August is National Eye Exam Month!

When to have an eye exam... 

Even if you think your eyes are healthy, it's important to get regular check-ups to prevent any issues. Especially those with diseases like diabetes that could impact sight.  Several factors may determine how frequently you need an eye exam, including your age,health and risk of developing eye problems.

General guidelines include:

Children 5 years and younger:
For children under 3, your pediatrician will likely look for the most common eye problems - lazy eye, crossed eyes or turned-out eyes. Depending on your child's willingness to cooperate, his or his first more comprehensive eye exam should be done between the ages of 3 and 5.


School-age children and adolescents:
Have your child's vision checked before he or she enters first grade. If your child has no symptoms of vision problems and you don't have a family history of vision problems, have your child's vision rechecked every two years. If your child does have vision problems or a family history of vision problems, have your child's vision rechecked as advised by your eye doctor.


Adults:
In general, if you're healthy and have no symptoms of vision problems, you should have your vision checked once in your 20's and twice in your 30's. Between ages 40 and 65, have your vision checked every two to four years. After age 65, get your eyes checked every one to two years. If you wear glasses, have a family history of eye disease or have a chronic disease - such as diabetes - that puts you at greater risk of eye disease, you need to have your eyes checked more frequently. You might also need more frequent eye exams to check for retinal problems if you were born prematurely or to monitor your eyes for glaucoma.

7 Safety Tips for Your Next Road Trip

If your next vacation is a road trip, then be prepared: Your car is about to become a mobile family room. Childproof it accordingly. This will probably take some time, so start a few days before your trip. Here's how:

1. Go for a tune-up. For smooth sailing (and overall sanity), make sure your car is in good working order. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that you have your tires, battery, belts, fluids, and air conditioner checked by a qualified mechanic. If you're driving in a hot climate or towing a boat or trailer, you may need a motor oil with a higher viscosity.

2. Get a good night's sleep. According to the NHTSA, driving while drowsy is a contributing factor in 100,000 accidents annually. Drive only when well rested, and switch off with another adult every few hours, if possible.

3. Give your car seat or booster seat a boost. Not sure if your car seats or booster seats are installed 100 percent correctly? Eight out of 10 aren't, putting children at serious risk for injury or death. Call 866-SEAT-CHECK to find a nearby location for a free safety seat inspection.

4. Gear up for safety. The NHTSA recommends packing an emergency kit that includes:

• Water
• Warm blankets
• A flashlight
• Jumper cables
• Flares
• Tools to change a tire
• A fully charged cell phone
• A first-aid kit

It's also wise to subscribe to a roadside assistance plan -- just make sure you know where to call in an emergency and what kind of assistance your policy includes.

5. Be sun smart. Equip all family members with sunblock and sunglasses -- you may even want to pop hats on your little one's heads and invest in a sunshade for your backseat. When you leave the car, cover safety seats with blankets so they don't get too hot and burn a baby's tender skin, and do a touch test before letting pint-size passengers pile in. Never, ever leave kids alone in the car. With the outside temperature at just 80 degrees, the interior of a parked car can reach deadly temperatures in just seconds.

6. Scour the backseat. Make sure child safety locks are activated on windows and doors within reach of curious hands. You'll also need to remove any poisonous substances, such as washer fluid, from your backseat. Next, look around for choking hazards -- knobs that pop off easily, loose change between the seat cushions -- and remove potential projectiles (hard books, toys, etc.). When your vehicle is traveling at 40 miles an hour, so is everything else in it. Stop suddenly or get in a crash and anything that's not strapped down will keep moving until it hits something, like you or your child, points out Carole Guzzetta, director of the National Safety Council's Occupant Protection Program in Washington, D.C.

7. Keep the weight down. Store heavy items low in the seat wells so they won't become projectiles during a sudden stop. For the same reason, suitcases, strollers, and anything else stowed in an open cargo area should be battened down.

Renting a House this Summer? Be sure you have the right coverage...

If you are renting a vacation home during the summer, any personal possessions you take with you are covered under your homeowners or renters insurance policy. Belongings are protected against losses from fire or smoke, lightning, vandalism, theft, explosion, windstorm and water damage (not including floods) anywhere in the world, minus your deductible. But keep in mind that some policies may limit the amount of off-premises coverage to 10 percent of the total coverage for personal possessions. For example, if you have $100,000 worth of personal possessions insurance for your primary residence, only $10,000 would be applicable to possessions you bring with you to your vacation home.

Your personal belongings are not only covered at your vacation rental, but also in the event they are stolen from your car.

If you have expensive jewelry, musical instruments or sports equipment, you may want to consider purchasing a floater (also known as an endorsement) to your home or renters policy. This provides a higher amount of insurance and broader coverage. Most floaters, for instance, include additional coverage for “mysterious disappearance,” meaning you are generally protected even if you lose the item. Having a floater or endorsement provides additional coverage not just while you are on vacation but also throughout the year.

When choosing your homeowners or renters insurance, there are two types of policies to consider. Actual Cash Value pays to replace your possessions up to the limit of your policy, minus a deduction for depreciation. Replacement Cost pays the current cost of replacing your belongings (regardless of depreciation), also up to the limit of your policy.

Before heading on vacation, take the following steps:

1. Contact your insurance professional at MIM. Ask about the insurance implications of renting a summer home and whether you may need supplemental insurance. If you have any questions, the time to ask is before you have a loss.
2. Create a “vacation inventory”.  Keep a detailed list and take photos.  Especially of all valuables you plan on taking, such a lap tops, phones, musical devices, sports equipment, etc.   
3. Leave expensive jewelry at home. Unless you plan to attend a fancy event, it may make sense to leave expensive jewelry at home or store it in a safe deposit box. You may save money on the cost of insuring your jewelry as some companies offer “in vault” coverage. If you wear the jewelry for a special occasion, many insurers will offer the option of purchasing additional coverage for the time it is out of the bank. You do, of course, have to notify your insurer in advance.

Whether you’re renting a bungalow at the beach, a log cabin in the mountains or a condo in the desert, Modern Insurance Marketing Inc. can help you understand how to protect your personal possessions while you are away, leaving the worries behind.

www.moderninsurance.com

Wedding Insurance - I do!!!

 

What Is Wedding Insurance?

Basically, wedding insurance protects a couple's investment from circumstances beyond their control, and reimburses expenses incurred. For example, what if your limo driver doesn't show up and you have to book another one the morning of the wedding -- for three times the price? Or what if the groom's custom-made tuxedo is lost in airport baggage, and he has to buy a new one the day before the wedding? What if your reception space goes out of business a month before the wedding, and you lose your deposit and have to book another space? These are the types of big-day financial losses that wedding insurance can help to protect.

Why Get Wedding Insurance?

Consider these scenarios:

Before you buy wedding insurance, check with your each of your vendors to see how well they're covered.

• Janet and Dan spend months planning their winter wedding. But on wedding day, their reception site is made inaccessible by an ice storm. With the right wedding insurance policy, the couple can postpone their wedding and receive every penny they lost (less the deductible) -- including money for the invites, cake, catering, attire, and non-refundable deposits for ceremony musicians, floral designer, and other vendors.
• The bride's father is injured in a car accident just before the wedding and cannot travel. If the couple has to postpone their wedding, with wedding insurance they could be paid back their expenses to enable them to have the wedding when the father recovers.
• Right before the ceremony, Brittany's gown catches a gust of wind. Unfortunately, the tulle dances right over to the end of Uncle Howard's cigar and the dress instantly goes up in flames. Fortunately, the right insurance policy covers the replacement of the veil and gown.

Do You Really Need Wedding Insurance?

Before you buy wedding insurance, check with your each of your vendors to see how well they're covered - your reception site or your caterer may already have their own insurance, so you wouldn't want to pay for overlapping coverage out of your own pocket. Ask your vendors for a copy of their policy, and then figure out where you aren't fully covered.

When Should You Get Wedding Insurance?

The sooner the better. Let's say you put a deposit on your wedding reception hall 12 months prior to your wedding date and then it burns to the ground a few weeks before the big day. With wedding insurance, you'll be sure to get your deposit back. But note: most insurance companies have limitations on how far in advance you can purchase insurance.

What Does Wedding Insurance Cover?

Problems with the site, weather, vendors, key people, sickness, or injury are the top concerns come wedding day. There is usually a specified maximum amount, which can be claimed under each section, and a deductible also applies. Be sure to find out the details of your insurance plan.

• Site: Check to see if your ceremony and reception site is already insured. If it's not, wedding insurance can cover the cost arising out of unavoidable cancellation (such as damage or inaccessibility to the ceremony site), if your reception hall is unable to honor your reservation because it has burned in a fire, experienced an electrical outage, or just plain closed down. Sometimes this policy covers the rehearsal dinner site, too.
• Weather: Any weather conditions which prevent the bride, groom, any relative whose presence at the wedding is essential, or the majority of the guests from reaching the premises where the wedding is to take place. Insurance covers rescheduling the wedding and all the details involved -- such as ceremony flowers, tent rental, and reception food.
• Vendor No-show: What if essential wedding people -- the caterer or the officiant, for example -- fail to show up? A wedding insurance policy usually covers cancellation or postponement of the wedding for these reasons.
• Sickness or Injury: Wedding insurance may also include sickness or injury to the bride, groom, or anyone essential to the wedding.
• Military or Job: It's true, military personnel may be shipped out at a moment's notice. Wedding insurance can cover postponement of the wedding due to the bride or groom suddenly getting called to military duty. This can also apply to a last-minute corporate move -- i.e. the bride's company suddenly relocates her to another city.

Wedding Insurance Doesn't Cover...

• A change of heart. In other words, cold feet don't count.
• Watches, jewelry, or semi-precious gemstones or pearls (even if they are attached to clothing) may not be covered.
• While your wedding rings may be covered by the policy, your engagement ring probably will not.

Additional Coverage

Couples can take out supplemental policies to defend against damages incured by other wedding-related items such as photography, videography, and gifts.

• Photography: Some policies pay to retake the photographs after the fact if the photographer fails to appear or the original negatives are lost, damaged, stolen, or not properly developed. Some policies will pay to re-stage the event -- with the principal participants so that pictures can be retaken. A policy may also pay costs for rehiring a photographer, buying a new wedding cake, and new flowers.
• Videographer: When a videotape produced by a professional videographer is damaged (he or she used faulty materials for example), a policy usually pays a certain amount to have either a video montage created, a video compilation made of the photographs and other wedding memorabilia, or, if possible, a retaking of the official video at a restaging.
• Gifts: Whether they're mailed to your home or handed to you on your wedding day, valuable items like gifts are something else you might want to consider insuring. Think about a party crasher lifting unattended presents from your reception. Gift coverage pays to repair or replace non-monetary gifts that are lost, stolen, or damaged. A police report is usually required for stolen gifts. The damage or theft generally has to take place within a limited time period (ranging from 24 hours to seven days depending on the specific policy) before or after the wedding, in order to be covered.
• Attire: This coverage pays to repair or replace the bridal gown or other special attire when it is in your possession and is lost, stolen, or damaged (including financial failure of the bridal store). Special attire usually includes the clothing and accessories bought or rented that are to be worn by the bride, the groom, and attendants at the ceremony.
• Personal Liability: Personal liability covers bodily injury or property damage caused by an accident that occurs during the course of the wedding (your best man trips and falls on his way up to the mike to roast you or Uncle Murray suffers a Harvey Wallbanger wall banger).
• Medical Coverage: This covers reasonable medical expenses (up to the policy's limits) for each person who is injured during the covered events from a cause of loss, which would be covered by your personal liability.
• Honeymoon: Your honeymoon can cost as much as a new car. But before buying travel insurance to protect your investment, see if your credit card and/or homeowner's policy covers you if your luggage gets lifted, your trip is delayed, or you have to cancel. If not, you can a buy separate, trip-only policy. Call your insurer, or ask your travel agent for details. Also, certain wedding insurance packages include optional travel insurance for your honeymoon.

Things to Consider

Every insurance policy and every wedding scenario is different. Be sure to talk to your insurance agent at MIM (www.moderninsurance.com) - and have him or her explain the nuts and bolts to you. You want to make sure you and your sweetie understand every detail of your policy.