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Monthly Archives

September 2014

Top Exercises in the Office That Reduce Cholesterol

By Employment Resources

You may be familiar with cholesterol and its challenge to your overall health. Most doctors suggest you exercise for 10-20 minutes at a time to gain its full cholesterol-reducing effects. That’s because exercising:

*Helps you lose weight, which lowers your bad cholesterol, or LDL.
*Stimulates enzymes that exile LDL from your bloodstream.
*Expands the size of the protein particles, or lipoproteins, that carry LDL and make it harder for them to accumulate.

In honor of September’s Cholesterol Awareness Month, exercise in the office as you reduce your cholesterol and improve your health.

1. Walk

From parking in the back of the parking lot to taking the stairs instead of the elevator, use every opportunity to walk to your destination. You could even store a spare pair of sneakers in your desk and hit the halls or sidewalk during your lunch breaks. If these options don’t work for you, walk in place while talking on the phone and request walking meetings with coworkers.

2. Bike

If you’re lucky enough to work in a building with a gym, hit the exercise bikes before or after work. You could also commute on your bike or set up a small exercise bike in the corner of your office. Alternatively, pedal your legs as if you were on a bike while you work to take advantage of this exercise’s benefits.

3. Move

Depending on your job, you may be unable to walk or bike on the job. Any movement you can incorporate into your daily routine is better than sitting still all day. So, stand up and stretch, do squats, jump in place, sit on a yoga ball or dance down the halls.
These movements all improve your heart health.

Exercising regularly won’t reduce your cholesterol overnight. However, taking small steps and staying active in the office can help you stay healthy. Be sure to see your doctor for regular exams and additional information on keeping your cholesterol in check, too.

3 Ways to Celebrate Happy Hour Without Alcohol

By Employment Resources

September serves as Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. Raise awareness in the office when you celebrate happy hour, build rapport and unwind without alcohol. All the recovering alcoholics will appreciate the gesture, and you stay healthier, too.

1. Skip the Bar

Naturally, most happy hour celebrations occur in a bar. That location encourages drinking, though. Instead, arrange to meet in a non-alcoholic location like the break room, a local restaurant or under a park’s pavilion. Provide snacks and non-alcoholic beverages as you help coworkers release stress and get to know each other better while staying sober.

2. Serve Non-Alcoholic Drinks

You don’t need cocktails or beer to have fun. Serve juice, lemonade and coffee or tea instead. Three faux beverages also create an atmosphere of fun without ruining the party.

*For a tropical taste, serve Acapulco Gold. It combines coconut cream, pineapple juice, grapefruit juice and whipping cream. Serve it over ice as a refreshing and healthy drink.

*Babylove mixes coconut milk, pineapple juice, plain cream and banana syrup. Pour it over ice and top with banana slices for a cool beverage.

*Stir grenadine and orange juice together to make the Batman Cocktail. When served over ice, it tastes delicious and sweet.

3. Plan a Fun and Social Alternative

Rather than meeting for drinks, plan a socially fun alternative like bowling, zip lining or karaoke. You could also visit a museum, take a painting class or volunteer at an animal shelter together. The shared activity assists your coworkers in building bonds, and the focus is on fun and teamwork rather than alcohol.

All the non-alcoholic happy hour celebrations in the world won’t keep an alcoholic from drinking. They can, however, encourage people in recovery to stay committed to health. Likewise, if you or a coworker have a drinking problem, contact your insurance company about available resources to help you quit and get sober and healthy today.

Life Insurance Risk Classifications and Your Policy

By Life and Health

When you decide to take out a life insurance policy, the life insurance company looks at a few factors to decide what your premium rates will be. One factor is your level of coverage, or the amount that the company would pay in benefits were something to happen to you. A higher level of coverage costs more.

Companies also consider your level of risk when figuring out your premium costs. They evaluate the chances of something happening to you and forcing them to pay out. Life insurance companies comes up with its own exact value for your monthly or annual fees, but they use standard risk categories to guide their decisions.

Preferred Class

Premiums in Preferred are relatively low. You may qualify for preferred coverage if you are healthy and have few risk factors.

* Your weight is within the normal range for your height.
* No immediate family members died before age 60 from cancer or heart disease.
* Your cholesterol, blood pressure, and other values are normal.
* You have no chronic conditions.

Qualifying for Preferred Plus is even more difficult than Preferred, and your premiums in this class would be lower.

Standard and Substandard

Premiums in standard are more expensive than Preferred because you have some risk factors, such as the following.

* Mildly elevated blood pressure or slightly high LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio.
* Slightly overweight.

The cost of life insurance if you fall within the Substandard class can be three or more times as high as the cost of Standard. If you have an uncontrolled or advanced chronic condition or you are very overweight, you may be in this category.

Classes Consider Nicotine

Smoking is a risk factor for many health conditions, including oral, esophageal and lung cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory conditions. Since these increase your risk of dying, life insurance companies charge smokers extra.

You’ll need to get estimates from specific life insurance companies before making a decision, and being informed before you get quotes can help you make smarter decisions. You can have some idea of your expected rates by checking with risk class you are in.

Go Play! How Having Fun Outdoors Can Lower Your Life Insurance Rates

By Life and Health

Playing outside isn’t just for kids. It has tons of benefits for adults. One of the unexpected ones may be that it can lead to lower life insurance rates. It’s not always easy to make yourself go outside and exercise, but knowing that the effort can keep you healthy and save you money can be enough for you get off the couch. The more fun you have exercising, the better the results will be.

Benefits of Exercise

Exercise burns calories and improves your health. Since life insurance rates are based on your health risk factors, regular physical activity can help lower your life insurance rates. These are some of the benefits of exercise.

* Lower risk for heart disease and stroke.
* Lower blood pressure.
* Lower blood sugar levels and risk for diabetes.
* Stronger bones.
* Better mood.
* Clearer mind.

Make a Commitment to Exercise

Set aside some time to exercise most days of the week. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes, but even 10 minutes is better than nothing. The trick is to find some activities that you love, and any activity that is fun and gets you moving is a good choice. These are some options.

* Walk, jog, bike, swim laps, or hike.
* Join a local sports league. On the days your league doesn’t meet, train for your sport by doing drills, lifting weights, and getting in some cardio.
* Take Zumba, boot camp or kickboxing in the park.
* Go surfing.

Take Advantage of Your Kids!

If you have children, they’re probably a significant reason why you have life insurance in the first place. Why not use them to help you get in shape? They’ll keep you laughing while you exercise.

* Play Tag, Follow the Leader, or Hide-and-Seek with younger children.
* Play catch, shoot hoops, or kick a soccer ball with older children.
* Walk around the field at your children’s sports practices, and run to chase any stray balls.

Everyone can find an activity that they love as long as they keep searching for it. Keeping yourself in shape will give you more energy and can keep your life insurance rates down.

Think Twice Before Skipping Out on Life Insurance!

By Life and Health

Life insurance policies can cost from a couple hundred to a few thousand dollars per year, and you may just think of them as another bill to pay. You may assume that you don’t need life insurance, but your assumption may be wrong. Read through to see why getting a life insurance policy might be a good idea for you.

Individuals Considering Having Children or With Children

If you are thinking about having children, it’s time to start thinking about a life insurance policy. Once you start paying the premiums, your children will be in line to receive the death benefits if you were to die. They are entirely dependent on you if you are the breadwinner in the household. Even if you feel invincible because you are young, nobody is immune to tragedy.  Plus, your premiums at a young age are lower than your premiums will be later in life.

Couples Without Children

If both couples are working and either could be self-sufficient if the other one’s income stopped coming in, a life insurance policy is not necessary. If a single income due to the passing of one spouse would cause severe financial hardship, you should probably consider purchasing a life insurance policy. That would allow your spouse to continue to work at his or her job while receiving the payouts from your policy should something happen to you.

Single Adults

This one may be surprising, but single adults without children may want to consider taking out a life insurance policy. The policy can pay for your funeral costs should something happen to you. A policy can also provide for your dependents if you are taking care of an elderly parent or another person that relies on your financial contributions.

Retired Adults

You probably don’t need a life insurance policy if you are not working and nobody is depending on your income to stay financially secure. You might need one if you have dependents.

Life insurance isn’t just for working individuals with dependents. It can give you security in other situations, too. Nobody wants an extra monthly bill, but life insurance may be worth the cost for you.

Life Insurance and Obesity: Just One More Reason to Lose Weight

By Life and Health

If you’re overweight, you may already have a few reasons for wanting to lose weight. You might want to shop in regular clothing stores, feel more attractive, and have more energy. Losing weight can improve your health, too. As if these reasons weren’t enough motivation to lose weight, the effects of obesity on your life insurance policy can also inspire you to lose a few pounds.

Why Obesity Affects Life Insurance Rates

Life insurance is based on your risk of dying. Obesity can drive up your life insurance rates and affect your policy category because the extra pounds increase your risk for chronic conditions. These dangerous and potentially fatal conditions include the following.

* Heart disease.
* Type 2 diabetes.
* Gallbladder disease.
* Asthma.
* Sleep apnea.
* Liver disease.
* Stroke.

Are You Overweight?

Being as little as 10 pounds over your ideal weight increases your health risks, making life insurance more expensive and keeping you out of a preferred policy. About two-third of American adults are overweight or obese, and you can find out whether you are overweight or obese using a BMI calculator. Just enter your height and weight. If your BMI is over 30, you are considered obese.

Make Modest Lifestyle Changes to Lose Weight

Crash diets are not fun and they don’t work. For lasting weight loss, think about small changes that you can make throughout the day to eat fewer calories and exercise a little more.

* Grab fruit instead of cookies for dessert.
* Have raw cut vegetables for a crunchy snack instead of potato chips.
* Serve yourself smaller portions.
* Drink water instead of soda.
* Go for a walk after dinner.
* Choose lean meats and cut skin off of chicken before cooking it.

These small changes can help you lose weight and get healthier. You’ll feel better and look better, and you may be rewarded with lower life insurance rates!

M&A: Are Your CFO and Board Members Aligned?

By Risk Management Bulletin

Mergers and acquisitions are part of many businesses’ strategic planning initiatives, and to be carried out effectively, CFOs and board members ideally should be in alignment.

For many companies, though, achieving consonance between financial officers and board members who may have an incomplete understanding of the financial implications of M&A can be problematic. A recent survey by Deloitte identified the ways CFOs and boards end to diverge and provided some suggestions for gaining the buy-in and cooperation necessary to enable M&A deals to proceed smoothly:

* Ensure the CFO clearly and thoroughly communicates the potential future risks and benefits associated with an M&A, including risks and benefits associated with the diversification of products and markets, and then relates or “ranks” them against each other to demonstrate the level of risk that’s potentially involved. Seeing risks and benefits in relation to each other can help non-financial experts understand the tangible value of a proposed M&A deal.
* Understand that CFOs may be more “friendly” to the idea of accruing debt to complete M&As and other deals than many directors. When necessary, CFOs should be willing to describe the benefits of assuming debt rather than depleting cash resources when an M&A offers significant value to the company. Again, a comparative measure of return can help board members relate to the potential advantages of an M&A or other deal.
* Board members should be assessed for their willingness to embrace risk and to become better educated about risk-benefit analysis, and opportunities to improve understanding and facilitation of M&A deals should be evaluated and implemented.

By working together, directors and CFOs can create value and promote growth. If an M&A deal is in your company’s future, helping these two influencers to align more closely can help ensure you maximize your company’s ROI while minimizing its potential risks.

Upgrading technology? Here’s what you need to know

By Risk Management Bulletin

For most businesses, adding new technology comes with more than just the upfront monetary cost. New technology usually involves a learning curve during which time operator errors tend to be high and efficiency drops off. It’s also a time when your business can be exposed to greater risks. Why? Two primary reasons: As noted, unfamiliarity with equipment can lead to errors that can leave you open to unexpected loss or damage; and at the same time, employees’ and managers’ attention is diverted from “normal” routines and focused on adapting to the demands of the new technology.

Every business needs to upgrade technology from time to time. So how can you make the transition without exposing your company to elevated risk? By incorporating risk management into every phase of the upgrade, from the purchasing decision to training and final implementation.

Here are some tips:

* Plan carefully. Many companies plan based only on cost and features. Instead, consider the human impact including the learning period when risks can be at their highest. Consider ways to decrease the curve or speed-up the learning process, or have a mitigation plan in place.
* Consider hiring a technology consultant or ask if your supplier offers a training program or any guidance with planning and implementation.
* Allot additional resources during training to ensure more focus is placed on identifying and managing potential risks. Hopefully before they occur.
* Implement a reporting system that allows you to monitor implementation and track progress so you can anticipate risks during both current and future technology upgrades.
* Make sure to upgrade your risk management plans, operational procedures and insurance coverage as needed to reflect the upgrade.
New technology can help your business grow and stay competitive. Just be sure to plan carefully to minimize your company’s risk exposure during the transition period.

Reducing Risks: Is Your Insurance Up to Date?

By Risk Management Bulletin

During the next few issues, we’ll be looking at some ways to help you manage risk and save costs by making smart decisions about your insurance. Let’s get started:

* Choose deductibles wisely. Since a higher deductible usually means a lower premium, you want to hit that “sweet spot” where the deductible you choose balances your risk profile. Don’t choose a deductible that’s so high, it could have a negative financial impact in the event of a loss; but don’t choose one that’s lower than you need based on the risks your business faces, either.
* Make sure your property values are in line with policy limits. Have you purchased new equipment or upgraded your facility, or perhaps scaled back in some way or made improvements that could lower your premium? Make sure to let your insurance company know about changes in your property value or additions like an upgraded security system to ensure you have the right amount of coverage at the best possible rates.
* Know your loss ratio. Your loss ratio is determined by dividing the annual premium that you pay by the amount of any claims you’ve made in the past year. Most insurance companies look at loss ratios for the past several years when determining risk. A lower ratio means less risk, and that means lower rates and better deals for you. Knowing your ratio can help you prepare for rate increases and it can also help you negotiate for lower rates when your ratio is favorable.
* Plan for price shifts. Like other commodities, the cost of insurance is cyclical, and if your rates have been low for a few years, there’s a good chance they may go up in the near future. Avoid “sticker shock” by budgeting at the high end of the market so you’re prepared for potential price increases.

Look for more tips in next month’s issue.

FBI Offers Tactics for Avoiding Online Scams

By Risk Management Bulletin

Last month, we looked at some of the less common strategies hackers and other online criminals use to gain access to business’s accounts and steal data and personal information. In this month’s issue, we’re looking at some hacking prevention tips provided by the FBI:

* Make sure your computer system uses multiple layers of security to help would-be thwart attackers.
* Use the highest security settings on social sites and ideally, restrict access to social sites at work to only those who must use them, such as marketing personnel or managers.
* Make sure firewalls and anti-virus software are updated and enabled on all systems.
* Provide annual training in online security and educate employees about what company information they may and may not share.
* Make sure employees change passwords regularly and do not use former passwords.
* Monitor dataflow on your network at all times and respond to potential threats or risky employee behavior immediately.
* Implement a reporting system where employees can notify managers about potential threats or risks such as phishing or pharming.
* Review prior threats, risks and losses and develop and implement plans to avoid incidents in the future.
* Develop a robust BYOD policy and make sure to enforce it.
* Make sure your employees do not use work computers to access personal accounts or networking sites.

The Internet is an important tool for most companies today, from small companies to major corporations. In fact, for most companies, it’s hard to imagine operating without some sort of online presence. While virtually any business activity can pose potential risks, smart businesses work hard to establish protocols to identify potential risks so they can be avoided and, if unavoidable, mitigated. Implement these strategies from the FBI to help decrease your risks when using the Internet in your business.