Courtesy of insuringflorida.org The biggest threat to recovery after a natural disaster is the mass of people who are unprepared for it. After every single tornado, hurricane or flood, the media easily find people who have been impacted by the event, and they invariable say nearly the same thing: “I never saw it get this bad before.” Sure, seeing is believing. But even then it’s not enough. Those who’ve been through a devastating event think it can never happen to them twice. Until it does. Is there a cure for complacency? Yes, there is and it is to take action. At an insurance industry meeting this week, a weather expert from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) mentioned an odd-sounding term: “Reasonable Worst-Case Scenario.” A first impression is that seems like two extremes. Is it reasonable, or is it the worst? But think about it as the weather experts and disaster-planning experts do: It’s what could reasonably happen with a direct hit from a powerful …
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Demographics Don’t Lie, We Are Getting Older!
Courtesy of Insuring Florida According to the U.S. Census data, in 2010 there were 22 people over the age of 65 for every 100 people. By 2030, that number will rise steeply with 35 of every 100 Americans being over 65 years old. That’s 19 percent of the population. No surprise that Florida ranks #1 with the most households with senior citizens. Obviously, the need for long-term care insurance will increase. Most people buy long-term care insurance around age 60, says the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. The younger you are when you buy it, the more likely you are to be accepted for coverage. If you apply in your 50s, there’s a one in 10 chance you’ll be rejected. If you apply in your 60s, the chance of rejection is two in 10, and the odds against you double if you wait to apply for coverage until you hit your 70s. Of course, the younger you are, the lower the premium will be for a given set of benefits and features. Once the premium is set, it stays at that amount for …
Hurricane Prep Tips 2017
Courtesy of iii.org Its 2017 and another hurricane season is about to be breathing down our necks. Maybe youve grown immune or indifferent after seasons of weather threats proved wrong. A word of advice: Never let your guard down. Did recent reminders of the need for storm vigilance get your attention in 2016? Hurricane Hermine and Hurricane Matthew hit Florida last fall. If neither storm affected you, it might be easy to ignore them. The weather is wild and, despite all the scientific tools available, its hard to predict where the winds will go and how powerful they will be. What you dont know about preparing for bad weather can hurt you. For example, did you know that Hurricane Matthew last October blew up to be a Category 5 hurricane within a 24-hour time frame? If you are surprised, so were weather experts; they said no other storm had intensified that quickly. Read the report about Matthew defying weather forecast models, and then thank our lucky stars that it …