Life Happens 365 - Are You Managing the Risk?

   Stop overpaying and start protecting. Use this checklist to see if your policy is actually up to par for 2026. 1. The "Age of Roof" Discount Is your roof less than 15 years old?  Most Florida carriers offer significant discounts for newer roofs. Have you had a Wind Mitigation Inspection in the last 5 years?  This single document can save you up to 40% on your premiums by proving your home can withstand high winds. 2. Coverage Gaps & "Hidden" Exclusions Water Backup & Sump Overflow:  Does your policy cover a pipe burst or sewer backup? (Most standard policies  exclude  this unless you add an it). Flood Insurance:  Remember, homeowners insurance  does not  cover rising ground water. Do you have a separate flood policy, even if you aren't in a "High Risk" zone? Ordinance or Law Coverage:  If your home is damaged, this covers the extra cost of rebuilding to  current  2026 building codes. Without it, you pay the diff...

The start of a new year is the perfect time to take stock of your insurance coverage. Life changes, market trends, and new risks can impact your needs, and ensuring you’re adequately protected is key to financial security. Here’s a guide to help you review your policies and prepare for 2025. 1. Evaluate Changes in Your Life Life events often necessitate updates to your insurance. Have you experienced any of the following? Family Changes: Marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child can affect your coverage needs. Career Shifts: A new job, starting a business, or retirement might require adjustments to your policies. Property Updates: Did you buy or sell a home? Renovations can also impact your homeowner’s insurance. Health Changes: Any new diagnoses or health concerns could mean it’s time to revisit your health or life insurance policies. 2. Understand Market Trends The insurance landscape evolves every year. In 2025, consider these key trends: Climate Impact: Natural di...

Diane Ferber 👻🐈‍⬛🎃 Ah, Halloween—when the air turns crisp, the moon glows brighter, and the line between the spooky and the silly gets deliciously blurred. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of all things haunted or you just want an excuse to eat your weight in candy corn, this guide is your ticket to a frightfully good time. So grab your witch hat, dust off those cobwebs (or keep them, they’re festive!), and let’s dive in! 🎃 1. Decorate Like You Mean It Forget subtle—Halloween is all about going overboard. Giant inflatable ghosts, cobwebs on every corner, plastic skeletons chilling on your porch like they live there rent-free. The goal is to make your place the one that makes kids think twice before ringing the doorbell. Bonus points if your decorations actually come to life when they walk up. 👻 2. Costume? Yes, Please! Costume season is the one time of year we all get to play dress-up without anyone judging. So go ahead, embrace your inner vampire, witch, or inflatable T-Rex. Pro ti...

By Diane Ferber Image courtesy of Max Pixel Whenever I mention Umbrella Insurance to my friends, they look up as though expecting to see a thundercloud.   While umbrella insurance doesn’t keep you from getting out of the rain, it can help keep you from sinking into debt should an accident occur.   Allow me to explain.

  As a truck driver in Florida, it's important to have the right insurance coverage for your trucks. One type of insurance that you might need is UIIA insurance. UIIA stands for Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement, which is an agreement that allows trucking companies to interchange intermodal equipment with each other. If you're a truck driver in Florida, you may be wondering why you should buy UIIA insurance from A & B. Here are some reasons to consider: A & B is an experienced insurance team focusing on the trucking industry. When it comes to insurance for truck drivers, you want to work with an experienced team who understands the unique needs and risks of truckers. A & B has been providing insurance to trucking companies for over 20 years, and they specialize in insurance for the transportation industry. This means they have the expertise to help you get the right coverage. A & B offers a variety of insurance options to meet your n...

 By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay For the past few years, it seems the only time you read or hear about self-driving cars is when a new model is released or when one crashes.  While that may make for titillating headlines, the truth of the matter is that the technology will continue to develop as time goes on.  Not only are billionaires betting the bank on it, but the systems that automate driving are slowly but surely making their way into every vehicle on the road.  If you've been losing sleep about losing control over your car to onboard automation, here's what you need to know.

By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay Unless you're a prepper who lives off the grid you probably own at least one cellphone.  Most people trade their phones in for new ones every 2.7 years on average.  While some replace theirs every year or two because they want to keep up with the Joneses, others wait to replace their smartphone until device performance forces them to do so, or because the manufacturer stops supporting their phone.  Regardless of whether you decide to replace your smartphone sooner or later, as soon as you decide to spring for a new one, you'll be asked if you'd like to opt-in for additional protection.  The question is, should you purchase cellphone insurance the next time you get a new phone?

 By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay They say this is the season of giving.  But the last thing you want to give is your hard-earned money to scammers and cybercriminals.  As usual, during the holidays every consumer can expect to get bombarded with holiday greetings, ads, emails, and text messages, some of which are from friends and family, while others are from crafty con men and women who are out to spoil your holiday cheer.  If you want to keep the Grinch off your back this Christmas, here are 12 holiday scams to avoid.

 By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay If you're in the midst of shopping for holiday gifts, you may have considered buying someone special a drone.  Drones, otherwise known as unmanned aerial systems (UAS)or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), are a popular present for both children and adults.  However, before you rush to place your order, there are a few things you need to know about the federal regulation that drones fall under.

 By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay With Thanksgiving only a few days away, I thought I'd take the time to offer ten tips that are meant to keep you from being a turkey this year.  Whether you're hosting dinner for your family or are planning on traveling to meet them for the big event, there are a few things you should keep in mind that could keep the holiday from being ruined.  

 By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay If you own a car, you know you need to lock your vehicle up tight to keep thieves from getting inside.  But what you may not know is that now thieves can rob you blind without ever having to set foot inside your vehicle.  That's because what most of them are after resides beneath it.  Currently, crooks want to steal your vehicle's catalytic converter and they're brazen enough to commit the crime both day and night.

By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay Now that Halloween has come and gone, the Christmas shopping season has kicked into high gear.   That means lots and lots of holiday shoppers are going on their merry way as they drive from store to store in search of the perfect gifts for loved ones.   It also means an uptick in traffic accidents caused by those same drivers, many of whom are less than attentive behind the wheel.   To help you and yours have a happy and safe holiday shopping season, I thought I’d give you a few helpful hints to help you avoid distracted driving.

By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay If you have an electric garage door opener, you probably enjoy using it to let yourself in when you get home, especially if it’s dark or raining.   Having a modern convenience like this makes most folks feel safe and secure.   With an electronic opener, you don’t have to worry about standing outside in the dark to get inside your home.   You don’t have to worry about straining your back to open your garage door.   What a wonderful world in which we live, right?   Well, that’s exactly the sentiment that burglars feel about electronic garage door openers.   In today’s blog, I’ll show you how these devices make breaking into your home quick and easy, along with 10 ways to keep thieves at bay.

 By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay If you enjoy surfing the web to view newsfeeds, then you know you must take what you see with a grain of salt.  That's because everything you read online isn't necessarily accurate or unbiased.  During the past few years, fake news has grown from a curiosity to a nuisance that threatens to undermine the usefulness of the Internet.  Face it, fake news has been used to manipulate everything from public opinion to election results.  It can also affect your health, if you believe fake news about dubious COVID cures, or your financial future if you take to heart any spurious stock tip you find online.  In short, fake news could short circuit the information all of us peruse on the Information Superhighway.  As bad as all that sounds, there's a more insidious form of digital fakery that's even more dangerous.  Called deepfakes, this technology can be used to create digital duplicates of virtually anyone to convince ...

 By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay Being in the Information Age means always being in danger of having your web-enabled devices hacked, cracked, and cyber-attacked.  That's why I keep no less than three levels of cybersecurity on my laptop, tablet, and smartphone.  While that puts me head and shoulders above most mere mortals these days, I recently read a newsfeed that got me thinking that maybe there's another way for hackers to get me right where they want me.  You see, while my sense of cybersecurity is top-notch, it turns out that some of the doctors I see on a regular basis may not be cyber secure.  At least that's what a recent report from Brookings.org led me to believe.

By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay If you live in Florida and own a motorcycle, you no doubt enjoy being able to ride it nearly all year around.   That being said, there are some notable differences when it comes to insuring a bike as opposed to a car in Florida.   In the Sunshine State, it isn’t even mandatory to carry insurance to register a motorcycle, whereas the state requires you to carry insurance to register a car, truck, van or SUV.   That doesn’t mean a motorcycle owner isn’t going to be held financially responsible for any damage and/or injuries caused if they’re involved in a crash.   Far from it.

  By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay If you’ve like to surf the web, then you realize cybersecurity is a very pressing necessity.   That’s because you can’t read a newsfeed without bumping into a post about hackers.   Everyone from Fortune 500 companies to consumers and kids are being hacked these days.   That’s because hacking is big business.   The FBI recently reported that hackers cost the US economy more than $4.2 billion in 2020.   Hackers use every kind of trick in the book to put a hook in their victims.   Everything from phishing and clickbait to ratting and ransomware is being used to break into web-enabled devices of all kinds.   Sad to say, if you share and receive data, make payments and shop online, you risk having your personal and financial data compromised.   While you may have one or more layers of cybersecurity software on your devices, if you inadvertently accept a poisoned email or click on a corrupted link, you could...

  By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay M any people enjoy hobbies.   That being said, if your hobby is high risk, or it results in an accumulation of high-priced stamps, coins, art objects, antiques, or collectibles, you may want to talk to your insurance agent to make sure you’re covered.   To help you get a grip on what you need to do to determine how best to cover your hobby, I’ve come up with a few pointers you may wish to peruse.  

By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay With the holiday shopping season right around the corner, the last thing consumers want to hear is that their gift giving is going to be curtailed by shipping problems.   But word is out that the worldwide web of international ports, container ships and transport companies that move goods is having major league problems brought on by COVID-19.   While the onset of the Coronavirus caused major disruptions to shippers around the globe, eighteen months later the problem hasn’t gone away.   In fact, it’s gotten worse.   Below are some sobering facts concerning the current state of affairs.

By Diane Tait Image courtesy Pixabay Living in Jacksonville means living with the wind, rain and the occasional named storm during the long, hot summer.   Aside from thunder, lightning and torrential rain, all squalls lash our homes with high winds that can strip shingles from the roof or hurl windblown debris through a window.   Insurance companies who sell their policies in Florida realize the potential for destruction that wind can cause.   That’s why they insist that homes be inspected for wind mitigation every few years.   If you’re in the dark as to how wind mitigation effects your insurance rates or are interested in learning how you can qualify for wind mitigation credits that can lower your premiums, read on.