All jobs have occupational hazards – even office workers get paper cuts or, more often these days, carpal tunnel syndrome. But some occupations are riskier than others, rodeo clowns? You bet. And those risks are reflected in insurance policies. Disability and life insurance policies are especially affected by dangerous jobs.
Now that the year is almost over, it’s time to evaluate 2016’s storm season in Lubbock and the greater south plains. We interviewed Joel Mowery, Co-Owner of SERVPRO of Southwest Lubbock. Together with Ron Hettler, President of Hettler Insurance, we have two experts on protecting property and restoring what is lost after a disaster.
All Texans know that we live in the greatest state on earth. As such, we don’t like to be bothered by problems that divert us from advancing our business, socializing or just relaxing with some Friday night football. So it’s no wonder that many folks don’t want to face the frightening and highly inconvenient problem of climate change. But it’s here, and a spate of recent weather extremes are affecting the insurance industry.
Most of the business owners around Lubbock, exclude coverage for themselves and other executives in their workers’ compensation policy. It seems that many owners don’t like the idea of getting hurt or don’t believe that an accident will befall them.
Open carry legislation went into effect in Texas on January 1, 2016. This means that ordinary citizens with an existing concealed handgun license, can openly carry their firearms in public. There are several exceptions, including college campuses, federal and state owned land and in businesses that overtly prohibit open carry. While Texas is by no means the first state to allow open carry, it’s the biggest! And Texans are well known for prizing their guns.
Many people who don’t own commercial property would be surprised to learn that 60% of American commercial buildings are insured for terrorism. This means many ordinary building owners – not just high-profile targets – are purchasing coverage. In fact, while the country at large was shocked by the 14 people killed last December in San Bernardino, the owner had the foresight to buy terrorism insurance.
If you start reading about all the types of insurance on the market for a business, you might become overwhelmed. It’s a rookie mistake to forgo insurance, thinking coverage for a new business is an unnecessary expense.
Instead, let’s look at the minimum amount of insurance an entrepreneur should carry. Note the types and amount you should carry depend on your industry, location and the size of your business.
As you surely know by now, small employers in Texas are facing a series of changes under the Affordable Care Act. Some of these changes center around the Adjusted Community Rating (ACR), which went into effect in January of 2014. So far, it’s affected small businesses with 1 to 50 employees. But starting in 2016, employers with 51 to 100 employees will also be subject to ACR. Let’s look at ACR basics and some possible ways to navigate this potentially costly development.
With Halloween just around the corner, you may have questions regarding the mishaps and creatures in many horror movies. While we can’t answer why the villain won’t utter a word or how the characters always die so easily, we can answer your insurance questions regarding the haunting of Halloween. We also decided to tackle some more common insurance problems that can happen in October.
Tornado! The mere word conjures up fear. Lubbock, TX has experienced 92 tornadoes over the past 56 years according to http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/Texas/Lubbock Lubbock averages more than one tornado in the county each year. So there’s no question that we have an abundance of activity that regularly strikes our town.
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Hettler Insurance Agency
Ron Hettler
4432 S Loop 289
Lubbock, TX 79414