EPLI Protects you from Employees-Turned-Plaintiffs
 The number of lawsuits filed by workers against their companies alleging improper employment practices is on the rise. We're talking about things like sexual harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, breach of employment contract, negligent evaluation, failure to employ or promote, wrongful discipline, deprivation of career opportunity, wrongful infliction of emotional distress and mismanagement of employee benefit plans, and the like.
While most suits like these are filed against large corporations, any company with one or more employees can be hit with one. For smaller companies, the costs to defend against one can be financially devastating. For that reason, we recommend that all business owners obtain an Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) policy. EPLI provides protection against many kinds of employee lawsuits, which are typically not covered by workers compensation policies.
To find out more about EPLI, please email or call us and we will be happy to answer your questions and provide you with a free quote.
Firm up Your Shaky Financial Future with an Earthquake Policy
 This might be an unwelcome reminder, but we live in earthquake country. That fact has been hard to escape lately with the number of recent stories and articles discussing the odds of a major quake hitting Southern California, and how many communities sit atop active faults.
Most of our clients are well aware of the danger lurking beneath the earth, and it's why so many of them ask us whether they should insure their homes against earthquake damage.
Like most insurance, it's a matter of risk versus expense. Is it worth the risk to go without earthquake insurance to save the expense of paying for it?
For most of us, our house is not only our home and all that means to us, but it's also the single biggest investment of our lives. Is it worth protecting? We think so.
We don't buy insurance coverage just to protect us from likely occurrences. We buy it to guard against unlikely and financially devastating events. Take life insurance, for example. Most of us don't expect our families to need it. Not having coverage, however, could mean a financial nightmare for our families if the unlikely should happen and a breadwinner dies prematurely.
Only 15 to 20 percent of California homeowners carry earthquake insurance. That's a mistake. The Northridge earthquake cost more than $25 billion in 1994. The damages were so bad it forced several insurance carriers to pull out of California because of their losses. That should tell you something about how financially devastating a quake could be for you personally.
Like any insurance purchase decision, you need to shop carefully for the right earthquake policy because you have options. The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) offered by the state provides coverage for your dwelling but little else (minimal personal property coverage & living expenses while displaced). Also, there is some concern that if the losses were high enough, the CEA would run out of money to pay for claims. Other more viable options are GeoVera Insurance Company and Axis Reinsurance Company (through Arrowhead), which offer more comprehensive coverages than the CEA. GeoVera and Axis can also offer a 10 percent deductible in some instances.
Earthquakes are not so much a matter of if, but when, and how big. Earthquake insurance can help make a major seismic event less of a tragedy and put your financial future on a firmer foundation. |
Avoids probate at death, including multiple probates if you own property in other states.