Mark Kofalt, Author at Premier Insurance Services

12 Safety Tips for the Holidays

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:December 7, 2021
Post category:All

The holiday season may be the most wonderful time of the year, but unfortunately, it’s also a bad time of year for house fires. While the two most common days for home fires are Christmas Day and Christmas Eve, fire officials encourage everyone to make safety a top priority during the entire holiday season. Today, we want to share some fire prevention and safety tips for you, your family, and your guests. The primary cause of holiday house fires is cooking, followed by heating. The increased use of candles over Christmas and on New Year’s Eve increases the risk of…

Can your Business Survive the Loss of a Key Employee?

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:December 7, 2021
Post category:Business

In today’s economy, the value of your key employees is becoming one of the most important questions on small business owners’ minds—and businesses need to come up with the answer to this question sooner rather than later, or their business survival could be in jeopardy. “Take away all my factories and my equipment. Take away my wealth. But leave me with my key people and in a short time I’ll have it all back again.” – Attributed to Andrew Carnegie Business owners should take stock of who their key employees are and ask themselves how (or whether) their business could…

Don’t Miss Medicare Open Enrollment

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:November 29, 2021
Post category:All

Medicare open enrollment is a critical time for seniors aged 65 and other Medicare beneficiaries. It's the only time during the year when you can make changes to your Medicare plans, including Medicare Advantage and Medigap policies, while still enjoying guaranteed enrollment status. The dates are different for new Medicare enrollees than they are for existing Medicare beneficiaries, so pay close attention to the open enrollment period for your category. For current Medicare enrollees If you are already enrolled in Medicare, then your open enrollment for 2022 runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 this year. During this period, you…

Study Says Lower-Income Gen Xers, Baby Boomers Will Run Out of Money in Retirement

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:November 17, 2021
Post category:Personal/Family

Study Says Lower-Income Gen Xers, Baby Boomers Will Run Out Of Money In Retirement Recent research shows that baby boomers and Generation Xers who are in the lower-income brackets are more likely to fall short of their retirement goals, which will leave them lacking enough money to live on. Researchers at Northwestern Mutual Planning & Progress found that some people may run out of funds within their first year of retiring and that 22% of Americans have less than $5,000 saved for retirement. While households in the lowest income brackets are most severely affected, even some people who fall in…

The Importance of Employment Practices Liability Coverage

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:November 17, 2021
Post category:Business

Every employer, no matter how small, faces the specter of being sued by a past, present or prospective employee at some time. In fact, such employment practices claims are widespread – so much so that most businesses are much more likely to have an employment practices liability claim than a general liability or property loss claim. Nearly three-quarters of all litigation against corporations today involves employment disputes, which can be extremely costly. The expenses associated with an employment practices claim are significant. In 2018, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission resolved 90,558 charges of discrimination and recovered about $505 million in…

Your Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:November 15, 2021
Post category:Personal/Family

Fall is here and you should use the time to enjoy the cool weather outdoors and take care of housekeeping chores before winter arrives. You should also tackle any needed maintenance before the weather gets too cold and, if you live in a cold-weather area, you could use the time to improve the energy efficiency of your home as well. You should also take proactive measures to prevent damage from any winter storms that may pass through. To help you along the way, we’ve created a handy checklist for you to follow: Chore 1: Check your Medicare Coverage If you…

Medicare: Take Advantage of Open Enrollment!

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:November 12, 2021
Post category:Personal/Family

Are you in the best available Medicare plan for your situation? For many Medicare beneficiaries, the answer is no and that can be a costly mistake. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 71% of Medicare beneficiaries don't research their plan options when Open Enrollment comes around. But Medicare plans can make changes every year. Your current Medicare plan may be changing any of these important items: Deductibles Coinsurance Maximum out-of-pocket costs Premiums Care provider networks Prescription drugs and access. Prescription drug plans are particularly prone to making changes in their formulary of covered drugs, rules under…

5 Ways to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis While Traveling

Post author:Mark Kofalt
Post published:October 25, 2021
Post category:Personal/Family

When you’re planning a trip, it’s important to take your safety into consideration along with your excitement and packing. Deep vein thrombosis is a vein disorder that occurs when a blot clot forms in a deep leg vein, and it’s especially common among travelers over 50. DVT Symptoms Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is potentially fatal because a clot could travel to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism. The condition usually occurs in the calf, and since the main cause is sluggish blood flow due to long periods of inactivity, it presents a risk to travelers taking a long…