You just happened to take a look at your three teenagers’ rooms and realized they contain a fortune in electronic gadgets. Laptops, iPads, cell phones, MP3s, flat screen televisions, DVD players, and CD players times three, equals a lot of replacement cost in the event of a fire, theft or other covered peril. You may want to contact your Massachusetts homeowners insurance agent to make sure you have sufficient financial protection for the loss of these and other electronic equipment.

Depending on their value, all or some of your electronics may require coverage through an endorsement to your homeowner’s policy. It is important to keep receipts from all electronic purchases, as well as photos of the items, to present to your insurance adjuster in the event of a covered loss. You may want to ask your agent what specific records you should keep to help determine the value of your electronics should they need to be replaced.

When deciding on the electronic equipment to purchase additional insurance for, you may want to consider which ones would present a hardship if lost, and which ones are necessary for your day-to-day living. It may make sense to purchase coverage for the most important ones, and be prepared to pay out-of-pocket for the others. Your Massachusetts homeowners insurance agent can advise you on costs involved with purchasing additional insurance for your electronics.  

*

Investing in your employees by providing them with continuing education to help them improve their knowledge and skill may cost extra money, but could prove to be a worthwhile investment. Continuing education in the workplace might help boost morale, which can in turn lead to increased productivity and less turnover. You probably didn’t hesitate to invest in Massachusetts business insurance to help provide financial protection for business – yet investing in continuing education for your staff might also pay off for your business. 

Scheduling time for employee education while keeping the business running day-to-day can be challenging. One possible solution you may consider is the use of webinars. They are an internet-based education tool in which employees may congregate in a conference room for a one or two hour educational session, instead of traveling to an offsite location for a class. Webinars are interactive and this may provide your employees with a similar educational experience without the added expense of travelling. 

There are some business basics that, together, form a strong foundation upon which a business can grow. These include having sufficient Massachusetts business insurance in place, diligent financial management, excellent customer service, and a well-trained and motivated team of employees.

*

What is trust? Trust is the intangible characteristic of people by portraying confidence, truth, believability and reliability to surrounding individuals in society. Why is trust important in society? It is important because without trust we would not be able to rely on each other for assistance in daily activities.

But how does one earn the trust of another person? Take these tips from your trusted insurance agent Vargas & Vargas Insurance Agency.

Keep your promises.

• By promising to do something and following through with the statement allows people to rely on you more often to complete tasks and withhold information you promise to keep.
  

Admit when you are wrong.

• Some people believe that if you admit you are wrong it makes you seem weak and not smart. But in reality, it takes strength to admit something is incorrect that you completed. By admitting you are wrong, people will give you activities to complete and they will trust you to admit that you cannot complete the task correctly.

Do your job!

• By completing your job and not slacking at work will give your boss trust in you as an employee. Your boss will then be able to reward you with larger salary positions at the company because you have proven yourself over the years.

At Vargas & Vargas Insurance Agency is a member of Trusted Choice and we give our clients our trust in handling their most valuable assets; their home, automobile, business and life insurance. We believe that earning our client’s trust is the most important aspect of business. As a result, we try to live by our slogan everyday “Famous for Our Service”. Call us today at 877-550-0025 and discover why people trust our agency.

Environmental impact is reduced.  Local products require less transportation, lowering fuel consumption and costs.  Additionally, you travel a shorter distance to purchase them.  As a result, less pollution is released into the environment.

Personal connections are made.  Small local businesses are committed to getting to know who their customers are as individuals.  Also, they, too, live in the community and are invested in its future the same way you are.  According to the National Federation of Independent Business, 91% of local businesses volunteer or donate to local causes.

Service is better quality.  In order to compete with large chain stores, small business owners also focus on quality service and products.  They are more likely to go above and beyond to help their customers and are experts in their business’ field. 

                        Angie’s List is a great resource to find trustworthy local businesses in your area.

 

They offer more unique choices.  Supporting local business owners means having the opportunity to find truly one–of-a-kind gifts that department store chains do not sell.  Though a single local shop may carry a smaller selection of items, several local businesses together provide a unique diversity in products.

While people fear that large national chains displace small local stores, cash mobs help boost their business.  An article in The Boston Globe provides further detail about recent area cash mobs.  For more information about how to start and promote a cash mob, click here.  Anyone can get involved, and it’s also a great way for local businesses to support other local businesses!  Carlos Vargas, of Vargas & Vargas Insurance, started the successful “Cash Mob Stoughton” to increase business in his community.  For other cash mobs near you, visit www.cashmob.com/massachusetts-cash-mobs

In addition to helping local businesses, Vargas & Vargas Insurance is committed to helping you find the right homeowners, automobile, business and life insurance policies that fit your family’s needs and budget.  Call and speak with a friendly agent today at 877-550-0025.

Starting out in business with an enterprise of your own means you need to be very organized. Many businesses that fail do so within just a few years of commencing, so writing a business plan to build a strategy to take you beyond that point makes good sense. To add financial protection to your new venture, you also need to make sure you have the right amount and right type of Massachusetts small business insurance.

Business plans can be very simple or quite complex. How you put yours together will most likely depend on the type of business you are starting, and how you envisage its growth. 

You need to include your concept, and how you intend to bring it to life. That means you need to break down your ideas into all the elements – including things like the structure, costs, set-up requirements, development projections, personnel, etc. These are things to bring to the table when you meet with sponsors, lenders, investors, insurance brokers and other interested parties.

When it comes time to set up your Massachusetts small business insurance, you need to have worked out the value of your assets, the risks you might be exposed to, and your staffing requirements. There are a number of different ways you could approach your insurance set up and we would be very happy to meet with you and discuss your requirements. Call us today to get the process started.

*

While most people know about the value of their Massachusetts homeowners insurance and Massachusetts automobile insurance, personal umbrella insurance policies are also too important not to have.

•    Umbrella insurance policies provide added liability protection for claims that extend beyond the limits of your regular insurance policies.
o    Policy coverage varies.  Contact your local insurance agent to review your current protection and see how an umbrella insurance policy can benefit you.

•    Liability issues and lawsuits are everywhere today, and the judgments can be huge.  If someone is injured in your home or on your property, you may have extensive damages to pay out of your own pocket if you don’t have umbrella insurance.
o    This is because regular homeowners insurance policies are unable to cover all of the costs associated with lawsuits.  

•    Umbrella policies also provide additional protection for common occurrences that could happen to you, such as accidents involving autos, boats and recreational vehicles.  
o    Fill out this form for a free umbrella insurance quote.

•    They are inexpensive to purchase and are priceless to have.
o    At the cost of about $1 a day, personal umbrella policies kick in where your other     coverage stops.  Having this insurance means never worrying about not having enough coverage again.

There is a common misconception that only the wealthy need umbrella insurance, but that is not the case.  Everyone can benefit from the added protection.  In addition, an umbrella policy can “fill the gaps” by providing coverage for other incidents like liability for rental properties or being sued for slander or libel.  To further understand the necessity for umbrella insurance, read The New York Times’ article, Umbrella Coverage for Preventing Your Ruin.
Vargas & Vargas Insurance has been protecting Massachusetts’ families and businesses for years and is dedicated to making sure you have the right coverage you deserve.  Friendly, knowledgeable agents are happy to answer any of your insurance policy questions and concerns.  Call and speak to one today at 877-550-0025.

Planning for renovations can be a complex business. First, you have to decide whether you’re going to stay in the house during the project, or move into temporary accommodation. Then you need to figure out a whole pile of other things, including the Mass home insurance ramifications during and after the work.

One of the biggest issues you could face is site security. For those of you who plan to stay on in the house while the renovation is underway – which might be possible if it is relatively minor work or you can stay in another part of the house – this might be easier. If you be able to stick to your normal routine it could work out well, particularly if one family member is normally at home during the week.

Moving out while the work is being done could pose more of a problem. Your house becomes a building site that is open to your team – builders, plumbers, electricians and other contractors could be coming and going at different times throughout the project. It might be difficult to keep track of all personnel and be aware of who should and shouldn’t be there.

Call us to discuss the potential security issues for your home during this time and how they may impact on your Mass home insurance. We can discuss various strategies with you, and help you ensure that you have everything in place to minimize any possible security and financial risks.

* 

For a small business to survive in the current economic climate, it is vital to keep costs down. As a business owner there is often no room financially speaking to spend money on anything you don’t need. This includes your Massachusetts small business insurance – so you should look at your current insurance and see if there are ways that you can keep premium costs manageable without compromising coverage.

Firstly, is all your insurance with one company, or do you have different policies with different companies? You may find there are discounts for multiple policy holders that insure with a single company, so you should check your options for bringing all your coverage under one provider. 

Within your business, there are also some strategies you could implement that may help reduce your risks and, therefore, your premiums. Security is an important area where there is a lot you can do very simply to decrease your risk of burglaries. At the cheapest end of the scale, adding new locks, sensor lighting, installing security screens and alarm systems can make a big difference. For those with more money to spare, a monitored alarm system with a local security company can offer high security benefits.

Why not give us a call to discuss other strategies for maximizing your dollar value with your Massachusetts small business insurance? Our experienced staff can work with you to help ensure that you have the coverage you need without breaking the bank.

*