into EFT.
- The Hanover Insurance Group allows business clients to opt into EFT which eliminates the fees that would otherwise be incurred.
So before you start your holiday shopping, be sure to have as much “green” in your wallets as possible. Contact your Berry Insurance account manager today to make sure you are taking advantage of every discount available to you! And save some green and protect the environment all at the same time!
Happy Holidays!
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For more information about this topic, or if you have any questions about our Partners Program or any of your Massachusetts auto insurance needs, our agents at Berry Insurance would love to help! Call us at (800) 941-3317 begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting, visit our virtual insurance office at http://www.berryinsurance.com/ or stop by one of our locations in Franklin and Quincy, MA.
You can also find us on all your favorite social networking sites!
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Posted in All Posts, Business, Misc, Personal Protection, Uncategorized Tagged auto insurance quincy ma, berry insurance, berry insurance agency, Berry Insurance agency franklin ma, berry insurance franklin ma, Berry Insurance MA, billing options, business insurance, Christmas Music, Commerce, Commerce Insurance, EFT, Electrontic Funds Transfer, go green, Hanover, Hanover Insurance Group, homeowners insurance massachusetts, insurance Attleboro ma, insurance franklin ma, insurance mass, insurance quincy ma, insurance waltham ma, insurance wrentham ma, MA auto insurance, ma business insurance, ma home insurance, Mass Auto Insurance, mass business insurance, Mass Home Insurance, payment plan, Peerless, peerless insurance, Quincy Mutual, Safety, safety insurance, Travelers, travelers insurance
By berryinsurance on November 24, 2010
Everyone hopes for a peaceful holiday season, but we never know what might happen. That’s what insurance is for…planning for what you cannot plan for! So how are you feeling as the holiday season approaches – covered or exposed? Are you looking at the big picture, and doing what’s possible to protect yourself and your assets?
For instance, where are you having Thanksgiving dinner this year? Is it at your house? If so, this means an increase in potential homeowner’s exposures for you. For example, if someone were to slip and fall, or hurt themselves on your property, do you have adequate personal liability coverage? And how large is your Thanksgiving gathering? Depending on the answers, you may also want to consider a personal umbrella insurance policy.
Maybe you’ve had a few requests for a deep fried turkey this year! Serving deep fried turkey has become a popular menu item this year, but are you taking the necessary precautions? Even if the turkey is deep fried outdoors, you can still put yourself at risk. What if the back deck catches on fire or someone is burned by the hot grease? Are you sure you are adequately covered under your homeowner’s insurance policy?
Even if you make it through Thanksgiving Day without incident, don’t forget, there is always Black Friday shopping! With all the great deals and early store openings, often the last thing on a consumers mind is how their driving is. With all the tired Mom’s and Dad’s, along with all the crazy shoppers, now is the best time to consider how your auto insurance coverages stack up.
And lastly, don’t forget about Cyber Monday! This glorious day offers special deals and promotions available only online, accessible through the comfort of your home. But buyers beware! Make sure you shop at only reputable sites. Purchasing gifts online could increase your potential to identity theft. What would happen if your credit card or personal identity was stolen? And do you have coverage for the costs it will take to recapture your life?
So before Thanksgiving Day arrives, be sure to check with your Berry Insurance Account Manager to review your coverages and exclusions on all your insurance policies. We’ll make sure you’re properly protected this holiday season!
Gobble Gobble! Happy Thanksgiving to all!
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For more information about this topic, or if you have any questions about our Partners Program or any of your Massachusetts insurance needs, our agents at Berry Insurance would love to help! Call us at (800) 941-3317 begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting, visit our virtual insurance office at http://www.berryinsurance.com/ or stop by one of our locations in Franklin and Quincy, MA.
You can also find us on all your favorite social networking sites!
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Posted in All Posts, Holiday Exposures, Homeowners, Misc, Personal Protection, Uncategorized Tagged berry insurance, berry insurance agency, Berry Insurance agency franklin ma, berry insurance franklin ma, berry insurance quincy ma, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, deep fried turkey, homeowners insurance in massachusetts, personal umbrella, thanksgiving concerns, Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Exposures, thanksgiving facts, Thanksgiving Hazards, thanksgiving problems, thanksgiving risk
By berryinsurance on October 14, 2010
If you haven’t already seen it, check out the first part of my Inbound Marketing Summit 2010 Takeaways:
Wrap Up: Part 1
It’s been a week since IMS 2010 in Foxboro, MA at Gillette Stadium, and my head is still reeling from the information shared. I’ll be preparing a full blog article on the major points that really struck home with me, but for now, here is another brief recap of my takeaways from Day 2 at the event.
Tim Washer: Use humor in your videos to humanize your brand and evoke positive emotion.
Robbie Vorhaus: Practice “one more, one less”. Start today and do less of what you don’t want to do and more of what comes from your heart. It’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do with what happens to you.
Butch Stearns, The Pulse Network: In 2007, 25% of all creative content was consumed online and 75% was consumed with traditional media. By 2009, these numbers had reversed.
Dharmesh Shah, co-author of Inbound Marketing: Know your competition. Don’t copy, emulate. Do not duplicate.
CC Chapman: Every single company in the world needs to harness social media.
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For more information about this topic, or if you have any questions about our Partners Program or any of your Massachusetts business or personal insurance needs, our agents at Berry Insurance would love to help! Call us at (800) 941-3317, visit our virtual insurance office at http://www.berryinsurance.com/ or stop by one of our locations in Franklin and Quincy, MA.
You can also find us on all your favorite social networking sites!
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Posted in All Posts, Business, Misc, Partners of Berry Insurance, Social Media for Business Tagged B2B Marketing, B2C Marketing, berry insurance, berry insurance agency, foxboro ma, gillette stadium, IMS10, inbound marekting summit, Marketing Strategy, Multimedia Marketing, PR Marketing, Social Media | Tags: inbound marketing summit, Updates from marketing professionals, What's new at the Inbound marketing summit 2010
By berryinsurance on October 7, 2010
It’s day 2 of the Inbound Marketing Summit (#IMS10) here at Gillette Stadium in beautiful Foxboro, MA and we’re getting ready to wrap up today’s events in a few short hours. After two full days, approximately 20 hours of digital marketing and social media education and awareness, I thought it best to give a quick recap of my takeaways from the event.
John Jantsch, author of “The Referral Engine” and “Duct Tape Marketing”: There is no more B2B or B2C, it is now O2O, fusing online and offline.
David Meerman Scott, author of “Real-Time Marketing & PR”: Social media is only a tool, real-time is a mindset.
Tom Webster: The number of people that check their social media sites more than once a day has more than doubled – 18M in 2009 to 39M in 2010. Also, if you only measure the effects and shares on Twitter, than you are only measuring if you’re good at Twitter. Same applies to Facebook.
Gail Goodman: Not all of your customers will engage, and that’s ok! You are far better off with a small, highly engaged audience than a large, casual following.
Chris Brogan: “Place” in the 4Ps of the Marketing Mix is being redefined.
David Meerman Scott & Brian Halligan: Many entrepreneurs look conventional wisdom in the eye and go in a different direction.
Valerie Maltoni: “Tutto il mondo e’paese” – Timing and influence have a relationship.
Scott Stratten: Online networking is not a replacement for offline networking…its an enhancement.
… More to come folks. For now, its time to pay attention!
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For more information about this topic, or if you have any questions about our Partners Program or any of your Massachusetts business or personal insurance needs, our agents at Berry Insurance would love to help! Call us at (800) 941-3317, visit our virtual insurance office at http://www.berryinsurance.com/ or stop by one of our locations in Franklin and Quincy, MA.
You can also find us on all your favorite social networking sites!
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Posted in All Posts, Business, Misc, Partners of Berry Insurance, Social Media for Business, Uncategorized Tagged B2B Marketing, B2C Marketing, berry insurance, berry insurance agency, foxboro ma, gillette stadium, IMS10, inbound marekting summit, Marketing Strategy, Multimedia Marketing, PR Marketing, Social Media | Tags: inbound marketing summit, Updates from marketing professionals, What's new at the Inbound marketing summit 2010
By berryinsurance on September 29, 2010
Back in April of this year, we reported that the EPA issued a new federal law requiring training certification for any contractor involved in any construction activity that will, or has the potential to, disturb lead based paint. (See the previous article here.)
The EPA has since delayed enforcement of the certification requirement in the law until October 1st. Massachusetts contractors now have until September 30, 2010 to enroll in training, and must complete the training by December 31, 2010. Non compliance with the new rule could lead to fine of up to $37,500 per violation, per day.
To read more about the EPA’s new Lead Renovation, Repair and Paining law, visit: http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm.
The EPA has issued a website listing only certified renovation firms for Massachusetts homeowners. To find a contractor in your area, visit http://cfpub.epa.gov/flpp/searchrrp_firm.htm.
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For more information about this topic, or if you have any questions about our Partners Program or any of your Massachusetts business or personal home insurance needs, our agents at Berry Insurance would love to help! Call us at (800) 941-3317, visit our virtual insurance office at http://www.berryinsurance.com/ or stop by one of our locations in Franklin and Quincy, MA.
You can also find us on all your favorite social networking sites!
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Posted in All Posts, Business, Homeowners, Laws, Misc, Personal Protection Tagged berry insurance, berry insurance agency, contractors, epa lead paint law, epa liability noncompliance, home insurance, insurance franklin ma, insurance nofolk ma, insurance quincy ma, insurance wrentham ma, lead paint certification ma, lead paint certification massachusetts, liability insurance, ma lead paint certification, ma. lead paint cerification, massachusetts lead paint certification
By berryinsurance on July 14, 2010
Safety in a car is essential, but when passengers are children this becomes even more imperative! Automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 3-14 years old according to Mass.gov. This astonishing statistic paved the way for a law concerning child passenger safety which was first enforced in 2008. Children can be easily injured in motor vehicle accidents. An incident as simple as a quick stop can severely injure a child that is not properly restrained in a car seat.
Massachusetts law clearly states children 8-years and under, or shorter than 57” tall MUST be correctly strapped into a federally approved child passenger restraint. If you need help to choose the right restraint for your child or don’t know how to install you car seat, not to worry; it’s all explained right on the Mass.gov website! There are often events held by the State Police that give details to parents about the correct ways to secure their children in the car. At these events, Police will make sure that child seats are installed correctly within automobiles.
Massachusetts parents can attest to car seats saving children’s lives! Some safe practice tips for parents are as follows:
- Children should be in rear-facing infant seats from birth to 1 year AND until they are more than 20 pounds.
- Children 1 to 4 years and 20 to 40 pounds should ride in a forward-facing child seat.
- Children who have outgrown a child safety seat, typically when they are over 40 pounds or 5 years of age, should transition to a booster seat which assists in the proper fit of a safety belt.
- Children 12 and younger should never sit in the front seat. The safest seating position is in the back seat, away from air bags.
- Always wear your lap and shoulder belt when driving — it protects you in case of a crash and it sets a good example for children.
For more information about this topic, or to get some answers about your current insurance situation, please visit our virtual insurance agency at www.berryinsurance.com, stop by one of our locations, or give us a call at (800) 941-3317.
Posted in All Posts, Auto, Laws, Misc, Personal Protection, Uncategorized Tagged auto, auto safety tips, berry insurance agency, Child Safety, franklin, home, insurance, Massachusetts
By berryinsurance on July 13, 2010
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has teamed up with the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) to assist flood victims with recovering photos that have been damaged by water. If you have the negatives, you can always make more prints, so you have nothing to worry about! If not, don’t panic, there is still a chance to salvage the memories. If the photos are stuck together or moldy when they are found, salvation usually isn’t possible, but trying won’t hurt!
Rinsing off photos with clean water is the first step in the revival process. Many times photos are sensitive when wet, meaning that permanent scratches can easily be made in the photographs when in this vulnerable state. The pictures should next be placed into plastic bags and sealed. Ideally, each photo should be separated into a different bag, or separated with wax paper (this will not always be possible). Put the photos into the freezer once in plastic bag. When the photos appear to be frozen, remove from the freezer, defrost, and separate. Lay the pictures out somewhere clean, flat, and dry for the remainder of the drying process.
If a fridge or freezer is not available for you to nurture your photos with, there is another option, which is often not as reliable, but is worth a try in this desperate situation. Rinse your photos, and then they should be laid face up to dry fully, not stacked on top of one another. Photographs should not be exposed to direct sunlight because this can often damage the photograph. Photos conserved in this manner often curl when drying; this can be fixed after the photo is completely dry by a Conservator.
Feeling as though you might rather have a professional handle your family memories? The AIC helps to choose a Conservator or even become a Conservator yourself! To view some success stories from all over the United States, click here!
For more information about this topic, or to get some answers about your current insurance situation, please visit our virtual insurance agency at www.berryinsurance.com, stop by one of our locations, or give us a call at (800) 941-3317.
Posted in All Posts, Business, Flood Insurance, Homeowners, Misc, Personal Protection, Uncategorized Tagged AIC, American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, auto, berry insurance agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, flood, Franklin Massachusetts, home, photo, picture, restoration
By berryinsurance on July 7, 2010
It’s official, texting and driving is no longer legal for Massachusetts drivers! Governor Patrick says “Without question, this new law will save lives on our roadways.” Many people tend to agree with this; and so do we! “Texting while driving has become a serious threat to the safety of our roads and drivers,” said DeLeo a House Speaker, “Protecting the safety of our residents is our most important task as elected officials and this bill is to do just that.”
The new law will not be enforced until October 2010, but you shouldn’t wait to break your loved ones of this BAD habit! Starting in October, ANY driver caught reading or composing a text message while operating a motor vehicle will be charged $100. A $500 fine will be imposed to those drivers caught texting while driving a public transportation vehicle. Law enforcement officers have the authority to stop ANY driver suspected of texting and driving, although if cited, this will not be considered a moving violation on your Massachusetts auto insurance policy.
Teen drivers (18-years and younger) that are apprehended while texting and driving will also be subject to a 60-day suspension of their drivers’ license. In order for the teen to have their drivers’ license reinstated, the driver must take an attitudinal retraining course, such as Alive at 25! Any driver that accumulates 3 or more of these offenses will be required to take a drivers retraining course. “The bill sends a clear message to all drivers, regardless of age, that when behind the wheel, your primary focus should be driving” says Senator Baddour.
For more information about this topic, or to get some answers about your current insurance situation, please visit our virtual insurance agency at www.berryinsurance.com, stop by one of our locations, or give us a call at (800) 941-3317.
Posted in All Posts, Auto, Laws, Misc, Personal Protection, Uncategorized Tagged berry insurance agency, fine, franklin, massachusetts auto insurance, Massachusetts Law, Texting, Texting and driving
