ROGERS, GUNTER, VAUGHN INSURANCE, INC.

RGVI Blog

May 15, 2012 -- By: Gary Parsons

The United States economy is improving and the job market is making considerable strides as well. In addition to twenty-three consecutive months of private sector job growth, weekly jobless claims hit a four year low this week. With a steadily increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP), many economists believe the US will be one of the few bright spots in an otherwise troubled global economy. Given improvements in the macroeconomic conditions, this may be the perfect time restore balance to your personal economic condition.

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Dependent Coverage and Limited Age

May 02, 2012 -- By: Sally DaCosta

Many parents have been told fairly recently they can carry their children on their group coverage for as long as age 26, even age 30 in some cases. As a rule of thumb, parents should always check with their Human Resource representative in order to find out which one of the two applies but more importantly what time of the year the Dependent Coverage is being dropped.

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Owner Operations in the Moving and Storage Industry

April 26, 2012 -- By: James D. Duncan

Owner Operators have been used in the moving and storage industry for many years. However, it has been primarily for interstate work. In an effort to control expenses, and in some instances avoid costs all together, companies are now using independent contractors for local and intrastate work. At first it could look like a good move, but you could be facing unexpected liabilities.

One of the benefits of being the “employer” is that workers compensation is the sole remedy for injuries. Employees can only collect through the workers compensation system and benefits are limited by statute. When you use contractors, you are not the employer, and are not immune. It is important that you make sure that the contractors have the proper coverage in place. The main reason is that, in some states, you are statutorily responsible for injuries to the employees of your contractors if the contractor does not have workers compensation coverage in place.

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Florida Experience Mod Changes

April 18, 2012 -- By: James D. Duncan

The National Council on Compensation Insurance has proposed changes to the way workers compensation experience modifications are calculated. These changes will have an effect on how much you pay. The change has already been approved by 25 states, and is expected to be approved by Florida this summer. If approved, it could take effect in 2013.

Currently, a single loss is capped at $5,000. Any amount over that is reduced by about 90%. A $100,000 claim would be valued at about $14,500. NCCI has proposed raising the cap to $15,000. The same $100,000 claim would be valued at $23,500, with the update. To lighten the blow, the change will probably be phased in over three years.

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Florida PIP Law Changes

April 04, 2012 -- By: James D. Duncan

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Are you on Foursquare?

March 28, 2012 -- By: Alexis Phillips

Think about how many people you know have a smart phone like an IPhone, Blackberry or a Droid. Apps are a large part of the appeal of using these technological advanced cell phones. One of my favorite apps to use is Foursquare.

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Data Breaches and Indentity Theft

March 22, 2012 -- By: James D. Duncan

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Are You Serving as a Director, Officer or Editor of an Association or Association Newsletter?

March 14, 2012 -- By: Hope Lamantia

Are you a serving as a director, officer or editor of an association or association newsletter? You may want to check to make sure your association has a Directors and Officers policy. If they do not, you are exposing yourself to potential liability situations. Do you really want to remain with this association if they are not willing to protect the people that are willing to serve? If they do have a policy, make sure the limits are reasonably high. You may want to recommend that they have the insurance audited by an independent insurance consultant. Some agencies offer this type of service on a fee basis. Do they have the all coverages they need? Do they have coverage for independent contractors that may be really uninsured? Do they have coverage for any property the association owns or the common areas? Do they have a Commercial Umbrella policy to protect the assets of the association?

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Did You Know the Rogers, Gunter, Vaughn is Now on Twitter?

March 07, 2012 -- By: Alexis Phillips

We are pleased to announce that Rogers, Gunter Vaughn Insurance is now on Twitter. Our Twitter handle is @RGVI.

Twitter as most of you know is a little different than Facebook in that you only have 140 characters per tweet. A tweet is really like a mini blog post. These mini blog posts are short, informative and to the point. I use Twitter as a great source for up to the minute news and information from my favorite news sources. You can follow almost all news outlets and they usually Tweet updates to their Twitter feeds continuously. Of course, I also use it to keep up with friends and family.

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1 In Every 4 Drivers is Uninsured

February 29, 2012 -- By: Hope Lamantia

1 in every 4 drivers in Florida is uninsured. That is right, they have no insurance at all. Can you believe this? Even though it’s required by law, many are not carrying insurance for economic reasons. What can you do to protect yourself? Make sure you have uninsured motorist coverage on your auto policy. It really seems unfair that you have to carry insurance for your liability to others AND have to carry insurance for those who do not carry insurance or only buy what the law requires. I, personally, am more willing to carry the coverage and know that I will have it when I need. If someone does not have insurance or not enough coverage, I know that I will still be taken care of.

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