Welcome To Advocate Brokerage blog

Dear friends and future friends of Advocate Brokerage:

Welcome to our new blog. We hope in the coming months and years you’ll visit frequently to catch up on some local news, learn things about your insurance coverage and policies, get some pointers on securing your home and family against disasters, and find help for your insurance needs.

For more than 40 years, Advocate Brokerage has been giving its clients attentive, personal service, a tradition we plan to continue long into the future. When we opened our doors, we did so with a commitment to communicate and be there when you need us. This blog represents just another way to maintain our wonderful relationships as well as develop new friends who may be hunting around the Internet for insurance help.

So please use and enjoy the information you’ll find here, and give a call to one of our friendly, professional agents to let us know how you like it – and how we can be of assistance to you and your families today and in the future.

Sincerely,

Roz Binday

Some Tips for Safe Memorial Day Driving “>Every

Some Tips for Safe Memorial Day Driving

Every year during the annual Memorial Day Weekend holiday period, law enforcement agencies join forces day and night, from coast-to-coast, for an enforcement blitz that delivers on the message Click It or Ticket.

Why?

Because for the past six years, according to the National Safety Council, the Memorial Day holiday weekend has averaged 11.5% more traffic fatalities, about 420 each year, than similar non-holiday periods. This is likely due in part to increased travel, but also to impaired driving and other behaviors more likely to occur around a holiday.

Regarding seat belts, the NSC in 2012 estimated that 149 people survived the Memorial Day holiday weekend because they wore safety belts, and another 107 lives could have been been saved if all people wore safety belts.

To ensure a safe Memorial Day holiday weekend 2013, NSC recommends that drivers:

• Refrain from all cell phone use behind the wheel
• Make sure all passengers are buckled up and children are in age-appropriate safety seats
• All children 12 and under should always be in the back seat
• Allow plenty of travel time to avoid frustration and diminish the impulse to speed
• Drive defensively and exercise caution, especially during inclement weather
• Avoid driving while drowsy
• Designate a “non-drinking” driver – even moderate consumption of alcohol impairs reaction time and driving judgment

Advocate Brokerage and the insurance companies we represent, including Chubb, Pure and Travelers, wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. Please drive with care this weekend.

Advocate Brokerage Is Proud to Support Greyston’s Annual Gala

 

In Honor of Our Own

Jeffrey Koslowsky

Jeff Koslowsky, CFO of Advocate Brokerage, will be honored on Wednesday evening, May 22, by the Greyston Foundation in Yonkers, NY.

For more than 30 years, the Greyston Foundation has been a pioneer in social enterprise creating jobs and providing integrated programs that move individuals toward self-sufficiency. The event will be held at X20 Xaviar’s on the Hudson in Yonkers from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. If you would like to join us, for ticket information, please visit –

http://www.nycharities.org/Events/EventLevels.aspx?ETID=5791

As the former board chairman of Greyston, Jeff was responsible for the financial revitalization of the Greyston Bakery. The $10 million in revenues that the Bakery generates each year supports health services, affordable housing, job training and child care for the people of Yonkers. “Greyston changes lives. It is an honor to receive this recognition from them,” he said.

A recent Wall Street Journal “Donor of the Day” article profiled Jeffrey for his work with Greyston. In addition, Advocate Brokerage’s partner Chubb Insurance has taken a $10,000 sponsorship for the gala in recognition of Jeff’s achievement

The Greyston Bakery was founded 30 years ago by Bernie Glassman, a Zen Buddhist priest and author with actor Jeff Bridges of “The Dude and the Zen Master.” Among the bakery’s customers are Ben & Jerry’s, Whole Foods and Shake Shack. Mr. Glassman will attend the benefit along with Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and Westchester Country District Attorney Janet DiFiore, among others.

The Bakery’s motto is “We don’t hire people to bake brownies. We bake brownies to hire people.” The Bakery’s unique hiring practice is that jobs are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. If you want to work, Greyston Bakery has a job for you.

One of the highlights of the gala will be a speech by Tonya Herbin, who completed a Culinary Arts Class through Greyston’s Workforce Development Program. Tonya has landed a coveted position at Elevation Burger, one of Yonker’s new upscale eateries. There will also be a silent auction with more than 50 items ranging from a meet-and-greet with actor Ben Stiller to Yankee tickets.

At the end of the evening, Jeff will lead an effort to kick off a new Scholarship Fund for Greyston’s Child Care Center. Named after Greyston’s long-time director Sarah Brown, who recently retired, the fund will provide critically needed support for hard-working parents who can’t afford child care. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the Gary Saltz Foundation, all pledges made at the benefit will be matched dollar for dollar.

The gala will be attended by more than 300 people. Jeff’s award has already been featured in the Scarsdale Inquirer. Among the news outlets planning to attend the event are the Westchester Business Journal, the Journal News and Westchester magazine, among others.

If you can’t join us on the 22^nd, but would like to support the work of the Greyston Foundation, please visit:

http://www.nycharities.org/donate/c_donate.asp?CharityCode=1526.

Greyston to Honor Jeffrey Koslowsky

Advocate Brokerage is proud to support Greyston Foundation on the occasion of its 30th Anniversary Gala on May 22nd at X20 Xavier’s on the Hudson, 71 Water Grant Street in Yonkers. The Greyston Foundation will be honoring Advocate’s Brokerage’s Jeffrey Koslowsky for service as Chairman of the Board.

For tickets, please go to:
http://www.nycharities.org/Events/EventLevels.aspx?ETID=5791

A Westchester Earthquake? Remember Aug. 23, 2011?

(In the photo above, businesspeople gathering outside 40 Wall Street in New York City on August 23, 2011, in the wake of a 5.8 earthquake in Virginia. Photo by Ace Tabak, via Wikipedia)

Many homeowners learned a valuable lesson during Hurricane Sandy – have insurance for the unexpected.  Policy owners with the foresight to have flood insurance basically rode out the storm.

So what other catastrophes should one prepare for in the future?  Did you know that between 1970 and 2006 there are have been 25 earthquakes reported in Westchester according to instruments a Lamont-Doherty Observatory in RocklandCounty.  Granted, they have been on a small magnitude and did not cause widespread damage.  But the fact remains, earthquakes can happen in Westchester and a basic homeowner’s policy does not provide coverage.

Earthquake insurance is not expensive. It is usually around $.50 per $1,000 of a home’s value. If a home is insured for $500,000, the earthquake insurance would be $250 a year.  There is always a rather high deductible for these policies usually at around 2% of a dwelling’s value.

But structure damage from an earthquake can be substantial.  Even a small quake can do enough damage to a home that would make it unsafe to live in.  Most earthquake insurance includes coverage for living expenses while a home is being repaired as well as increased costs to meet new building codes and cost to stabilize the land under a residence.

It may seem far fetched to have earthquake insurance in WestchesterCounty.  But the fact remains that earthquakes have happened here and the damage they inflect can destroy a home. While California carries two-thirds of the earthquake risk, the magnitude of the 5.8 quake that hit Virginia in 2011 is a reminder that we are all vulnerable.

Spring is a good time to review all your insurance coverage to protect you and your property from all kinds of disasters.  Ask yourself if it is worth the additional cost to protect your property from an earthquake.

Cooking Up a Better Future by The Wall Street Journal

We are very proud of all the work that our chief financial officer Jeffrey Koslowsky has done on behalf of the Greyston Foundation in Yonkers, NY.

He has not only supported the Foundation financially, he also spearheaded a financial restructuring of the Greyston Bakery. Revenues from the sale of the Greyston Bakery’s brownies support affordable- housing, job training and a nationally-accredited child care center.Jeff was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal’s Donor of the Day column.

Click here or on the picture below to read the full article.

We look forward to seeing all our friends and supporters at the Greyston Foundation’s gala on May 22^nd where Jeff will be honored for all of his contributions.

Power Blackout Tips

A late-season snowstorm headed the tri-state area last week. Forecasters expected this storm to result in a number of disruptions varying from travel disruptions to power outages. For this reason, we want to share with you more tips on how to prevent from natural disasters.

Power outage, lack of electricity and fear can combine to do heavy damage to your property if you aren’t ready for them. By following the power blackout tips below, you can help save your food and property if a disaster were to occur.

For Your Home

• Use a surge protector to protect your electronics.
• Back up all critical files on your computer regularly.
• Have one or more coolers ready for long-term delays.
• Keep nonperishable foods on hand.
• If you have room, fill jugs of water an inch from the top and keep them in your freezer. If the power goes out, the jugs of ice will slow the defrosting of your freezer.

During A Blackout

The most important thing to remember if a power blackout occurs is to save electricity.

• Use a flashlight; never use candles.
• Unplug electrical equipment until a steady power returns.
• Don’t run a generator inside your home. Generators create carbon monoxide, which could poison anyone in the house.
• Leave one light on so you know when power has resumed.
• Eliminate unnecessary travel, especially by car.
• If power is restored, be sure it’s steady before plugging your equipment in.
• Don’t open the refrigerator or freezer. A freezer that is half full will hold for up to 24 hours, a full one for 48 hours.
• If power will be out for two to four hours, pack milk, dairy products, meats, fish, poultry, eggs and leftovers into a cooler surrounded by ice.
• After the power outage is over, check your frozen and refrigerated items with a thermometer to make sure they’re still safe to eat.

You can track the weather alerts for NY, NJ & CT by clicking the appropriate links.

For more tips on how to stay safe visit the American Red Cross and Ready.gov.

Stay safe, and always count on us!

Whitepaper on Wealth at Risk: How High Net Worth Families Overpay to Be Underinsured

Independent insurance agents and brokers frequently find that families with substantial assets who insure their homes, autos, watercraft, and valuable collections with mass  market, heavily advertised carriers overpay for protection that still leaves them exposed to severe financial loss.

What are the specific risks, and why are these high net worth (HNW) families paying more than necessary?

To find out, ACE Private Risk Services developed a whitepaper after surveyed more than 600 independent insurance agents and brokers in 2010 and again in 2012 about their HNW clients who were previously insured by a mass-market carriers.

Survey Reveals Many Opportunities to Improve Protection and Maximize Value in Families’ Personal Insurance Programs. Request this FREE WHITEPAPER below and learn more about:

• Top Areas of Overpaying
• Top Areas of Underinsuring
• Why Better Protection Does Not Need to Cost More
• A Renewed Focus on Proper Protection
• Savings Opportunities
• Guarding Against Significant Loss
• Other Coverage Optimization Opportunities
• The Personal Risk Review: The First Step Toward Superior Protection and Value

Would you want to learn more about ACE Private Risk Services? Fill out the form and we will send you the whitepaper for FREE.

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ACE Private Risk Services is the ACE Group’s high net worth personal insurance business, which provides specialty coverage for homeowners, automobile, recreational marine, umbrella liability and valuable collections insurance for individuals and families with emerging and established wealth. Policies issued by Bankers Standard Insurance Co. and ACE Insurance Co. of the Midwest. Additional information can be found at: http://www.aceprs.com. 

The ACE Group is a global leader in insurance and reinsurance serving a diverse group of clients. Headed by ACE Limited (NYSE: ACE), the ACE Group conducts its business on a worldwide basis with operating subsidiaries in more than 50 countries. Additional information can be found at: http://www.acegroup.com.