Life Happens 365 - Are You Managing the Risk?

By Diane Tait Image courtesy flickr Being a business owner myself, I am always cognizant of trying to stay ahead of the curve by working on my business as much as I work in it.   One of the things that stifles the development of many small businesses is blundering into a problem that can scuttle the ship of commerce before it ever reaches deep water.   By that, I mean that there are a number of potentially catastrophic problems that can crop up that are capable of slowing or stopping a business in its tracks.   Here are ten business busters all business owners need to avoid:

By Diane Tait Image courtesy wikimedia Being a baby boomer means retirement is either imminent, or it’s fast approaching.   One of the decisions all us baby boomers have to make is where to retire.   While many of us will choose to stay put, some of us wish to relocate to other areas of the country or the world at large.   If you are thinking about living abroad, maybe you should also think about living aboard.   What I mean by that is if you are considering relocating to foreign shores, doing so in a boat can give you a chance to experience many places while giving you a chance to pull the plug if you don’t like what you see.

By Diane Tait Image courtesy of wikimedia If it’s one thing that all truckers can agree on, it’s the importance of maximizing uptime without sacrificing safety.   The ability to earn a living behind the wheel is only as good a driver’s ability to get hired.   While employers want to get their goods to market as quickly as possible, nobody wants to employ a driver that puts their cargo at risk.   Likewise, no insurance carrier wants to carry a driver on the books with moving violations or accidents on their record.   This puts truckers in the unenviable position of trying to balance time on the road with the hazards inherent to highway driving.   One of the biggest hazards that truckers face is driver fatigue.

By Diane Tait Image courtesy of wikipedia Insurance is like a pit bull on a leash.   You hope to never have to set it loose on an intruder.   But if you do, you don’t want it to turn on its owner.   If you’ve ever read any of your insurance policies, you can appreciate this fact.   While insurance has been protecting individuals and businesses for hundreds of years, understanding the language of insurance isn’t always the easiest of things to do.   Add to it the fact that you’ve no doubt read magazine articles written by writers who are only too eager to point out how someone who bought insurance was denied covered for specified damage they assumed was covered.   When it comes to insurance policies, the devil is indeed in the details.   To make sure you understand what’s what when it comes to your policies, below are some of the terms you could encounter when you peruse your policies.

By Diane Tait Image courtesy of picpedia Security is like the weather.   Everybody talks about it, but nobody does anything about it.   Well, almost nobody.   That’s because savvy consumers and business owners know that bolstering the security of homes, businesses and vehicles not only makes burglars think twice, it can also reduce the cost of insurance.   Since insurance premiums are calculated on risk, reducing the risk can also reduce your premiums.   Let me explain.