R&R Insurance Blog

According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), fireworks big and small, pose risks. Their report shows children under fifteen years old make up approximately 40 percent of estimated injuries. Please  keep your family safe and don't assume child friendly fireworks should be in their hands.

CPSC gives these tips to those who decide to purchase legal fireworks:

1. Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.
2. Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
3. Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.
4. Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don't realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees - hot enough to melt some metals.
5. Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
6. Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
7. Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
8. Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
9. Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.
10. Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
11. After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.

According to the Insurance Journal, the amount of lightning strike claims doubled between 2004 and 2011. Even as the actual number of claims shrank significantly; claim payouts increased.

Lightning strike payouts reached nearly $1 billion in 2011 and the group says fancy new TVs and video games consoles are the reason! Lightning protection equipment in homes were responsible for the 33 percent decline in claims between 2004 to 2011 but the average claim cost rose 93 percent.

Replacement costs on electronics are also on the rise according to the study because earthquakes and floods disrupted many companies' supply chains.

Wisconsin residents, for more information, please visit our website http://www.myknowledgebroker.com

I came across an article by Thomas Adams of the Rochester Business Journal that discusses the big strides being made in baseline testing for concussions.   An innovative new product, The Equilibriate System, once designed to help the elderly is now showing it's benefits in the sports world testing for concussions.

Concussions account for nearly 10% of all high school athletic injuries. “Any movement forward [to protect against concussions] is positive,” said Dr. Welsh, an alternate delegate for the Indiana State Medical Assn. “What I don’t want to see is someone have a concussion that’s missed, and the next one is the bad one.”

For questions regarding Property & Casualty Insurance for Wisconsin Schools, contact Bill Hattendorf.

Practically everyone has a need for some term life insurance.  The question is, how much do you need?  There are several models out there to help answer this question but the model I like to use asks the following to determine how much life insurance you need: 

• What is your gross annual income?
  
• How long would you like to provide this income to your beneficiary/beneficiaries?
  
• Would you like this insurance to pay off any existing debts (i.e. mortgage, loans, credit card, college)?  Keep in mind, if you are budgeting to pay these off with your current income and you are doing fine financially, you don't need extra insurance to pay this off.  This will be covered under the annual income that this policy will be replacing.  I would only enter a dollar amount here if these debts are truly a burden.
  
• Would you like this policy to pay for burial expenses, please enter the amount you estimate for this.
  
• What is the total amount of existing life insurance that will not be replaced by this policy?

The answers to these questions gives us a good starting point in determining how much term life insurance you need.  I always like to show options with several term limits so clients can see the full picture.  The bottom line is you have to select a term limit that you are comfortable with, as well as one that fits your budget.  If you are interested in obtaining a term life proposal please contact me.

Single wage earners need to see to it that their greatest asset, their ability to earn income, is adequately protected. Also, as more of today's households are dependent on dual incomes, it becomes crucial to protect both of them. Even if their employer offers group disability insurance, in many cases, the amount of the coverage is insufficient to protect their needs and won't allow them to continue the lifestyle they have become accustomed to.

Read the full article

With the numerous baseball fans at R&R, employees share their favorite baseball memories.

Knowledgebroker Chris Kopp loves the Milwaukee Brewers and was featured in an OnMilwaukee article because of his lucky catch. He was attending the Brewer's game on June 6th in which Taylor Green was rounding the bases for his first Major League home run. He was in just the right place in Miller Park because the home-run ball came so fast at Kopp he didn't have time to react.

So what happens when you catch such a momentous ball? The key is getting the ball back to the player before it gets lost or stolen. Usually, the player likes to have the ball back as a keepsake so stadium staff needs to locate the fan and start negotiations.

"I knew I wanted him to have it, without a doubt," Kopp said of the ball. "What it means to him is so much more.  I'd rather have him keep it."

Kopp's only negotiation was to hand the ball to Green himself; although he also walked away with a signed bat. "He's a great guy," Green said of Kopp. "I really appreciate him giving it back to me. I'd have never done it before, so I didn't know [how he'd be]. You've heard stories but I've never been a part of anything like that. I haven't been around for too many first home runs in the big leagues. You don't really do that in the minors. I figured if I caught a ball I wouldn't ask for anything but I'd want something, so I figured that would be the easiest way to go."

"For Taylor to go out and get me a bat on his own and to even think to sign it, that was just great on his part," Kopp said. "That's something I'm going to keep. That's never going to be on eBay or in anybody else's hands. What he did there was create something super special for me that I can have forever and cherish just like he can cherish that ball. That was just incredible."

Kopp's attitude had an effect on all parties involved and we are proud to have him as a knowledgebroker. To congratulate him on this once-in-a-lifetime experience, contact Chris Kopp.

Frank & Faith Stabb

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Jay Mueller

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John & Katie Wilde

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John Nilsen

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John Taylor

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Mary Baer

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Ted Marino

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