Business Archives - Premier Insurance Services

Protect Your Officers with Drive Other Car Coverage

Mark Kofalt
September 19, 2019
All / Business

Linda is a junior partner in a law firm and drives a car that the firm owns and insures. The firm's auto insurance covers her as a partner and she doesn't own another car, so she sees no need to have her own policy. Most of the time, this is not a problem. However, spring break comes and she takes her kids to DisneyWorld. She rents a car at the Orlando airport and never gives a thought to whether her firm's insurance will cover her if she has an accident with the rental. In this case, a phone conversation…

Don’t Overlook Equipment Breakdown Insurance

Mark Kofalt
September 16, 2019
Business

Imagine it's a typical summer day. You own a 30,000-square-foot office building that is 85 percent occupied. And the air conditioning and ventilation systems stop working. The outside temperature is in the 90s and the humidity is high. It doesn't take long before the tenants start to complain. The contractor you hire determines that an electrical arc fried the circuit board that controls the environmental systems. The board must be replaced, but it will take up to five business days for it to arrive. In the meantime, the building is unfit for people to work in, and the leases oblige…

Common Questions About Fire Sprinkler Systems

Mark Kofalt
September 2, 2019
Business / Personal/Family

Automatic fire sprinkler systems can save lives and property in both residential and commercial settings. There are several common questions that arise when people consider installing these systems. This guide provides answers to most questions, but those who have further questions should call us. Are fire sprinklers really effective? According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are no records of fires resulting in more than two fatalities in areas that had adequate sprinkler coverage. In cases where fatalities resulted in buildings with sprinklers, the people who died were usually in direct contact with flames before the sprinklers were activated.…

How to Handle Water Damage to Your Home, Business

People often worry about fires damaging their homes and commercial buildings. While fires are dangerous and can cause extensive damage to property, they are rare compared to another element that is in the home or building every minute of every day: Water. Properties suffer water damage more frequently than they do other causes of loss. Water damage emergencies occur 14,000 times a day in American homes and businesses, according to insurance industry data. In comparison, fires occur in fewer than 3,600 homes per day, and burglaries occur 8,200 times a day. The basements in 98% of US homes will suffer…

Performing a Thorough Background Check

Mark Kofalt
August 12, 2019
Business

Employment background checks are not just for executive-level management. A thorough background check should be performed to avoid making any assumptions about an employee's history. To help you get started, here are some essentials of a complete background check: Current address Confirm a current address through a telephone directory, confirmation with landlord, rental or mortgage company, or county tax office. Former addresses Confirm prior addresses through former employers, credit agencies, or by contacting landlords of former residences. Other detailed information you might choose to verify is the amount of rent or mortgage paid, whether it was paid on time, details…

Annual Insurance Review is Crucial to Your Growing Business

Mark Kofalt
July 19, 2019
Business

One of the biggest mistakes owners of growing businesses make is not keeping up their insurance coverage to account for the expanding assets and potential liabilities. Let's say you started your business 10 years ago with just a small space and computer desk. Today, you have an office full of employees and equipment. If you still have the same insurance coverage as you did a decade ago, or even three years ago, the chances are high that you are underinsured. To make sure you have all of your assets covered, you should review your business insurance program annually. Circumstances change,…

Lawsuits Grow for Incidents from Providing Professional Services

Mark Kofalt
July 16, 2019
Business

People often think of professional liability insurance as something only doctors and lawyers need. The truth is that anyone in any profession can be sued for making bad decisions. Standard business general liability insurance policies do not cover liability for professional mistakes. They will not cover errors that cost someone else money without causing bodily injury to them or destroying their property. Occupations that may not at first blush be considered "professions" may still be at risk of lawsuits for acts they have or have not committed. Here are some examples: An ebook publisher issues a collection of short stories.…

New Rule Allows Employers to Pay Workers to Buy Their Own Health Coverage

The Trump administration has issued new rules that allows employers to provide workers with funds in health reimbursement accounts (HRAs) that can be used to purchase health insurance on the individual market. The rule reverses a long-standing part of the Affordable Care Act that carried hefty fines of up to $36,500 a year per employee for applicable large employers that are caught providing funds to workers so they can buy insurance. The rule was put in place to keep employers from shunting unhealthy or older workers from their group health plans into private insurance and government-run marketplaces. Under the rules…