Our Blog

[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] When the sleigh touches down on your roof and the jolly old soul alights on your property, is it the joy of the holidays that spring to mind or your liability and family safety? Seriously, there are eight animals parked on your roof and a man is trying to enter your house down a chimney from a point on a pitched roof that likely is covered in snow and ice. Worse yet, he has no fall protection! What...

[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] “Shoulda, woulda, coulda” are the laments of so many who don’t have a vision or conversation about their financial future. At some point we die and leave behind a spouse or heirs. Evermore, a surviving spouse can expect to live anywhere from a few years to decades after being widowed. So, what are five things you need to do now so “shoulda” is out of the equation? Any one of these five subjects, by the way, are not gender...

[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 recent tragedies of lost lives in Portland and destroyed property in Biddeford due to fires have landlords and tenants talking about safety. The Southern Maine Landlord Association (SMLA) recently met in Portland to take a deeper dive into both building code standards required of landlords as well as tenants’ vigilance about safety in their rented apartments. In Northern New England, about half of all multi-unit dwellings are 50 years or older and require safety updates. So, what...

[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] Every year, residents of snow-prone states get an early reminder of winter when a place like Buffalo gets clobbered. Who could have imagined five to seven feet? Well, there might have been some; the folks who noted bushy squirrel tails, extra logs on the beaver dams and the quantity of pine cones in the upper limbs of evergreens. Some people are just wicked shahp about such things. So, now that you know some of the secrets of accurate...

[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]We are proud to sponsor the Main Entrance of the newly refurbished civic center for Cumberland County. This is a major attraction for the region and, with substantial improvements, all the more enjoyable for world-class entertainment. Our sponsorship is part of our larger commitment to support the communities in which we live and work. Clark Insurance supports more than 100 civic and charitable organizations annually with a particular focus on food, clothing, shelter and education. In addition, we contribute...

[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 the past year, the University of Southern Maine has been in the news as it navigates the white water of restructuring. It closed a $14 million deficit last year but now grapples with a current $16 million structural budget gap. Sadly, the operating costs of the university exceeds the revenue that USM receives from tuition, state aid and other sources of unrestricted annual support. With a financial crisis, it’s a good time to reinvent USM for 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] Here are three common scenarios we all have done at some point in time: 1) pulled the battery or the wire from the smoke alarm when something set it off – and we didn’t reactivate it. 2) Pulled the battery from the alarm when it reminded us to replace it with that annoying little tweet. 3) Failed to replace an alarm that was more than ten years old. So, what is it that makes us believe “it” isn’t...

[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] Imagine getting this email: Your company has retained our firm to identify security risks. Specifically, your computer has been identified as a possible security problem. Before we meet with your management team, please click this link to review our findings based on your knowledge. Thank you. How many people do you think fall for it? In the cyber world, social engineering is the art of convincing someone to act so a perpetrator can gain unauthorized access to whatever they...

[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] Somewhere between 35 and 40, many adults find themselves donning their first pair of glasses. It’s nature’s way of saying “This is not a dress rehearsal.” So, what might you do to advance your career, support your family and be poised for the next 50 years of an engaged, fun and financially secure life? In this context, “I” and “we” are synonymous. When we marry or are part of a family, “we” is central to moving forward together. Much of...

[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’s a dilemma. You’re both working, raising kids and saving or paying for college. Saving for retirement. You’re active in your community. Dad died and mom needs help getting around, being fed, getting dressed and bathing. You’re the adults on-deck. Welcome to the sandwich generation. How will her care be paid for? For that matter, how will you pay for your own long term care when the time comes? This is National Long Term Care Awareness Month – a time...