Thursday, February 23, 2017

What does the Bible say about Insurance...

What does the Bible say about Insurance? Are we not trusting God by getting insurance? Is insurance Biblical?

Below is some information to answers these common questions.


Disasters Will Come
Nowhere in God’s Word are Christians promised hazard-free lives, devoid of disaster and difficulty. Ecclesiastes 9:11 states, “…time and chance happen to them all.” We should expect to have to endure various difficulties (John 16:33These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.) ; Acts 14:22Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. ). 

Precautionary Measures
Taking precautionary measures to safeguard ourselves from the adverse effects of disaster is a principle clearly taught by the Bible, God’s inspired Word. Proverbs 27:12 states, “A prudent man foresees the evil, and hides himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.” Carrying appropriate levels of insurance is a means of saving for future needs, a principle emphasized in the Bible. ( Proverbs 6:6-8   Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: [7] Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, [8] Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.)).



Breadwinner Makes Provisions 
Through insurance, a breadwinner makes provisions for his family’s future well-being, should he die or become disabled. (See II Corinthians 12:14,Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not your's but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. ) (I Timothy 5:8But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.) and Proverbs 13:22A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just..) 

Planning Ahead
Christians should plan ahead for the future benefit of their families, and having insurance can be a part of that. Planning ahead could also include preparing for the unforeseeable early demise of a family member. Life insurance can be seen as a lack of faith or a love of money by some, or as prudent planning and a wise stewardship of funds by others. Each person’s conditions and convictions may differ in these areas. God certainly advocates planning ahead. The story of Joseph and his wise planning not only saved the nation of Egypt but also the people of Israel and the lineage of Christ (Genesis 41).

Insurance Protect Others
God’s law plainly demonstrates that we are responsible for compensating those incapacitated, or otherwise adversely affected, by our actions. Exodus chapters 21 & 22   provide the general guidelines for many situations in which compensatory measures are required. Carrying liability insurance coverage helps to curb the financial impact on all parties involved.

Man's Law
Man’s law also requires certain other forms of insurance in personal and business affairs. Certain minimum levels of liability insurance are required in most states in order for car owners to register their vehicles. Mortgage companies often require home buyers to purchase fire and natural disaster insurance. Businesses are required to have insurance to protect the interests of their employees, clients and customers. As long as such laws and regulations do not conflict with the keeping of God’s laws, Christians are to adhere to them. (Learn more about “Should Christians Submit to Government Authority? click here”)



Michael Fillers, CPIA, NFIP
Morris Insurance Agency, LLC
3032 Dauphin Square Connector
Mobile, AL 36607
D.251-473-5119/F.251-473-6301/C.251-753-8011
How I met JESUS in the flesh and HE saved me:

Matt 24:46-47-"Blessed is he whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions."



other sources: 
https://rcg.org/home.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/











Thursday, February 16, 2017

Insurance Audit: No Surprises, No Worries

  Insurance Premium Audit: No Surprises, No Worries


For most people, the word "audit" doesn’t convey happy thoughts. The key to a successful premium audit is preparation and knowing what to expect of the process. At Travelers, we want to ease any apprehensions by helping customers prepare for a premium audit at the beginning of their policy term – instead of waiting until the end.

To accomplish this, we’ve created a new customer audit welcome kit that includes some important details.

  • A description of what a premium audit involves.
  • Audit requirements – and why audits are a standard industry practice.
  • What customers can expect during a premium audit.
  • If and why a customer premium can change.
  • How best to prepare for an audit.
  • Frequently asked questions.
WHAT IS A PREMIUM AUDIT? Your premium has been estimated based on information provided by you or your Agent or Producer prior to the start of your policy term. Because your business may change during the policy year we want to make sure that your premium accurately reflects the state of your business over the policy term. This entails reviewing the original estimate against your actual payroll and business operations and is referred to as a premium audit. This is a standard practice and your participation in providing this information is essential in order to calculate the final premium. 

IS A PREMIUM AUDIT OPTIONAL? State regulations require us to conduct periodic premium audits of Business Insurance policies. This is an industry standard practice for all insurance companies that provide Business Insurance coverage. While the audit is a routine practice for us, we understand that it may not be for you. The enclosed FAQs provide information and tips to help you prepare. Please note that not providing requested documents may result in an Audit Noncompliance Charge or estimated audit and/or cancellation of any coverage in force at the time of audit.

 WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT? At the end of your policy period you will be contacted by our Premium Audit department letting you know it’s time to complete your audit. You will receive an invitation to complete your audit online or in-person (your type of audit is determined based on premium size, type of operation, and state requirements). In either case you will be advised as to the documents needed for your audit (refer to FAQs for examples). Your prompt attention and cooperation with the process is important to assure timely processing of your audit results. WILL MY 

PREMIUM CHANGE? After the audit is conducted your premium may be adjusted based on your business activity during the policy period. Business activity is confirmed by a review of your sales or payroll, operations, employee classifications, use of sub-contractors and inclusion or exclusion of officers. Providing accurate data ensures you don’t pay more (or less) than you should for proper insurance coverage. The enclosed FAQs includes record keeping tips that help our customers avoid surprises

Thanks for reading

p.s.

Helpful Tips to Prepare for Your Workers' Compensation Premium Audit at  https://apps.travelers.com/iwcm/AgentHQ/SmallBus/Documents/Agt_Services/premium-audit-welcome-letter-sample.pdf


Michael Fillers, CPIA, NFIP
Morris Insurance Agency, LLC
3032 Dauphin Square Connector
Mobile, AL 36607
D.251-473-5119/F.251-473-6301/C.251-753-8011
How I met JESUS in the flesh and HE saved me:

Matt 24:46-47-"Blessed is he whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions."



Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Differences Between Commercial and Personal Lines Insurance

While there are many differences between Commercial and Personal insurance policies below are 4 that come to mind.

1. Named Insureds:

On a personal lines policy, the Named Insured will be an individual or a married couple. For the business policy, there are a variety of entity types (sole proprietor, partnership, limited liability corporation, corporation, etc.) that could be listed as the Named Insured. Depending on the ownership structure, there may be multiple Named Insureds on a single policy. Understanding how different entities are set up is key to understanding who the policy is protecting and how to frontline underwrite the account.

2. Property Concerns:

When writing property coverage for personal lines consumers, agents are typically looking to cover homes and their contents. Property coverage for commercial consumers can cover a myriad of different building types – offices, storefronts, warehouses, etc. Contents coverage may cover any number of items, such as inventory, furniture, property of the business’ customers, and/or machinery.

3. Liability Concerns:

Commercial consumers will have broader concerns than personal lines consumers. Underwriters will consider four different liability exposures: premises, operations, products, and completed operations, while personal lines consumers primarily have only a premises exposure. Briefly, premises exposure is the potential that a claim could arise solely due to the condition of the property in which the business operates, operations exposure is the potential that a claim could arise in the process of the work the insured performs, products exposure is the potential that a claim could arise due to the products that the insured sells, and completed operations exposure is the potential that a claim could arise due to the work the insured performs after it is completed. Because businesses can have unique operations, it is important to understand which type of liability poses the most risk and would likely lead to a greater chance of claims.

4. Auto Insurance Concerns:

Businesses have many different needs when it comes to auto insurance. It is essential to understand who the drivers are and what the vehicles are used for. While these same principles apply when writing personal lines insurance, the variance in vehicles and uses are much greater on an auto insurance policy. Further, there are often additional regulations that apply to commercial risks. Drivers may be required to have special driver’s licenses depending on the size of the vehicles, and hauling certain commodities will require financial filings that will be new to the personal lines agent
excerpts from: https://insnerds.com/5-differences-commercial-personal-lines-insurance/

BUSINESS INSURANCE COVERAGE

Alternative Programs
Automobile LenderAviation MarineBoiler & MachineryBondingBuilders’ RiskBumbershootBusiness InterruptionCaptives (Individual / Group)CargoCommercial HullCustoms BondsCyber / Privacy PropertyDirectors & Officers LiabilityEmployee BenefitsEmployment Practices LiabilityErrors & OmissionsFidelity BondsFiduciary BondsFlood UmbrellaForeign Liability
Garage Liability

General Liability
Hull and P & I
Inland Marine
International
Liability
Marine Operations Legal Liability
Maritime / Admiralty
Maritime Employers Liability
Medical Professional Liability
Ocean Cargo
P & I (Crew Coverage)
Performance Bonds
Pollution Liability
Professional Liability
Ship Repairer’s Legal Liability
Stevedore’s Legal Liability
Surety Bonds
Terminal Operators Legal Liability
U S L & H / Jones Act
Warehousemen’s Legal Liability
Wharfinger’s Liability
Wind
Worker’s Compensation / Employer’s Liability


Garage Liability

PERSONAL COVERAGE

PERSONAL COVERAGE

  • Homeowners
  • Automobile
  • Boats/Yachts
  • Valuable Items
  • Umbrella
  • High Value Homeowners
  • Builder’s Risk
  • Excess Flood
  • Automobiles
  • Antique Automobiles
  • Artwork
  • Jewelry
  • Yacht
  • Kidnap, Ranson & Extortion
  • Domestic Staff Worker’s Compensation
  • Employment Practices Liability Coverage
  • Not for Profit Board of Directors and Fiduciary Liability

CONTACT INFORMATION



Michael Fillers, CPIA, NFIP
Morris Insurance Agency, LLC
3032 Dauphin Square Connector
Mobile, AL 36607
D.251-473-5119/F.251-473-6301/C.251-753-8011

How I met JESUS in the flesh and HE saved me:

Matt 24:46-47-"Blessed is he whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions."

Michael Fillers Insurance Blog: http://mjfillers.blogspot.com/

ABOUT



Michael was born and raised in Mobile, AL. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Finance. He also has a Minor in Economics and completed a 10 Day course in International Economics with Emphasis on the Euro Dollar in Brussels, Belgium. He has been licensed in Life, Health (2003)  Property and Casualty since 2008. Participating in both industry and community organizations, he has received designations of CPIA (Certified Professional Insurance Agent) and NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) as well as attended The Hartford Insurance School and Sales course.  He has served in many capacities with the Exchange Club of Mobile ( President, Vice President, President Elect and Luck of the Irish Cook Off Chair for three years.) He is also on their Board of Directors.  Michael has been a member of BNI since 2009 where is has served and President, Vice President, Event Coordinator, and Membership Services)  He has been on the board for the Llanfair South Yester Oaks Civic Association and is currently a member of the Lebanese-American Club of Mobile. Michael has been married to his wife Ann Lee since 2006 and has 4 children {Hollin(12), Ann Lee Adele(9), Brooks (7), Alice(4)} that keep him busy enjoying the beauty surrounding the south especially the water and beaches. Michael enjoys taking care of his client's needs and discussing insurance matters as The Insurance Guy.










Michael Fillers, CPIA, NFIP

DAUPHIN ISLAND INSURANCE AND Morris Insurance Agency, LLC

717 LAKESIDE DR SUITE A
Mobile, AL 36693
D251-753-8011

How I met JESUS in the flesh and HE saved me:

Matt 24:46-47-"Blessed is he whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions."