Author: hsmuser

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] Company holiday parties are about to hit high gear which warrants words of caution for employers and revelers alike. From an insurance perspective, be sure to check your liability coverage well before the party begins and take all reasonable precautions to avoid an...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] Business leaders attending the USM Corporate Partners breakfast last week learned that leaving the workforce any time soon seems less and less likely for an increasing number of baby-boomers. Since 2001, the percentage of full time workers over age 65 has been growing...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] This story is a short version of a longer and sadder tale. Mom was still working into her 70s but decided, on her daughter’s advice, to place her assets in an irrevocable trust of which her daughter would be the trustee. Mom was,...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] In May, Turner Barker merged with Clark Insurance and will now be doing business under the Clark Insurance name. This is a merger of two of the oldest insurance agencies in Portland, Maine creating one of the largest and most versatile insurance agencies...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] Here are two truths: First, we tend to like people who show an interest in us and what we think. Second, we all enjoy receiving praise and recognition. Neither of these simple interpersonal exchanges costs a nickel yet they can be the best investment...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] The trouble with trucks is not necessarily the trucks. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), about 10 percent of highway deaths involve a large truck but 70 percent of the victims are in a passenger vehicle. When the two collide, there...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Carbon monoxide (CO) doesn’t discriminate – it sickens or kills anyone in its path. There are about 450 deaths from CO poisoning each year in the U.S. but more than 20,000 reported cases of poisoning from this odorless and colorless killer. According the...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] In this hyper virtual world, putting emergency contact information about you and your family in a place that is accessible and current is a no-brainer. You just have to do it and keep it current. In case of emergency (ICE) is essential to...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Annual premiums for employer-sponsored health plans increased by 4% in 2013 hitting a new high of $16,351 for family coverage. Of that amount, employers paid $11,786 (72%) and employees paid $4,565 (28%) according to the Kaiser Family Foundation 2013 Employer Health Benefits Survey. Even...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Denise Douglass (left) and Evangeline Irish (second from right) of Clark Insurance have received the 2013 Safeco Award of Excellence, recognition for their outstanding front-line underwriting, service and results for the Liberty Mutual-owned company. Presenting the awards are Stephanie Davis (R) and Joanne...