[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]A man walks into his doctor’s office and complains that when he raises his arms, his shoulders hurt. He asks, “What can I do to stop the pain, doc?” The doctor replies, “Stop raising your arms!” An old joke but a good lesson. A...
[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]Fireworks are a ball and most people using common sense are unharmed by firecrackers and other consumer fireworks. It’s when people are careless that things go sideways. Consumer fireworks now are legal in many Maine communities. Legal or illegal use of these explosives...
[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]Employers need to pay attention. You know those notices you receive periodically with densely worded legalese from health care providers about protecting your personal health information? You can now expect to see new rounds of notices with additional language but also alerts from...
[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]Beautiful weather has boating enthusiasts turning out in droves which also creates the potential for havoc when alcohol is part of the mix. It is not illegal to drink and operate a boat but anyone caught with a blood alcohol level of .08...
[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]Rolling some of your 401K to an Annuity may be your best hedge for retirement income. Sheryl Moore of Annuity News writes, “Since the United States stock market collapse of 2008, millions of Americans have seen their retirement savings dwindle. Many of these savers...
[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]There’s an old saying, “I wouldn’t be paranoid if they weren’t out to get me.” For business owners, partners and investors, the threat of employee theft requires vigilance and prudence. No matter how trusting you may be, there are people in the world...
[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]Recovery from the Boston Marathon bombings continues as people, families and businesses try to return to some degree of normal life – or the new normal, as some have said. Medical bills, funeral expenses, long-term rehabilitation, property damage and business interruption are just...
[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]It is no secret that clients file the vast majority of claims against environmental consultants. And inevitably, each one of these claims involves unmet client expectations. In some cases, the client has every right to be upset. When an environmental firm’s negligent errors or...
[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]“Don’t aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference.” – Denzel Washington With that sense of purpose, all of us at Clark Insurance are pleased to offer the following annual report for 2012. The business of insurance is the work of identifying risk...
[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]You want safe? The 2013 Honda Accord and Honda Civic take the honors for safety among mid-size and small cars according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Each earned the Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) in the annual crash test rating. 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]Turner Barker Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gorham Savings Bank, soon will be merged with Clark Insurance according to Gorham Savings Bank President Christopher Emmons and Clark Insurance President Kenneth Ross. The intention is to complete the transaction within thirty to forty-five...
[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] It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run, but let’s say your company is a blasting contractor and a blast gets away from you. BOOM! Boulders start flying. Vehicles are damaged. Rocks rain through the windows of adjacent properties. Neighbors are running...
[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]Question: What happens when an employer is sued for an employment practice that is “wrongful” under state law, but not federal law? Is the employer going to be on the hook for defense and settlement costs? What about fines, penalties, non-monetary damages, or...
[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 year marks the 20th anniversary of the reform of Maine’s once-notorious workers’ compensation system. This landmark legislation was a hard-fought and hard-won victory for both workers and employers. The reform has been characterized as “under-promising and over-delivering.” That’s an understatement in itself....
[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]One of the benefits of living in Maine is that it’s one of the least expensive states in the country for insurance according to a story in the Portland Press Herald. Low crime, minimal litigation and few coverage mandates are complemented by a...
[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]Clark Insurance has launched a year-long television campaign to support a number of area non-profit and civic causes. The employee-owned insurance agency is using half its television advertising budget to highlight eight different organizations on numerous channels in the Time Warner Cable service...
[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]Small employers in Maine have been receiving mixed messages in the media about the changing cost of group health insurance. Based on recent news reports, there are many different interpretations of the same data. What is clear from the data on the Bureau 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]This message is intended for students and adults alike. Please pass it along to your employees and their families. Twenty two percent of adults responding to a Harris Interactive poll said they admit they have sent and read text messages while driving. Forty nine...
[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]Maine’s economy is in for a long, long, slow recovery according to Charlie Colgan’s annual forecast. Professor Colgan, of the Muskie School of Public Service, began his annual road show with presentations in Portland and Lewiston this week. The opening slide of his...
[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]For households with current or aspiring teen aged drivers, there is sobering news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).According to the federal agency, “In 2010, about 2,700 teens in the United States aged 16–19 were killed and almost 282,000 were...
