december 2013 - excalibur insurance€¦ · be ripped to shreds in less than three sec-onds? food...

P.A.Roy Insurance Brokers Inc ~

PHONE: 800-361-1072 ~ FAX: 519-482-9474 ~ EMAIL: [email protected]

Inside This Issue:

• The Hidden

Costs of Christmas… Pg#2

• Four Surprising Hearing Loss Factors… Pg#4

• New Improved Referral Program… Pg#5

• Win FREE tickets to Chicago the Musical… Pg#7

• Changes to Ontario Auto Insurance Premiums… Pg#7

It is hard to believe Christmas is upon us and another year will soon be over. In true December fashion the Toronto Maple Leafs are hitting their traditional December slump.

On a positive note we are pleased to announce that Excalibur Insurance Group won the Business of the Year and the Healthy Communities Award at the Clinton Central Huron Business & Community Excellence Award Gala. We would like to congratulate the other winners: Retail Trade and Professional Award Winner - Groves TV and Appliance, Lifetime Entrepreneur Achievement Award Winner - 93 year old Bee Cooke, Citizen of The Year - Dave Hanley and The BIA Champion - Michael Russo. We are lucky to be involved in a great community and to live in a great country. Carol Bailey, from our Wingham office had some exciting news this past month. Her son Mark Bailey received the Commanders Commendation Award. This is a very exceptional award that was given to Mark for delivering exceptional performance while deployed to the Afghan National Army's Regional Military

Training Centre. Mark is a member of the multinational Tactical Advisor Team, and his outstanding initiative and organizational skills enhanced the Team's ability to deliver clear and relevant advice to their Afghan counterparts. Mark’s superb efforts significantly enhanced the quality of mentorship delivered and brought great credit to the Canadian Forces. The Excalibur Insurance Group would like to wish all our clients, insurance companies, family and friends a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

(Excalibur Protection Team) Back: Lori Gunther-Manson, Jessica Bailey, Justin Damsma, Jeff Roy, Andrea Vanderloo Front: Carol Bailey, Heather Ashcroft, Cindy Pym, Cathi Cullen, Una Roy and Kim Heroux Robinson One last thought for the year: “People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas”. Jeff, Una, Caitlin, Ryan and Maggie

December 2013

News and Tips to Make Your Life Easier, Safer and Happier



December 2013

Congratulations To Our November Referral

Winner:

Chuck & Jodi Robertson

Congratulations to

Heather Ward our

October Referral

Winner.

Excalibur Insurance as

part of Perth Huron

Insurance Brokers

Donated $4,000 to set

up the New

Huron Fire Prevention

Association

The Hidden Costs of Christmas How much do you plan on spending for Christmas this year? Okay, now how much do you really plan on spending for Christmas this year? When it comes to Christmas, we think about the gifts. But have you considered these hidden Christmas costs?

Electricity Are you competing in the neighborhood Christmas-light contest? Is your front lawn visible from space during December? Let your lights shine if that’s your thing, but be prepared for the power bill spike in January.

Visitors Every family has one. It’s the house that everyone flocks to during the holiday season. That means, at some point in December, you could have 32 people sprawled out across every room in your house. That’s 32 showers, and 32 bowls of cereal, and 32 opportunities to spill a drink on your white carpet. Make sure you budget for this.

Shipping First, you’ve got all the stamps for your Christmas cards. Then, for the people you’ll actually be sending presents to, there are all of those pesky shipping costs. Don’t pro-crastinate, because shipping overnight isn’t cheap during the Christmas season.

Stocking stuffers You’ve got the candy. Then there’s the $3 toy car. For your budget, stocking stuffers can be death by a thousand cuts. Keep it simple.

Gas We’re talking about the kind you use while waiting in mall traffic, while traveling to the in-laws house, while doing the 4,000 things you’ve scheduled during the holidays. . . . Don’t forget about the gas. Maybe you’ve noticed that it isn’t cheap!

Wrapping paper You’d be surprised at how much we spend on wrapping paper every year. Get the cheap stuff—the really cheap stuff if you can. Why spend a lot of money on something that will be ripped to shreds in less than three sec-onds?

Food Of course, there’s party food if you’re hosting a party. But if you have overnight visitors, don’t forget about snacks and all the basics like bread and milk . It’s easy to get caught up in the “main event” food like ham and turkey and dressing while forgetting about all the other little food expenses.

Charity Hopefully, you haven’t forgotten about giving to those less fortunate. The greatest way to avoid hidden costs is to plan ahead! Don’t let these items sneak up on you, and you’ll have a much less stressful Christmas—the way it’s meant to be.

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December 2013

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Insurance 101: Car insurance doesn’t

cover Christmas gifts

Here's one more reason to lock your car in the garage on New Year’s: It’s a car thief’s favorite holiday.

Actually, it’s the cold morning of the next day that they love, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. You’re all about bowl games and possible nursing yourself from the night before and they’re all about untended cars and starting the year on an ambitious note.

The industry association’s analysis of 2010 car-theft data from the National Crime Information Center found nearly 21,000 vehicles stolen on holidays. Last year, 2,347 people were dialing the policy and their insurance company on New Year’s Day.

New Year’s Day is the only holiday that looks like a regular workday for car thieves, the NCIB found. On most holidays, thefts come in well below the annual daily average of 2,124. The lightest holiday is Christmas, when reported thefts fall by nearly half. Even car thieves have families, I guess.

Here’s how the holidays ranked in the most recent study as of 2010:

1. New Year's Day (2,347) 2. Memorial Day (2,122) 3. Halloween (2,064) 4. Labor Day (2,020) 5. New Year's Eve (1,986) 6. Christmas Eve (1,928) 7. Independence Day (1,914) 8. President's Day (1,903) 9. Valentine's Day (1,745) 10. Thanksgiving (1,605) 11. Christmas Day (1,361) So you may be thinking, “I’m safe, my car is always in the garage at night.” Well what about during the day while you are shopping?

During the day, while you are walking around the mall, after dropping your heavy armload of Christmas packages in your back seat, thieves are licking their lips. The FBI records twice as many thefts of items out of cars as car thefts themselves during this time of the year.

Well I have insurance for that right? Not so fast Rudolf. Few people realize gifts and/or personal property are not

covered by your car insurance,

The comprehensive coverage on your car insurance policy covers the broken window (as well as theft of the car itself), but it does not cover anything not permanently attached to your car.

Your homeowners policy is what you are going to need to use for items stolen out of your car. It’s possible that the credit card you used to buy the gifts might offer some coverage, sometimes called purchase security. Check your fine print.

So now you are looking at the potential of filing a homeowners claim, which usually has a higher deductible than auto insurance and could raise your rates for years to come. So, the easy strategy is to be proactive when parking at home and at the mall. Make sure you lock up packages in the trunk vs. just tossing those pretty, enticing items on the front or back seat.

We hope these tips will help you avoid the Grinch this holiday season and make your time with your family as enjoyable as possible.

4 Surprising hearing loss factors!

We all understand aging plays a role in hearing loss. Plus you’d expect that incessantly blasting music into your ear buds might also damage your ears. Some other potential causes of hearing loss, however, may surprise you. Here’s a look at four of them, and the actions you can take to maintain good hearing throughout your life:

Ear infections. Though anyone can get them, they are particularly common among children. Mild hearing loss can come and go with an ear infection, but if it lingers more than a few weeks and becomes chronic, or fluid buildup in the middle ear is persistent, it may result in more significant hearing loss or cause permanent damage. See a physician immediately if you suspect your child has an infection.

Obesity. A new study has found that obese teens had greater hearing loss across all frequencies and were almost twice as likely to have one-sided, low-frequency hearing loss compared with their normal-weight peers. Scientists suspect that obesity-related inflammation may be a factor. One more reason to help your children maintain a balanced

diet and healthy weight.

Smoking. In case you need another reason to quit: Earlier research has shown that smoking magnifies the threat of losing your hearing and that teenagers who are exposed to secondhand smoke nearly double their risk of hearing loss.

Medications. Women — particularly those under 50 — who took ibuprofen or acetaminophen two or more days a week were linked to an increased risk for hearing loss, according to research out of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. More than 200 other drugs — over-the-counter and prescription alike — also can damage hearing, sometimes permanently, says the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; they include certain types of antibiotics and chemotherapy treatments, aspirin (in large doses), anti-malarial drugs and certain diuretics used for heart and kidney problems. Work with your doctor to manage medications and monitor your hearing before and during treatment.



Protecting Your Auto, Home, Farm & Business with these fine companies since 1957!

December 2013

December 2013

Complete this Word Search and fax or bring it into the office. Excalibur Insurance Group will choose Two Winners at the end of the Month!

Rita Powell & Wayne Love Rita Powell & Wayne Love Rita Powell & Wayne Love Rita Powell & Wayne Love

Name:___________________________ Number: ______________________

December 2013

This is your chance to WIN 4 AMAZING seats to Broadway in London to see the famous musical Chicago. When: Monday February 10, 2014 Time: 7:30PM Where: Budweiser Gardens Section: Floor1 Row: D Seats: 3-6 To enter this draw please answer the following question. How many Grammy Awards has Chicago the musical won? Please email [email protected], call 519-482-9357 or fax your answer to 519-482-9474.

On August 23, 2013, Charles Sousa, Minister of Finance, Ontario, announced a targeted 15 per cent average rate reduction on Ontario auto insurance premiums. Q: When will I be getting my 15% reduction in my auto premium? A: Despite what you’ve heard in the news, the promised rate reductions are not instant and are going to take time. The government has set a target to reduce rates on average by 15% over two years ending August 2015; • 8% by August 2014 and; • Another 7% by August 2015. This means not everyone is guaranteed to see a 15% reduction as it will depend on a number of factors: 1. Your insurer – companies that can demonstrate they can’t provide

the reduction don’t have to 2. Where you live – insurers price by territory claim experience and

can justify different rates depending on where you live; 3. Your individual characteristics – its an average so some may get higher reductions while

others will get lower reductions

The rate reductions, particularly in the second year will depend on how successful the government is in reducing the cost of fraud, mostly in health claims The government is working on the licensing of health care clinics and regulating the towing industry but this will take time As a voter, you should encourage your politicians to try and fix the fraud problem as quickly as possible, because the faster fraud can be combated, the faster premiums can be lowered - but it can’t be done overnight. It will take time. Our protection team will continue to review your policies and are here to answer any question you may have on the auto changes.

2014 New and Improved Excalibur Referral Rewards Program

Win a FREE iPad Mini

For every Referral you send us we will give you a FREE Large New Orleans Pepperoni Pizza or a gift certificate from Tim

Horton's. Each month your name will be entered into a draw for a chance to WIN an Apple iPad Mini.

GRAND PRIZE ENTERTAINMENT PACKAGE – Big Screen TV and an

Xbox One $1,500 Dollar Value!! Draw made December 31, 2014.

CALL 1-800-361-1072 NOW!

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Jeff & Una Roy President & Manager P.A.Roy Insurance Brokers 56 Albert Street, Box 191 Clinton, Ontario N0M 1L0

december 2013 - excalibur insurance€¦ · be ripped to shreds in less than three sec-onds? food...

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