Winter brings an increased risk for fires and other disasters. This is even more of a risk during the holidays when everyone is busy gathering with friends and family this time of year, it’s easy to overlook some simple safety measures that can reduce the risk of damage during the holidays.

• If you hang stockings on the fireplace mantle, then be sure to move them away from the fireplace before lighting a fire, and keep other decorations away from open flames and power receptacles and plugs. Statistics show that 20% of home fires that occur in December are the result of decorations that are too close to heat sources.
• Be sure your Christmas lights are used appropriately. Avoid using indoor lights in the outdoors, and vice versa; and see that the lights you use have been properly rated for their intended use. Take a moment to check each strand of lights for frayed or bare wires, damaged sockets and loose connections. If you expect to be stringing your lights together, limit to three strands to avoid overloading your extension cord.
• Consider battery operated candles as opposed to real candles to avoid a fire hazard. When using real candles, do not leave them unattended or where they can be easily knocked over.
• Avoid using lights on metallic trees which could become charged with electricity if the lights are not in good condition. Someone touching such a charged tree could be accidently electrocuted.
• When leaving the premises or going to bed, make sure to turn off all decorative lights. Keep live trees well-watered so they remain hydrated while in use. A tree that dries out can become a fire hazard if exposed to decorative lights,

View this video from the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) for more useful tips....

Home Insurance Tips

Be mindful of the risk of homeowners liability claims. Keep the front door and walkways well-lit and free of obstacles that could be a tripping or falling hazard for your visitors. In particular, if you decorate your lawn with any blow-up decorations that must be anchored in the lawn, monitor them to be sure they do not shift and obstruct your visitors’ path.  The holidays can be busy for everyone and will be likely full of activities. A few practical precautions can help you and your loved ones to enjoy an accident-free season and can prevent you from having to file homeowners insurance claims when you would rather be celebrating.

Feel free to contact any of our very capable and experienced agents at the William M. Sparks Insurance Agency here in Lutherville/Timonium MD to discuss your home insurance.  We can help you review your current insurance policy and explore your options to be sure you have the best coverage and protection according to your circumstances.

Your vacation plans are made and you’re all packed and ready to go. But wait, shouldn’t you let all your online friends know that you’ll be away? The answer is a big NO. Your pre-vacation posts could make you a prime target according to the Electronics Security Association (esaweb.org) who says an estimated 75% of burglars are using social media to find targets. These criminals spend their online time trolling social media to find out whose house will be empty and when. With that knowledge, it is an easy task for them to gain access to your empty home and take their time removing all that they wish to take. In fact, burglars are known to steal higher end items if they know they have as much time as they need.

So how do you avoid being a victim of these online burglars? Following these social media safety tips will help you to protection of your property and belongings when it counts the most.

• Vacation plans — Avoid announcing in advance your vacation plans – when you’ll leave and return, where you will go. If you must share, do so by text to just those who are closest to you. There will be plenty of time to share your vacation events when you return. Don’t give the burglars an invitation to break and enter your home.
• Location — If you believe that there is any chance that you have been targeted by burglars who have tracked your online activities, you won’t want to help them further by also showing your GPS location. Whether during your trip or just at home, keep your location private by disabling GPS location-identifying settings,
• Pricy purchases — If you purchase high-end or expensive items on your trip, it’s best not to post a photo of them? Online thieves also track posts of expensive items and could be motivated to target your home to steal such items. So yes, you would still be a target upon your return.
• Hidden data — When you take a picture with your digital camera or your phone and save it, part of what is saved in a collection of hidden data (called EXIF) which includes when and where the photo was and much more. Although some social media outlets do automatically exclude EXIF data but others do not. If you’ll be uploading photos that can be captured by others, consider removing this data before you share. In fact, you can find the simple steps to removing the EXIF data here
• Photos — Delay the posting of your vacation photos to social media until you are safely back home; and when you do eventually post your photos, remember to include the hashtag #latergram to let your social media friends know that the photo was taken earlier. If you really must share your photos in real time, then upload them to an account on Google Photos where you can share them only with those you designate. Otherwise, online thieves trolling for victims will know you’re away from home.
• Privacy — Be proactive. Long before criminals have the chance to find you online, be sure your social media settings are set to “private” or “friends only” to be sure no unwanted strangers see your posts.

Homeowners Insurance Tip

Before you leave for your vacation, take all precautions to thoroughly secure your home and property. Let a trusted neighbor know that you will be away and share your itinerary. But also have a conversation with your insurance agent to be sure that your home is sufficiently covered for any damage or theft that might occur in your absence. If you are concerned about theft of your personal data through social media, it is advisable to also explore your options for identity recovery, should you need to pursue it.

When we get a referral from a client or a friend in the community like yourself, it means a lot to us.  The experienced agents here at William M. Sparks Insurance in Timonium, MD, work hard to earn each referral by providing “top notch” service with every call and visit.  Now, we’ve found a way to say thank you for this business through our Sparks Insurance Referral Program.   It’s our way of showing appreciation for all the referrals our loyal friends have sent our way.

Lisa Steinmetz was our winner for 2015.

Lisa was chosen a while ago and invited to visit our office to receive our appreciation and her prize -- a FitBit Charge.  She was finally able to visit us recently, and we snapped a few photos to remember the occasion.

Could you be our next Referral Winner?  Check out our website for the Referral Program details, and then decide who you know that could use the service and expertise of Timonium/Lutherville's best insurance agency.

By referring your friends, neighbors and family to William Sparks Insurance Agency, you can enjoy a win-win.  Not only will you be automatically entered into our drawing to be the next Referral program Winner, but you will also have the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped those that you care about to have access to the best insurance service and expertise in Lutherville/Timonium and beyond. 

See our website for all the Referral Program details.

In case Pi Day is not circled in red on your calendar, then we’ll remind you that each March 14^th is celebrated worldwide as Pi Day in deference to a geek’s most revered irrational number known as Pi – or 3.141592653. But, this year, instead of just focusing on the first three digits of Pi, we can celebrate the entire ten-digit number on 3/14/15 at 9:26:53 a.m. It will likely pass unnoticed by many, but it is significant in that it only happens once in each century.

Not too impressed? Perhaps you’d be more interested in the Insurance Information Institute’s (III.ORG) contribution to Pi Day celebration: an infographic depicting 10 irrational insurance figures and facts.

One item on that list of irrational insurance facts relates to potential damages that can occur during a home burglary. Even if you are able to protect your valuables from a thief, that criminal can cause hundreds of dollars in damage to your home in the process of breaking, entering and searching. The III calls it irrational that only 37% of tenants carry renters insurance even though the III tells us that a policy to do that likely costs on average $187 per year.

You’ll find the other nine Irrational Insurance Facts and Figures just as interesting. You can find the infographic, “Irrational… Any Way You Slice It – Pi Day by the Numbers” on the III.ORG website.

Feel free to contact any of our very capable and experienced agents at the William M. Sparks Insurance Agency here in Lutherville/Timonium MD to discuss renters insurance.  We can help you review your current insurance policy and explore your options to be sure you have the best coverage and protection according to your circumstances. 

What would we do without the Internet? Most of us have come to rely on e-mail, websites and social media to stay connected in our personal and business worlds. Unfortunately, we also know the down side of being so connected – criminals are lurking online just waiting for the next vulnerable user.

According to Marcus Sachs, VP National Security Policy at Verizon, it is possible to be safe online; but it requires that you educate yourself and remain diligent at all times. Sachs offers these tips to help you to protect yourself:

• Be sure that all your local computer’s software is up-to-date with the most recent versions, and protect your laptop from theft.
• Online, think carefully before posting personal information and photos, use strong/complex passwords and avoid phishing schemes by avoid using suspicious links.
• Be careful when sharing files from your home network, and take time to know exactly who will receive your replies to e-mails and online posts.
• Before you have an issue, know whom to contact for help, and take action immediately when you suspect a problem has occurred.

Get much more detail by reading: “Top 10 Ways to Protect Your Personal Information Online”.

Tags:  insurance, personal information, cyber security, cyber crime

Here at the William M. Sparks Insurance Agency, we are always pleased to speak with you about any of your insurance questions or needs.  Why not contact us to discuss your insurance coverages?