Mark Kofalt, Author at Premier Insurance Services

Five Steps for Protecting the Data of Your Firm, Customers and Employees

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:September 1, 2020
Post category:Business

In this era of connectedness, increased telecommuting, smartphones that keep staff connected to the office and cyber criminals constantly waging attacks on businesses, you need to do all you can to protect your firm's, employees' and customers' data. It's a heavy lift to try to set up protocols for the various areas where hackers and bots can infiltrate your company's database, and for a small company the task could be overwhelming. But if you approach your cyber security by focusing on the main pinch points - your greatest vulnerabilities - you can put together a coherent and effect cyber defense.…

Your Car Is Rich Target for Information Thieves

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:August 28, 2020
Post category:Personal/Family

Picture a sedan traveling along an interstate highway anywhere in America. It has Bluetooth capability, allowing the driver to make and receive phone calls without taking her hands off the steering wheel. The contacts stored on her smartphone are accessible from a menu displayable on the dashboard, allowing her to call a friend with one press of a button. Just as easily, she can choose songs stored on her phone or scan radio stations until she finds one carrying the Cowboys game. The car also has a navigation system that shows her present location and how to get to unfamiliar…

Commercial Property Insurance Rates Rise as Risks Grow

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:August 25, 2020
Post category:Business

Commercial property insurance rates are on the rise across the country as insurers continue wrestling with the toll of increasing natural disasters, rising social unrest around the world (including the U.S.) and the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, insurance companies have become more stringent in their underwriting by restricting some coverages and excluding risks that may have been covered in the past. The rate increases and stricter underwriting are not a function of the COVID-19 pandemic, as rates have been on the rise over the last two years as other risks and claims payouts have grown, but the outbreak has added more…

Benefits of Combining Your Insurance with One Company

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:August 21, 2020
Post category:Personal/Family

There are huge advantages to combining your auto and home insurance with a single company. The biggest and most direct benefit is getting a multiple-policy discount. However, it goes beyond that, and the advantages can work in your favor. Let's look at the numerous variables on why this really works to your benefit. Discount The combined auto-home or multipolicy discount, as some companies call it, can result in some real savings; in many cases, it can amount to hundreds of dollars per year. The best part of this is that the discount applies to both policies and, depending on the…

Dealing with Violent Customers Who Refuse to Wear Masks

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:August 18, 2020
Post category:Business

As many states and municipalities have issued mandatory mask orders for businesses that are open to the public, operators like retailers and restaurants have been thrust into the front lines of reducing the spread of the virus by requiring customers to wear masks when on their premises. This has led to confrontations that sometimes result in violence - and even in the deaths of some workers. Due to the volatility of some of these confrontations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a guide for limiting workplace violence associated with COVID-19. The guidance recommends: Offering customers options to…

24 Sneaky Symptoms of COVID-19

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:August 14, 2020
Post category:Personal/Family

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues growing, people who have been infected by the virus describe a number of symptoms, not always the same. Some people may end up with a dry cough, while others have body aches or general lethargy. Some have multiple symptoms. But it's important you know all of the symptoms so that you can seek medical care if necessary. Here are 24 subtle and not-so-subtle symptoms of COVID-19: Dry coughing While a dry cough could be a sign of an allergic reaction or the common cold, many patients who have been afflicted with the coronavirus experienced a…

Future Work Trends Ushered in by COVID-19

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:August 10, 2020
Post category:Business

The COVID-19 pandemic will lead to permanent changes in the way business is conducted, how we manage our workflows and how we handle our personnel. It has forced many companies to furlough workers or keep operations going by having staff that, if they can do so, work from home ― and it's clear the work landscape is not as it was just a few months ago. The consulting firm Gartner recently published a paper on its predictions for how the pandemic will have a lasting impact on the future of work. Look at each of the trends below and consider…

Think Twice About Your Soft Drink Consumption

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:August 6, 2020
Post category:Personal/Family

If you drink two or more soft drinks a day, you may want to cut back. A recent study by the World Health Organization found that people who drink two or more soft drinks a day, even if they are diet sodas with no calories, have a higher risk of mortality than individuals that have one soft drink a month. The study tracked 451,743 men and women in 10 European countries for 16 years. They joined the study between 1992 and 2000 and researchers followed up with them for an average of 16 years. During that time more than 41,600…