Flood Insurance Reauthorized! For now...

Congress finally got around to reauthorized the FEMA Flood insurance program known as the NFIP. This program is one of the only ways that homeowners can acquire flood insurance for homes in coastal areas, river flood plains, and other higher risk zones. Unfortunately it is only reauthorized until September, so you need to act now to get this protection in place for Hurricane Season.

Many homeowner's feel that they don't need this valuable coverage. Many assume that their home insurance will protect them, or that they don't live on the Mississippi, or by a bay or ocean, so they are safe. The problem with that thinking is that most flood claims happen in the lowest risk areas.

Floods are one of the most common hazards in the United States. Flood damage can be local, impacting a neighborhood or community, or very large, affecting entire river basins and multiple states. This past Spring, one street in Riverhead was damaged, and several homes in Smithtown have been determined to be unlivable.

All floods are not alike. Some floods develop slowly, sometimes over a period of days. But flash floods can develop quickly, sometimes in just a few minutes and without any visible signs of rain. Flash floods often have a dangerous wall of roaring water that carries rocks, mud, and other debris and can sweep away most things in its path. Overland flooding occurs outside a defined river or stream, such as when a levee is breached, but still can be destructive. Flooding can also occur when a dam breaks, producing effects similar to flash floods.

Be aware of flood hazards no matter where you live, but especially if you live in a low-lying area, near water or downstream from a dam. Even very small streams, gullies, creeks, culverts, dry streambeds, or low-lying ground that appear harmless in dry weather can flood. Every state is at risk from this hazard.

On Long Island, we are seeing more homes damaged in areas where the water table is rising. The rain accumulates, and then gets into the home, causing thousands of dollars of damage. People who have lived in their homes for 50 years are suffering flood damage for the first time.

If you are in a low risk zone, the coverage is less than $1 a day. But it takes 30 days to take effect, so you can't wait until the next big storm to take out a policy. Give us a call, and we can work up some scenarios for how you can protect your home.

For more information, check out the release from FEMA:

Car Seat Safety

Last week was the end of the school year, and with that comes summer play dates. One of the mom's offered to pick up my daughter for an end of year party at her house. I asked if she needed my booster seat or if she had enough. I was shocked when she told me that her 6 year old, 40 pound daughter doesn't use one.

I will chalk it up to the fact that there is no real publicity out there about booster seats for older children. There is a law in NY that regulates child seatbelt, car seat, and safety restraints.

"Every child under age 16 in the vehicle must use a safety restraint. If under age four, he or she must be properly secured in a federally-approved child safety seat that is attached to a vehicle by a safety belt or universal child restraint anchorage (LATCH) system. A child under age four who weighs more than 40 pounds may be restrained in a booster seat with a lap and shoulder belt. A child of age 4, 5, 6 or 7, must use a booster seat with lap and shoulder belt or a child safety seat (The child and safety restraint system must meet the height and weight recommendations of the restraint manufacturer.)"

If you don't follow the law, you can pay a pretty hefty fine. But more importantly, this is for the safety of your child. Anyone under 100 lbs. can be injured by seatbelts and airbags, so extra care needs to be taken with children. Even if you are a "Good Driver," I have seen many accidents where the only thing the driver did wrong was to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

So please, take the time to use a car seat, booster seat, and the proper seat belt. And make sure that you follow the directions to install them properly.

Saving Money on Auto Insurance

Hello out there. It has been a long time since I posted. Here is a quick update on saving money on auto insurance. First, make sure you are getting all of your discounts. Here are some to check:

Safe Driver - no tickets or accidents in 3 or 5 years
Home Owner - Own a home, you can pay less
Reduced Mileage - drive less than 7500 miles a year, let us know
Defensive Driving discount - take the online class and save 10%
Pay In Full- save up to 10% if you pay in full
EZ Pay - go on the automated payment plan, and don't worry about missing a payment
Good Payer - pay your premium on time, and save money

These are only a few, so call us for more savings!

Saving Money in these crazy times

With the ups and downs of the market, and all that is going on, saving money is very important. But equally important is the financial stability of your insurance company. So if you are looking to save money, you might be looking to save money by switching companies that offer a better price.

Before you make the jump, call your current company if you have a good relationship with them. There are many discounts that you might be entitled to that are out there, so make sure that you update your information. We reach out to our clients regularly, and try to make sure that they are getting them. But with life being busy, they don't always get back to me.

Some discounts to look for on your car insurance are: Good driver, driving less than 7,500 miles a year, Good Student, Prepay, EZ-Pay, Defensive Driver, Retired, Multiple Policy, and many more. So make sure that if you have anything changing in your life, update your file with your carrier.

And the financial stability of the carriers are more important now than ever. There are some major companies that are in serious trouble out there. What that will mean to you is future rate increases are coming. So make sure that your carrier is on stable ground. If you have any questions about that, then give me a call.

Rob

Is Your Home Business Covered?

Home based businesses are one of the fastest growing segments of the commercial market, but as a home-business owner you may not realize that your Homeowners insurance may not adequately cover you in case of an emergency.

If you are running a business out of your home you have unique needs. If you’re already working out of your home or if you’re thinking about starting a home-based business here are some questions to ask your agent:

• Ask what the state, county, and city requirements are for a home-based business.

• Depending on what type of business you operate you might be able to get an endorsement on your homeowner’s policy that has higher limits or covers specific perils or risks.

• Will your home-based business insurance cover your lost income or ongoing expenses if your home is damaged?

• Are there bundles or packages available for homeowners who run a business out of their home? This might lower your rates or save you money over time.

• If you have any staff you’ll need to get worker’s compensation insurance. Many home-based business owners mistakenly believe that this type of insurance in only required by businesses that have a retail or separate location, but that’s not the case.

These insurance plans can help ensure that you are prepared to face any eventuality that might occur while you are running your own business. Disasters, accidents, and crises can strike at any time. By preparing now, you may be saving your company significant money over time. Talk to your agent today.

A Zabbia In The Baseball Hall of Fame!

Here is an article about my cousin, Lou Zabbia. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. For the full article, you can go to: http://rosevillept.com/articles/2007/09/12/sports/local_sports/01zabbia.txt


Legendary Lou
Roseville man to be honored with Hall of Fame induction
By: Tom Kellar, Press-Tribune sports editor
Thursday, September 13, 2007

Courtesy Roseville resident Lou Zabbia, right, poses with Hall of Famer Willie Mays in this promotional photo. Zabbia, who spent 16 years as a manager of Senior Baseball League's Sacramento Giants, will be inducted into the Sacramento branch of the Senior Baseball League Hall of Fame in a ceremony Saturday.

This Saturday, Roseville resident Lou Zabbia will be among the first group of players and managers to be inducted into the Sacramento branch of the Men's Senior Baseball League Hall of Fame. Zabbia will find himself in elite company, with eight of the 26 inductees having had professional careers in Major League Baseball. The list includes Jim Barr, Ron Brand, Don Carrithers, Leron Lee, Butch Metzger, Bob Oliver, Lowell Palmer and Jim Willoughby.

During Zabbia's 16 years as manager of the Senior Baseball League's Sacramento Giants, his teams won eight league titles. He piloted Sacramento Senior Baseball League all-star teams to the national championship round seven times, with five of those teams eventually taking home the title.
In 1998, he guided a U.S.-team entry in the Nike World Senior Games to a first-place finish. His achievements include a 54-game win streak, spread over parts of three different seasons, and a managerial winning percentage of .786.

Zabbia, now 67, lights up when he's talking baseball, the game that so forcefully captured his imagination as a New York City youth growing up in the Bronx. Thanks to his membership in a large baseball-loving family, he became a passionate New York Giants fan before the team's move to San Francisco.

"My grandfather came from Italy and became a Giants fan, even though the Polo Grounds were in Manhattan," Zabbia said. "He took my dad to the Polo Grounds when he was a boy and in 1949, when I was 9 years old, he also took me to the Polo Grounds to see a game. I was instantly enthralled."

Zabbia's love for baseball continued to grow, reaching fever-pitch proportions two years later during the now-famous Giants-Dodgers National League playoff series. The event was an instant classic, producing one of the most memorable moments in baseball history, The Shot Heard 'Round the World. The best-of-three was tied at one victory for each team, when in the bottom half of the ninth inning, the Giants Bobby Thomson hit a three-run, walk-off homer, handing the Giants the National League crown.

"1951 was the year the Giants signed Mays. That was a magical year for baseball, a magical year for the Giants, and a magical year for me," Zabbia said.
"I was sitting in the living room of a tenement house in the Bronx when the Dodgers went up 4-1 in the ninth inning. I was alone on the couch watching a 12-inch RCA TV. My dad had walked out of the room with a broken heart, thinking the Dodgers were going to win."

What came next was total exhilaration, followed by the unintended destruction of living-room furniture.

"When Thomson hit the homerun," a smiling Zabbia said, "there were tears streaming down my face. Then I jumped up on the couch and all the springs popped out."

While still a child, Zabbia gained a clear understanding of where his sporting talent could best be utilized.

"I used to watch teams win championships and wondered what it felt like for the players when they would run on the field, jumping on each other and celebrating," Zabbia said. "I knew I wasn't much of a talent as a player, but I ended up getting to experience that feeling as a manager."

After watching the masterful job that Leo Durocher did in managing those '51 Giants, Zabbia tried to pattern his own efforts as a skipper after the man that fans called "Leo the Lip."

"I studied Durocher's style," Zabbia said. "He would go by the book in certain situations, but the majority of the decisions he made came from gut-feel and instinct." Zabbia has innumerable memories of his years in baseball, but when asked for a favorite, he points toward the '95 Senior Baseball League all-star team that won a national division title in Phoenix, despite having only 15 players.

"We only had a week to practice for Phoenix, and because our roster was short, I asked the players if they wanted to consider dropping down to a lower division," Zabbia said. "To a man they said no, telling me that if we get beat, we want to get beat by the best."

The schedule was grueling, consisting of six nine-inning games in four days, followed by a semi-final, and championship round.

To reach the semi-finals, a team could not lose more than one game, so Zabbia and his club were reeling when Barr, the team's ace pitcher, suffered his first-ever tournament loss in the opener, dropping a 5-2 decision to Phoenix.
Incredibly, the team reeled off five straight wins, clawing its way into the semi-final round where Sacramento defeated San Jose, and then Phoenix in the final, 5-0. It was Zabbia's fourth Senior Baseball crown.

"That's a memory that you just can't beat," Zabbia said. "Winning was completely unexpected, and when I see the guys from that team today, they always bring it up."

Zabbia came to Northern California after joining the Air Force, was stationed at Beale Air Force base near Wheatland, and later became a Sacramento police officer, retiring in 1996 after 25 years on the force. Zabbia has lived in the area more than 40 years.

Besides his work with Sacramento's Senior Baseball League, Zabbia is currently an assistant under Dean Perkins for Oakmont's high school team.

For a born instructor like Zabbia, some habits die hard, and some things will never change. "The love of the game will never leave me," Zabbia said. "I'm 67 now and I can't seem to get away from the sport. That's why I'm at Oakmont working with the kids. When the light goes on for a kid you're trying to teach, it's a great, great feeling."

The Sacramento Men's Senior Baseball League inaugural-induction event is set to take place at a private location in El Dorado Hills, beginning at 6 p.m.

How much you should withhold?

If you're like most people, you probably pay Uncle Sam throughout the year by having your employer withhold taxes from your paycheck.
Your employers, using tax guides given to them by government, determines how much money should be withheld from your paycheck. This is based on information you provided when you started you job.
Surprised? That's because you've probably forgotten about that Form W-4 you filled out, something most people do when they start a new job and forget to change yearly or after a life change. Examples: had a child, got married/divorced, etc…
The W-4, which can be changed any time, enables you to mark your tax filing status (single, married, etc.) and the number of allowances you want to take.
An allowance essentially reduces the amount of taxes withheld, and increases the amount of your take-home pay. Each allowance represents an exemption, credit, or some other tax benefit you plan to claim when you fill out your return.
Your goal at the beginning of every tax year should be to have withheld at least 90 percent of what you think you'll owe for that year, but not much more.
If you use the worksheet on the back of your W-4, you should have a least 90% covered
Each January, your employer sends you and the IRS a Form W-2 that reports your earnings for the prior tax year and the total amount of tax you had withheld.
You're responsible for calculating how much more you owe (and paying the difference by April 15), or, figuring out how much the IRS should refund you if you overpaid.
Although a lot of people consider a refund found money. The truth is getting a refund check just means you've given the government an interest-free loan. It's money you earned and should have had access to throughout the year.
Say you get a $1,200 refund (the average is about $1,700). You could have pocketed more money if you had adjusted your withholding so that you got an extra $100 a month and invested that money in an interest-bearing account.
Or, if you carried a credit card balance, the extra amount could have been used to pay off some of your high-interest debt.
For detailed instructions on adjusting your tax withholding, see IRS Publication 919. or for more information on how to reduce your taxes contact our office today!