Articles from October 2010

We have a backup plan if disaster strikes our house, we have home owners insurance. We know our loved ones will be taken care of if we pass, we have life insurance. But what happens if we become disabled? Are we prepared for that? Here are the types of disability insurance brought to you by the Insurance Information Institute:

Short-Term Disability policies have a waiting period of 0-14 days with a maximum benefit of no longer than two years.
Long-Term Disability policies have a waiting period of several weeks to several months with a maximum benefit period ranging from a few years to the rest of your life.
III points out, that these have two different protection features that are important to understand:
Noncancelable: Except for nonpayment of premiums, insurance companies cannot cancel the policy. Therefore, you have the right to renew the policy every year without an increase in the premium or a reduction in benefits.
Guaranteed renewable: All of the above applies. However, your insurer has the right to increase your premium as long as it does so for all other policyholders in the same rating class as you.
For other options you should consider when purchasing a policy, check out the Insurance Information Institute website. If you have any questions regarding disability insurance, feel free to call Bucci Insurance, we would be more than happy to help!

If you haven’t yet, today would be an awesome day to carve pumpkins. Grab your friends, your children, or your special someone and spend some time together embracing the fall season. Why not sit outside while you’re at it? The weather is gorgeous today.

This week, Bucci Insurance’s video pick is on “How To Carve a Killer Pumpkin” brought to you by Mahalo Daily. Watch this easy to follow, step- by- step guide on how to carve the perfect pumpkin and get as creative as you want!

Happy Halloween from Bucci Insurance!

Governor Carcieri along with several other people will be at TF Green Airport today to celebrate the opening of the new InterLink Multi-Modal Transportation Facility at 10:00am. According to a Rhode Island Government’s website, the InterLink will connect TF Green Airport with a consolidated rental car facility that includes intercity bus services and a commuter train platform that will soon be serviced by MBTA.

Bucci Insurance is thrilled about this addition and looks forward to easier and more convenient traveling from Warwick, Rhode Island.

The big day is one week from today! Do you know who you are going to vote for Governor of Rhode Island? In this election we have four major candidates, Ken Block a moderate, Frank Caprio a Democrat, Lincoln Chafee an Independent, and John Robitaille a Republican. As of a few days ago, according to the Rasmussen Reports telephone survey, Chafee was in the lead with 35% support, Caprio with 28% of the vote, close behind was Robitaille with 25%, and Block with 6%, (the last 6% are undecided). The final election could really go either way.

Where do you think everyone stands now after the episode yesterday with Frank Caprio? Follow this link to Go Local Prov and see how other people in Rhode Island are reacting. Bucci Insurance wants to hear your opinion!

Halloween is scary enough as it is. Take precaution when throwing a Halloween party so that you don’t fear for someone’s life at the end of the night.

If you plan on serving alcohol at your upcoming Halloween party, you could be liable if your guests drink too much. The Insurance Information Institute offers some tricks so that you can avoid potential a disaster and protect yourself and your assets:

• Consider hiring a professional bartender: This way guests won’t be mixing their own drinks and they will be able to keep track of the size and number of drinks they consume. Most bartenders are trained to recognize signs of intoxication and will be able to slow down the consumption of alcohol when needed.
• Serve non-alcoholic beverages: Have juices, soft drinks and other beverages available for those who chose not to drink or may be driving.
• Do NOT serve alcohol to minors: It is illegal in every state for a person to drink under the age of 21. It is your responsibility to abide by it.
• Don’t force drinks on your guests: Focus on creating a fun environment. Don’t push alcohol on your guests or rush them to refill when they are empty.
• Always serve food with alcohol: It is proven that food can help the counter effects of alcohol
• Stop serving alcohol at least one hour before the party ends: Serve only coffee, tea, and non-alcoholic beverages at the end of the night. It is your responsibility to make sure your guests get home safely.
• Speak to each of your guests before they leave: If you think someone is unable to drive, call a cab and pay for it yourself. You can also offer them to sleep over, go home with a friend, or bring them home yourself. This not only protects your guest but other drivers on the road as well.
• Encourage your guests to wear seat belts: Studies have shown that seat belts save lives.

Bucci Insurance wants you to have a fun and safe Halloween. Call us to answer any questions you may have in regards to social host liability. We would be more than happy to help!

Talk about a sweet bond! K&D’s Cakes was started three years ago by sisters Kayla and Dawn. With work experience in a bakery and numerous years of life experience, baking was something that seemed to come naturally to them. After friends and family were continuously impressed by their amazing work, they finally decided to start their own business. And it didn’t take long before the orders started coming in!

With the fading of local bakeries, K&Ds Cakes brings something to the table that is no longer easily found. It’s a personal and intimate experience that Kayla and Dawn make special for each customer. With these two women working together the creative ideas and possibilities are endless. They hand deliver each cake; which is to them, their favorite part of the job. Seeing the customer’s face when they look at the cake for the first time makes it all worth it.

For any occasion and for all of your pastry needs, visit K&D’s Cakes website! Bucci Insurance is proud of Dawn and Kayla for finding success in something that they love. Best of luck in your future!

How to Create a Positive Image is Bucci Insurance Group’s “how to” pick for this week. Diane Keng, a freshman at Santa Clara University, is one of the few who has already understood the importance of creating a positive image in the social media world. In an article from the Providence Journal, she was quoted saying “Maybe someone will look you up on Facebook before they actually meet you in person. Once first impressions are through, it’s really tough to get back from there.” This is why she suggests creating two accounts; one personal, only accessible to family and friends and the other a public professional. You need to have an idea of how you want the world to perceive you and then portray that through your social media footprints.

Make sure your accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and any other social networking sites reflect the person you want others to see. What you say, post online, and what others say about you allows onlookers to assume things that may or may not be true. Dan Shawable, a personal brand consultant suggests signing up for Google alerts. This helps keep track of when your name is being mentioned on the internet and what is being said.

On professional accounts, post relevant links, friend co-workers, and post pictures about a great event you put on, and talk about what a success it was. Make your page have a voice. In the Providence Journal, it even offered the idea of creating your own website. You can find domain names at GoDaddy.com and create a profile about you, your work experience and blog about your thoughts and ideas. Don’t be afraid to disagree with someone and voice your own opinion. Most importantly, if you decide to do that, keep the site updated! You do not want to be perceived as someone who gives up easily.

With these tips, take control of your image in the social media world and make it a positive one.

The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island is something you must see before the season ends! Thousands of pumpkins light up a pathway of famous faces, pop culture, old-time favorites and so much more. The detail that goes into these designs will amaze you and is sure to be the highlight of the Halloween season. Go with family, your loved one, or a group of friends to enjoy a night USA Today has called “extraordinary.”

Sharmin Attaran. She’s the professor at Bryant University that everyone knows, even if they haven’t had her. Her Consumer Behavior class is one that disappoints students- only on registration day when it has already reached capacity. It is one of the few that are really interactive, engaging, and (at least for me as a marketing major), exciting. Today Professor Attaran is featured in the Providence Journalfor her research in social media. She explains the more popular social networking sites and what they’re typically used for. “It’s like going to a party. Are you the type of person who stays with one group, or do you mingle with everyone to get the most out of the experience?” She explains how social media is a two-way street, if you haven’t had much excitement on your account lately; it’s probably because you haven’t started a conversation!

Her research in social media, her life experience, and the excitement she has for what she does, all contribute to her lessons in the classroom. As a former student and now an intern at Bucci Insurance as the Social Media Manager, I can say I have learned a lot from her class and have already been able to apply it the “real world.”

Great work Professor Attaran! We wish you the best of luck with your continuing research.

“Businesses don’t plan to fail, businesses fail to plan.” – Bruce Rutter, Chief Executive officer for the state’s Red Cross Chapter

A small-business preparedness conference was recently held, sponsored by the state Emergency Management Agency. In an article by the Providence Journal, they talked about a local Rhode Island Business who attended the conference, Ocean State Hot Coat, and the troubles they went through after the March 2010 flooding. Once their business was consumed by eight feet of water, they had lost everything- all their equipment and supplies, everything they had worked so hard for up until then. Determined to keep moving forward, the owner, Roslyn Dober, took out a company loan from the Small Business Administration and can now proud to say she is already back in business. However, in hindsight, she wishes she had planned a little better. Reopening her business would have been a lot easier if she hadn’t lost all of her contact information for clients and suppliers, also if she had looked into flood insurance.

As stated in the Providence Journal, at the preparedness conference, professionals insisted that small-business owners create emergency plans now. They emphasized not just for floods, but for other disasters as well, snowstorms, epidemics, computer meltdowns, etc.

Her were some tips given from officials at the conference:

• Back up your computers
• Keep copies of financial records, insurance policies, contacts for employees, customers, attorneys, accountants, and bankers someplace safe.
• Evaluate your workspace. Is it in a flood zone? Do you need a generator? Is there a way to run your business off-site in an emergency?
• Have a business continuity plan, and make sure your key employees know the details.
• Examine your insurance policy, with particular attention to what’s excluded, the deductible, and whether insurance covers business interruption.

Want to find out more information on how to insure your business? Contact Bucci Insurance Group, we’d be happy to help!