I know.  You always lock your doors when you leave your house.  But what else can you do to prevent a break in?  Well first of all, make your home appear occupied.  Timers are inexpensive and can be effective at fooling thieves.  Use them to turn lights and TV’s on and off at various times of the day and night.  Light sensing timers for turning outside lights and flood lamps on and off at dusk and dawn and motion detectors are also good.

Have a neighbor pick up your mail, newspapers or other deliveries that are left on your doorsteps or doorknob.  Arrange to have your lawn mowed and driveway shoveled and notify the police if you’ll be going away for any length of time.  Some people even have a friend house sit if necessary.

Don’t advertise your absence, especially on Facebook.  Thieves read that too.  Don’t leave notes to anyone regarding your absence.  Instead, handle those instructions by phone or in person before leaving.  If you arrive home and think you’ve been burglarized, call the police from your cell phone or neighbor’s phone.  Don’t enter your home or touch anything until the police have time to investigate.

Dead bolt locks are highly recommended for all outside doors.  Don’t forget to secure basement windows and don’t hide your keys under flowerpots, doormats or on top of sills.

Keep your valuables out of sight, preferably in a safe deposit box, and refrain from keeping large amounts of cash at home.  And don’t advertise recent purchases, like big screen TV’s, by putting the empty boxes out with the trash.  Break up the box the TV came in and put it in a bag in the trash rather than outside of the can.

Keep your doors locked, and never allow a stranger to enter your home.  Question him or her and ask for identification.  Call Utility Companies, (electric, water or cable companies) for confirmation when someone wants to enter your home to read the meter or do repairs.  Teach your children to answer the phone correctly and never to say you are not home.  Make sure to lock up sporting goods, gardening equipment and tools and keep your house locked while you are working in the yard.

If you move into a new home or apartment, change the locks as soon as possible.  Be aware of what goes on in your neighborhood and report anything suspicious to the police.  You’d want your neighbors to do the same if your home was being burglarized.

And be sure your home and personal property are adequately insured.  Talk to your independent insurance agent about homeowners or renters insurance and about replacement cost coverage on your belongings.  They can provide you with the best coverage options to meet your needs.

Kevin Connors is a Certified Insurance Counselor and licensed Property/Casualty and Life Insurance Agent for The Connors Insurance Agency in Mechanicville, NY.  Mr. Connors can be reached at (518)664-7307 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

With recent attacks by computer hackers at Target and now Michael’s, Cyber Liability Insurance is becoming a hot topic.  The FBI contends that many of these cyber-attacks come from out of the country so it’s difficult to track down these hackers.  Imagine for a moment that your company has come under attack by a skilled hacker.  The hacker has accessed your customer’s names, contact information and social security numbers.  On top of that, your website is now disabled.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have an Insurance policy to cover that?

Insurance that protects you in case of a cyber-attack may seem like something only large corporations would ever need, or could afford.  But believe it or not, cyber liability insurance makes sense for small companies as well.  And here’s why:

1.) It’s more affordable than you think.  Since it’s still a fairly new concept, there’s a lot of variation among policies and some room for negotiation.  You can get coverage as high as $30 million and deductibles starting at $2,500.  Minimum premiums can vary among Insurance Companies too, at $1,500 to $2,500 annually.

2.) It covers more than you think.  These policies provide coverage for things like business interruption, the cost of notifying your customers of a breach and even the expense of hiring a public relations firm if needed.  It will also pay to cover any regulatory fines or penalties you might occur.

3.) You probably don’t have a risk management team.  Big companies often have entire departments devoted to analyzing the risks the company could face and helping to set up policies and procedures to protect them.  A small business wouldn’t, but an insurance policy can perform the same function.

4.) Even if you don’t host your data yourself, you’re still responsible.  And your existing insurance policy won’t cover you.  Typically, a general liability policy specifically excludes losses incurred because of the internet.  A good cyber liability policy will pick up where your general liability policy leaves off.

Make sure your cyber liability policy covers laptops and mobile devices as well to give yourself coverage in as many situations as you can.  Work with your Independent Insurance Agent to integrate cyber liability with your general liability and employment practice liability policies.  They’ll make sure to give you the most seamless coverage possible.

Kevin Connors is a Certified Insurance Counselor and licensed Property/Casualty and Life Insurance Agent with The Connors Insurance Agency in Mechanicville, NY.  Mr. Connors can be reached at (518)664-7307 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

More than one third of American homes use fireplaces, woodstoves and other solid fuel fired appliances as auxiliary home heating devices.

According to the Insurance industry, heating fires account for 36% of residential home fires.  Often these fires are due to improper installation, creosote buildup, closeness to combustibles and lack of adequate cleaning or maintenance.

Here are some do’s and don’ts for Fire Safety, which will go a long way to lessen alternate heat losses.

Do

-Before every heating season, conduct a cleaning and maintenance checkup

-Make sure there is enough clearance between stove and combustible materials

-Burn only dry well seasoned wood.  Soft, moist wood contributes to creosote buildup

-Make sure to keep a fire extinguisher near the heat source

Don’t

-Connect a woodstove to a chimney serving any other appliance

-Start a fire with flammable fluids such as gasoline

-Burn trash in a stove

-Let a wood fire burn unattended

-Install an outside wood furnace closer than 50 feet from any structure

For more information on fire safety, contact the United States Fire Administration website atwww.usfa.fema.gov

Kevin Connors is a Certified Insurance Counselor and licensed Property/Casualty and Life Insurance Agent with The Connors Insurance Agency in Mechanicville, NY.  Mr. Connors can be reached at (518)664-7307 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The recent winter storms, not only in our area, but parts of the South and in particular Atlanta, not only wreaked havoc on traffic, but left many motorists and vehicles stranded on highways for days.  Some people were forced to stay in their cars overnight, while others abandoned their vehicles to escape the gridlock.

The harshness of the winter that the entire country is experiencing emphasizes the importance of making sure that your vehicle is prepared for cold and inclement weather.

There are two important aspects of vehicle preparedness during the winter months.  Make sure that your car is winterized and make sure you have the right equipment on hand to help solve any problem that may arise.

Some important things to check when winterizing your vehicle would be your antifreeze level, brakes, heater and defroster, oil, tires, lights and windshield wipers.  And make sure to keep your gas tank as full as possible to prevent the fuel line from freezing.

If you’re on the road when disaster strikes, having the right equipment and materials in your car can help to rescue yourself and others, or allow you to safely remain in your car until help arrives.  These would include a first aid kit, ice scraper, jumper cables, blankets, a flashlight, snack foods and water.

Keeping your car properly equipped and in top condition will reduce the risk of a serious winter weather related incident on the road, as well as leave you better prepared to handle any emergencies that may arise.

Kevin Connors is a Certified Insurance Counselor and licensed Property/Casualty and Life Insurance Agent with The Connors Insurance Agency in Mechanicville, NY.  Mr. Connors can be reached at (518)664-7307 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.