You can lower your risk of drowning by wearing a life jacket — but it can’t be just any life jacket. To truly be effective, a life jacket needs to be the right type and fit correctly. You probably know you should wear a life jacket when you’re on the water, and you probably know […]
August 28, 2017
That oh-so-covetable experience of taking a dip in your very own pool? Millions of American households enjoy it, at least when the weather’s nice. With the summer heat ratcheting up, you may be coming down with a serious case of pool envy, obsessed with having a pool right outside your door for cooling off and […]
August 14, 2017
As a busy homeowner, it is easy to fall into the trap of pushing off tasks that maintain the long-term value of your home in favor of more pressing problems. That’s OK, to a point, as certain house-cleaning projects should be in the “long-term maintenance” category. But putting them on hold for too long can […]
July 17, 2017
Clients often think they don’t need renters insurance — “Nothing I have is worth that much,” they’ll say, or “I don’t have a lot of stuff.” That’s how most people think of renter’s coverage: protection for stuff, and nothing more. After all, it’s inexpensive and it doesn’t even cover the structure itself. So how important […]
June 29, 2017
Your home protects you from the elements, but heavy rains can weaken that protection. With a little maintenance and a lot of vigilance, it’s not hard to stay safe and dry. Spring rainstorms are a fact of life in many areas of the country, and they help keep things green, even if they keep you […]
June 15, 2017
Home improvement: It’s a never-ending process for many people, and for those of us who aren’t necessarily handy, it can be a hassle, too. But there are plenty of simple maintenance tasks and other improvements you can handle to make your home safer – whether you’re handy or not. And you won’t have to break […]
May 17, 2017
Many people have a limited definition of “distracted driving”: They think it only means texting behind the wheel. There’s good reason for that, because texting requires visual, manual and cognitive attention – the same attention required for safe driving. But although texting is perhaps the most dangerous distraction, there are many others that can impact […]
May 3, 2017
Maybe you’ve been here before. You’ve just come off the plane, picked up your baggage and gone to the rental car counter. You’re tired from the flight, about to begin an ambitious vacation or a challenging business project. And, this is the point at which you’re asked, “Do you want insurance with that?” Most travelers, […]
April 11, 2017
“Never trust a mechanic who drives new cars. They’re either charging too much money for their work, or they can’t keep an old car running — maybe both.” —Patricia Briggs, author Okay, maybe that approach is a bit simplistic when your car breaks down and you need to choose a mechanic. But for many people, […]
March 22, 2017
Spring is just around the corner, and that means something else might be lurking around the corner, too: A nasty pothole. February, March and April are the worst months for potholes, according to Popular Mechanics, because roads are going through a constant process of freezing, thawing and then freezing again. That can lead to cracking, […]
March 13, 2017