Digg it UP - Insurance

The Process of Processes
I speak to my clients on a regular basis about the importance of having specific processes to guide the activities of their business. Processes keep you from having to spend time making decisions about things that come up routinely. It also insures that when something goes wrong, your company is in a position to identify and correct it quickly and that the right choices are being made with or without you being there.Your business cannot have enough processes. I do not mean to say that you should create processes for the sake of creating processes, but if it is something you must deal with either routinely or otherwise in your business, a process, or procedure for addressing it is imperative.The creation of procedures is an ongoing activity. It is unlikely that you will be able to identify all required procedures at one sitting, so you should plan on this being a lifestyle and a commitment that you make to the business.My lawn service recently failed to mow my back yard after mowing my front yard because the crew did not have my gate combination. I have been a customer for years with the same lock, but the lawn service came real close to losing a long term customer simply because the crew did not have a procedure in place to address this minor problem.

e 50%. If you’re 45, the figure is 44%

STD - 20 percent – Pregnancy (Normal), 9 percent – Pregnancy (Complications), 9 percent – Injuries (Excluding Back), 8 percent – Back, 8 percent – Digestive/Intestinal

The primary sources of disability insurance are STD and LTD. It is important to see if your company offers these insurances. If they do, make sure that you are covered. If they don’t, you can get personal STD and LTD. By visiting the following website, you can get more information about disability insurances.

How Much Disability Insurance is "Enough"?

Research shows the following about employer-offered STD (short term disability) and LTD (long term disability).

Disability Insurance: ( 2003) In small private firms, fewer than one-quarter of workers have short-term disability coverage (22%), and just 13 percent have long-term disability income insurance, according to the Bureau of Lab

How To Use Photos On Your Websites Legally
Many small, home based, and internet only businesses have to get everything started on a shoe string budget. Sometimes in fact, they have no cash to work with at all in the beginning, so they look for free tools, services and content that will help them get started.A popular way for many to get some kind of income going these days is to create websites designed to earn money from the Google AdSense program. These are often referred to as AdSense sites, and many people tend to build their first few sites using completely free content.Getting content online at no cost is possible as long as you follow the rules. And most people understand how this works. They go to an article directory, choose their content, and as long as they keep the author's name, copyright, bio and website links and information with that article, they can use it without charge.The problem lately though, has come more often from the use of images online. Many people seem to think if they see a picture online, they can just take it and use it any way they want to. And this is not the case. In fact, it's completely illegal and it can get you into a lot of trouble.Many webmasters have recently received large invoices in fact, for using pictures on their websites that they had no lega

When you have a disability of any type, your time, energy, and emotions are all heightened as you begin the journey to learn all you can so that you can regain the best quality of life that you can, given your particular circumstances. And, if you are married, and/or if you have children, trying to communicate with them what is going on with you, as well as to your doctors, becomes a difficult chore also.

With all of this chaos in your life, the absolute last thing that you need to worry about is money! What if I can’t work any longer? How will the bills be paid?

Perhaps you are saying that you do not need any disability insurance. Consider the following.

Disability Statistics[1]

The odds of a person having at least one long term disability (LTD) that lasts three months or longer before that person reaches age 65.

DISABLED: (1999) According to the Disability Management Sourcebook, the number of folks between 17 and 44 with severe disabilities has increased 400 percent over the past 25 years. One in seven people will become disabled for five years or more before they reach 65.

ODDS, STATISTICS AND DISABILITIES: (1999) The chances of using your homeowners insurance are about 1 in 88. The odds of using your auto insurance at about 1 in 47. The chances of using your LTC insurance is about 2 in 5. One out of two women and one out of three men will spend some time in a nursing home. (Journal of the American Society of CLU, 1996) More than 12 million older Americans will require some form of long term care by 2020. (Health Insurance Association of America). 72% of residents in a nursing home are women 90% of nursing home residents are over the age of 65. 22% of the disabled population is under age 65. (Puget Sound Life Underwriters Journal 1996). Functionally disabled people between the ages of 18 and 64 represent 40% of Americans needing long term care services. (Life Insurance Selling 1995)

The likelihood of needing LTC (obviously) increases with age. In 1991, 29.2% if those age 45- 64 had a disability; 44.6% between 65 and 74 had a disability; 63.7% between the ages of 75 to 84. 15.3% and 41.5% respectively had a severe disability. (Employee Benefit Research Institute, 1995) 80% of disabled persons are cared for at home or in adult day care centers. 72% of caregivers are family or friends. (Puget Sound Underwriters Journal). The cost of home care can run from $4.25 to over $200 daily depending on the level of skill needed (SF Chronicle, 1995). Caring for each Alzheimers patient will cost more than $213,000- on top of other medical expenses- over the remaining five years of their lives. (American Journal of Public Health, 1994). Over 99% of nursing home care is either custodial or intermediate care, not skilled care, and is not covered by Medicare or Medicare supplements (Journal of the American Society of CLU's, 1996).

Reasons People Take STD and LTD

Leading the list of Top 5 causes of short-term disability (STD) workplace absence for 2001 was pregnancy (normal), followed by complications from pregnancy, injuries (excluding back), back conditions and digestive/intestinal conditions. The causes of claims and the percentage received for each cause were as follows:

LTD - 13 percent – Cancer, 12 percent – Complications from Pregnancy, 11 percent – Back, 9 percent – Cardiovascular, 5 percent – Depression (2003) every year 12% of the adult U.S. population suffers a long-term disability. One out of every seven workers will suffer a five-year or longer period of disability before age 65, and if you’re 35 now, your chances of experiencing a three-month or longer disability before you reach age 65 are 50%. If you’re 45, the figure is 44%

STD - 20 percent – Pregnancy (Normal), 9 percent – Pregnancy (Complications), 9 percent – Injuries (Excluding Back), 8 percent – Back, 8 percent – Digestive/Intestinal

How Much Disability Insurance is "Enough"?

Research shows the following about employer-offered STD (short term disability) and LTD (long term disability).

Credit Card Debt Help - What Are Your Options With Credit Card Debt?
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by your credit card debt, it is time to take action. There is credit card debt help out there and you do have options available to you to help bring your credit card debt under control. Once you investigate the options open to you and determine what is best for your individual financial circumstances, you can make a solid debt reduction plan and be on your way to becoming debt free.Do It YourselfIf you are only dealing with one or two credit card companies, you may want to consider discussing the problem directly with the credit card company or companies involved. You can try to negotiate a reduction in interest rates and an extended payment period. Make a budget and stick to it, being sure to make your highest interest debts your priority. You may want to enlist the assistance of one of the many free or low cost credit counseling programs available.A Credit Consolidation ProgramIf you don’t feel confident in your negotiation skills or have a more complicated credit situation, a credit consolidation program may be just the right solution for you. For a fee, a credit consolidation program will take care of the negotiations for you, and in most cases arrive at an advantageous reduction of interest

number of folks between 17 and 44 with severe disabilities has increased 400 percent over the past 25 years. One in seven people will become disabled for five years or more before they reach 65.

Reasons People Take STD and LTD

STD - 20 percent – Pregnancy (Normal), 9 percent – Pregnancy (Complications), 9 percent – Injuries (Excluding Back), 8 percent – Back, 8 percent – Digestive/Intestinal

How Much Disability Insurance is "Enough"?

Research shows the following about employer-offered STD (short term disability) and LTD (long term disability).

Merchant Account Insider Secrets - Accept Credit Cards Online
The process of learning how to accept payments on the Internet is similar to the course of figuring out how to launch a business. What at first seems puzzling and intimidating may be viewed as straightforward and easy to understand if one has the right guide or manual. The following serves as a brief primer for any business owner who needs to set up a system to accept credit cards online, and includes a necessary glimpse of the associated fees.The savvy business owner who plans to accept payments on the Web must form an alliance with a payment processing company. There are a multitude of firms to choose from, and one should exercise due diligence in the selection process to avoid those that are overpriced and/or do not engage in fair-minded business practices.Among the throngs of payment processing providers, there are two distinct entities: ones that provide merchant accounts and others that proclaim themselves as "no merchant account" providers. The latter group accepts payments on the owner's behalf and offers a rather easy set-up. Payments are taken on their site (not the owner's), and owed funds are forwarded to the owner two or three times a month.Merchant account providers (which include financial institutions and independent sales organizations) as

and 64 represent 40% of Americans needing long term care services. (Life Insurance Selling 1995)

Reasons People Take STD and LTD

STD - 20 percent – Pregnancy (Normal), 9 percent – Pregnancy (Complications), 9 percent – Injuries (Excluding Back), 8 percent – Back, 8 percent – Digestive/Intestinal

How Much Disability Insurance is "Enough"?

Research shows the following about employer-offered STD (short term disability) and LTD (long term disability).

Check Printing Companies
A check printing company not only prints but also sells and distributes checks to consumers. Consumers use these checks to withdraw funds held in checking or saving accounts in banks and other financial institutions.Check printing companies are granted the right to advertise and sell checks to consumers. They are required to comply with the Check Printer and Number Act. Check printing companies have the responsibility of verifying the details of new customers such as the accuracy of a person’s name, address, city, state and account number. Verification can be done by way of a recent account statement issued by the bank or a copy of the account agreement. Check printing companies are also required to sell checks to consumers that are in compliance with the requirements of Section 3-104 of the Uniform Commercial Code.Some community banks in the United States have also started printing checks as a value added service to their customers. Professional Check Systems, Relyco, and Ganson are some of the major companies that offer check-printing services. Check vendors typically charge banks, $9 for an order of 200 personal checks, who in turn charge their customers $12. Banks that receive requests from customers for specialized designs, such as copyrighted Disney charact

not skilled care, and is not covered by Medicare or Medicare supplements (Journal of the American Society of CLU's, 1996).

Reasons People Take STD and LTD

STD - 20 percent – Pregnancy (Normal), 9 percent – Pregnancy (Complications), 9 percent – Injuries (Excluding Back), 8 percent – Back, 8 percent – Digestive/Intestinal

How Much Disability Insurance is "Enough"?

Research shows the following about employer-offered STD (short term disability) and LTD (long term disability).

Dealing with Disgruntled Customers
No matter how hard you try, in business you simply can't please everyone. You could have a highly trained customer service squadron and an award-winning product, but still you'd have some buyers who just weren't happy. The bad news is that unhappy customers are more eager to share their experiences than happy ones which could spell disaster for your business.There is good news, however. Unhappy customers who receive satisfaction can become your biggest allies. The trick, of course, is discovering how to satisfy their needs so efficiently that they'll forget whatever caused their disappointment in the first place. Here are some ways to make that happen:1) Be a Good ListenerWhen someone complains about us, our first instinct is to get defensive and to distribute blame. Most of the time we start doing this even before the other person has finished their argument. When that happens, we may misjudge the situation, offer inappropriate resolutions, or appear insensitive to our customers' feelings. Instead, we must work hard to become patient listeners. We should stay focused on the customer and not get distracted by anything else going on around us.We should also pay attention to what is being said, not how it is being said. Even a beligerant customer is t

e 50%. If you’re 45, the figure is 44%

STD - 20 percent – Pregnancy (Normal), 9 percent – Pregnancy (Complications), 9 percent – Injuries (Excluding Back), 8 percent – Back, 8 percent – Digestive/Intestinal

How Much Disability Insurance is "Enough"?

Research shows the following about employer-offered STD (short term disability) and LTD (long term disability).

Half of workers at large employers (100 or more employees) have short-term disability income insurance (47%), and more than one-third have long-term disability coverage (40%).

Disability coverage (American Council of Insurers 2004) 82% of employees are lacking in adequate coverage.

The Society of Actuaries says that only 2.5% of employees have individual disability coverage (i.e., paid for by the employee and not the company).

If you have already read the other blogs about Disability insurance, you know how important it is to know about what types of insurance you have, and how much each insurance will pay out, if and when you need it.

Now, you know how much your STD and LTD will pay out each month. The question is, how much SHOULD YOU HAVE?

There are some simple ways to determine just how much is "enough", and it varies for each family.

1) Sick leave - maintain at minimum 5 days, and, at best, 10 days. In this way, you will be able to meet a usual time gap before your STD kicks in.

2) STD - most STD policies cover up to 26 weeks. To make sure that you have "enough" STD TIME coverage, the weeks should cover your LTD's elimination period.

3) LTD - timewise, you will want your LTD plan to cover you until your retirement age. (Note, not all retirement ages are at 65. The retirement ages are increasing; make sure that you know your specific retirement age.)

Now, let's talk about money. To calculate how much money is needed by you and your family, consider the following.

For each month, note the following.

1) OUTGO Your "must pay" expenses (including, but not limited to the following: house payment; utilities; car and gasoline; medical expenses; any child care; any loans, credit cards, etc.)

2) INCOME ON DISABILITY Add together any income other than yours (i.e., spouse's income) plus whatever you will receive on a monthly basis from your company-paid STD and/or LTD. Add to this amount whatever savings you have, and how long this would last.

The gap between income on disability and outgo would be the amount of income that you might want to offset with a private LTD policy.

WHY THE NEED FOR DISABILITY INSURANCE BENEFITS? What are the odds?: (2005) in the next hour 194 people will be injured in car accidents, 57 homes will catch fire, 230 people will die, and 1,027 will become disabled.

Here are the latest disability trends that concern you.

* Today, we live harder, work harder and play harder than ever before. As a consequence, there has been a dramatic increase in disabling injuries and illnesses.

* In the past 25 years, the number of severely disabled people ages 17 to 44 has increased 400 percent. While the number of people with protection has also increased, most Americans still have a disability income protection gap.

* This is alarming when you consider in a year's time, chances are only one in 1,200 of you will need your fire insurance—generally considered a necessity for homeowners—but one in eight (8) of you will be sick, injured or killed.

* The risk of becoming disabled will continue to increase.

Aging is a main factor.

* Because of advanced trauma and cancer care, more people today survive illnesses and injuries that were deadly 20 years ago. In 1930, the average U.S. life expectancy was 61; today, it is 76; and by the year 2050, it will be 82. Today, there are 3.6 million Americans over age 65; by 2040, there will be 13.8 million.

* With Americans now living longer, age has and will continue to have a profound impact on disabilities. According to the National Association of Health Underwri

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Success in Internet marketing is a cumulative affair. Comprehensive Internet marketing is more than just launching a campaign. One of the keys to a successful online marketing campaign is the ezine. Turn your content into articles and submit them to ezine sites - with a live hyperlink back to your site offering further information.

When we talk about debt consolidation, interest rate reduction, late payment fees, lower monthly payments, and better monthly repayment terms often comes into the picture...

It's time once again to prepare and file your State income tax and you need the necessary forms. Did you know that finding and filling out your State tax forms is a cinch, when you do it online.

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Digg it UP - Why Disability Insurance Is So Important

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