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... and more! Communications Marketing Customer Service Planning Finance/Accounting Risk Management Human Resources Selling Legal and E&O Technology Life/Financial Services Glossaries Management Resources & Links Categories Popular Recent All Back Disaster Recovery: How Working Together Speeds Recovery 4/30/2013 10:40:32 PM by CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. DISASTER RECOVERY: HOW WORKING TOGETHER SPEEDS RECOVERY You've spent thousands of dollars and hundred of hours developing a sound disaster recovery program. Staff and management are trained to act quickly to mitigate damage and safeguard lives and property. But you may be disturbed to learn that survival hinges largely on something you've had no control over - your state and local emergency management planners. It seems like an obvious match, but the private sector's disaster planning specialists and their municipal counterparts have no history of coordination. That's starting to change, though. The evolving concept in disaster mitigation theory links the life of the community with the health of its businesses. That means communities increasingly see restoring business quickly as the way to save themselves after a crisis or catastrophe. It also means that business owners can become a stakeholder in their local catastrophe response planning programs. BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY ARE INTERDEPENDENT Disaster response planners have realized that communities suffer exponentially after a disaster and that the longer businesses remain incapacitated, the more devastated the community will be. A given area's people form both its customer base and its employee base, so every business that fails after a catastrophe could cause long-range harm to the community's people, economy, and tax base. Yet the traditional model for municipal contingency ...

... look at your present clients to see if there are individuals who have outgrown their present policies. You may have some good prospects for a rollover into a Single-Premium Whole Life policy. Existing Prospects: The magic word is prequalify. To invest in a Single-Premium Whole Life policy, prospects must have a significant sum of money saved. If the prospects don't have the lump sum, there's no use explaining the benefits of the policy to them. But again, be sure they realize that this sum may be generated by cashing in their present Life policies. Standard-vehicle investors: Over $1 trillion is invested right now in standard vehicles such as Certificates of Deposit, passbook savings accounts, money market accounts, and treasury bills. About 75% of your clients and prospects have one of these investments. Municipal bond holders: A substantial number of your clients and prospects invest in municipal bonds-the municipal bond market amounted to $97 billion in 1986. What are the drawbacks? The rate of return is locked in for five to 30 years. The bond may decline in market value and the interest must be reinvested as it is received. Retirees must consider this interest income in determining their income for the year. If they have earned more than the law allows, some Social Security benefits probably will have to be repaid to the government. Clients with IRAs: Approximately 80% of your clients have IRAs-show them how to continue receiving tax-advantaged treatment with this Life policy. Commercial Lines clients and prospects: Don't forget to market the policy to businessowners. Businesses can use Single-Premium Whole Life to meet a variety ...

... current economic conditions. Government bond funds also fit into this category. Although these funds only invest in securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies, they can still be risky. The value of the shares in a government bond fund can rise or fall in relation to fluctuations in interest rates. Investors can even buy shares in a bond fund that only invests in securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association, or Ginnie Mae, as the federal agency is often called. As is the case with other government bonds, fluctuations in the interest rate can cause a decline in the investor's principal. The interest on government bond funds is subject to federal taxation. In general, however, it will be free of state and local taxes. Tax-Free Bond Funds-The tax-free bond fund invests in municipal bonds issued by cities, states, and other governmental entities. The income from these funds will be free from federal income taxes. As a general rule, only individuals in a high tax bracket would benefit from a tax-free bond fund, since the tax savings on this income offsets the lower interest rate that is usually paid. Within a family of funds, there might be more than one kind of tax-free bond fund. One type will utilize only high-quality municipal bonds; another might use only insured municipal bonds. While insurance will guarantee payment of the interest and principal, the value of the bonds in the portfolio can still fluctuate. There are even some tax-free bond funds that are geared to investors from one particular state. The portfolio is arranged so that the income is also free from ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Disaster Recovery: How Working Together Speeds Recovery 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. DISASTER RECOVERY: HOW WORKING TOGETHER SPEEDS RECOVERY You've spent thousands of dollars and hundred of hours developing a sound disaster recovery program. Staff and management are trained to act quickly to mitigate damage and safeguard lives and property. But you may be disturbed to learn that survival hinges largely on something you've had no control over - your state and local emergency management planners. It seems like an obvious match, but the private sector's disaster planning specialists and their municipal counterparts have no history of coordination. That's starting to change, though. The evolving concept in disaster mitigation theory links the life of the community with the health of its businesses. That means communities increasingly see restoring business quickly as the way to save themselves after a crisis or catastrophe. It also means that business owners can become a stakeholder in their local catastrophe response planning programs. BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY ARE INTERDEPENDENT Disaster response planners have realized that communities suffer exponentially after a disaster and that the longer businesses remain incapacitated, the more devastated the community will be. A given area's people form both its customer base and its employee base, so every business that fails after a catastrophe could cause long-range harm to the community's people, economy, and tax base. Yet the traditional model for municipal contingency planning has addressed facility survival, not business continuation. Today's disaster planners now recognize that business survival, not just physical restoration of damaged property, is paramount. To that end, local disaster ...

... few chemical containers or drums on site, usually not exceeding a 55-gallon capacity. For the Larger User A higher level of chemical use is found in workplaces where chemical usage is integral to its operations. There may be many 55-gallon drums and a wide variety of chemicals. In addition, more complex chemicals from bulk storage tanks may be present. Spills may affect entire work areas and pose a danger to the entire company and even to the community. The basic approached to handling chemical spills are: Train your employees to handle spills. The HAZWOPER standard usually requires a 40-hour generic training program with eight hours of refresher training annually. Tools, equipment, medical monitoring, and respirator training may be required. It is easy to spend over $30,000 for a minimal 1910.120 program. Use municipal HAZMAT teams. Many communities have HAZMAT teams to respond to chemical emergencies. Check with your municipality to see how it operates. Hire a local spill-response company. Such companies should evaluate your worksite, guarantee a response time, and most important, provide a list of credentials that will permit you to check with past and current clients to evaluate the company. Major Chemical Users Finally, there are large facilities with a wide variety of chemicals in volumes that can pose a hazard to the environment and community. These chemicals may include solvents, corrosives, and compressed gases. This level of use warrants HAZWOPER training as well as coordination of emergency response planning with a variety of municipal and private organizations such as police departments, fire departments, and hospitals. Conclusion I strongly believe in letting experts do ...

... for a producer or customer service representative to become seasoned. Travel and advertising expenses are greater than they are for more conventional property and casualty lines, too. One added expense is industry conventions. Seven years ago, I had no idea what a convention expense was, ' Regnier says. Now, we attend several firemen's and EMS conventions a year. We generally take three people-myself and two other producers-and that's very expensive. But we've seen a good return on that investment. The people in this field like to see you, slap you on the back and buy you a beer. The best advertising is word-of-mouth, and the conventions are one way to get that. Regnier recently added two more dbas to her agency-Municipal Services Agency of Texas and Ambulance Insurance Services of Texas-after CIGNA opened two new markets: municipalities with less than 10,000 people and privately owned ambulance companies. Nobody wants to mess with small municipalities, but after Glatfelter designed a program for them, ' she says. We think this will let us pick up a few of the fire departments and emergency organizations that have to be insured through their municipalities, too. That is where our network of agencies will help. We need people in these small towns who know the firefighters, who know the mayor, who can rub elbows with these people. Cities want to do business with a local agent. So far, the agency has only signed about a dozen municipalities and a few private ambulance companies. But Regnier says the agency is receiving so many inquiries that it will be adding more staff by the end of the year, ...

... few chemical containers or drums on site, usually not exceeding a 55-gallon capacity. For the Larger User A higher level of chemical use is found in workplaces where chemical usage is integral to its operations. There may be many 55-gallon drums and a wide variety of chemicals. In addition, more complex chemicals from bulk storage tanks may be present. Spills may affect entire work areas and pose a danger to the entire company and even to the community. The basic approached to handling chemical spills are: Train your employees to handle spills. The HAZWOPER standard usually requires a 40-hour generic training program with eight hours of refresher training annually. Tools, equipment, medical monitoring, and respirator training may be required. It is easy to spend over $30,000 for a minimal 1910.120 program. Use municipal HAZMAT teams. Many communities have HAZMAT teams to respond to chemical emergencies. Check with your municipality to see how it operates. Hire a local spill-response company. Such companies should evaluate your worksite, guarantee a response time, and most important, provide a list of credentials that will permit you to check with past and current clients to evaluate the company. Major Chemical Users Finally, there are large facilities with a wide variety of chemicals in volumes that can pose a hazard to the environment and community. These chemicals may include solvents, corrosives, and compressed gases. This level of use warrants HAZWOPER training as well as coordination of emergency response planning with a variety of municipal and private organizations such as police departments, fire departments, and hospitals. Conclusion I strongly believe in letting experts do ...

...CIGNA opened two new markets: municipalities with less than 10,000 people and ...cy has only signed about a dozen municipalities and a few private ambulance co...

... x No Thanks Loading.. State Job Safety And Health Programs 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. INFORMATION DATE 19920814 DESCRIPTION USDOL Program Highlights, State Job Safety and Health Programs TOPIC Safety and Health Programs SUBJECT State Job Safety and Health Programs ABSTRACT The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 encourages states to develop and operate their own job safety and health plans. OSHA approves and monitors states' plans and provides up to 50 percent of an approved plan's operating costs. States must set job safety and health standards at least as effective as comparable federal standards. Most states adopt standards identical to federal ones. A state must conduct inspections to enforce its standards, cover state and municipal employees, and operate occupational safety and health training and education programs. Anyone finding inadequacies or other problems in the administration of a state's program may file a complaint with the appropriate regional administrator for OSHA. U.S. Department of Labor Program Highlights Fact Sheet No. OSHA 92-15 STATE JOB SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 encourages states to develop and operate their own job safety and health plans. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) approves and monitors states' plans and provides up to 50% of an approved plan's operating costs. States must set job safety and health standards at least as effective as comparable federal standards. (Most states adopt standards identical to federal ones.) States have the option to promulgate standards covering hazards not addressed by federal standards. A state must conduct inspections to enforce its standards, cover state and ...

... to small claims court and write off the balance as bad debt. The closer the debt is to $10,000, the more careful you must be in managing your litigation. You need to have control over your lawyer's actions, while recognizing that your lawyer will have no control over some situations. Creative use of additional resources, such as independent paralegals, can help control some costs. Hire the attorney for crucial items, such as court appearances. Hire the paralegal for lesser matters, such as preparing responses to interrogatories. If your lawyer doesn't like this kind of arrangement, get a new lawyer; the business climate for lawyers is much too competitive for any lawyer to determine the client's service level. Debts between $10,000 and $25,000 are the subject of Municipal Court. A lawyer's assistance is highly advisable; the only difference between Municipal and Superior Courts are the amounts being sued over and minor limitations on the discovery process. Consequently, the costs can mount quickly. Again, control over your lawyer is paramount to a cost-effective resolution. When the debt exceeds $25,000, it becomes a matter for the Superior Court, where the discovery rules are much broader and the road to recovery thus longer and much more expensive. The key to minimizing the amount of time spent pursuing a debt depends on how complex the subject matter becomes. In this area, a common defense tactic is to vigorously pursue unlimited discover to broaden and confuse the issues. When the debt exceeds this amount, it's difficult to control the attorney functions because of the attorney's ...