The Importance of Business Interruption Insurance

As a business owner, you probably have some form of property insurance or another. Ensuring that your business is protected against fire, flood and other perils is simply part of doing business -- you wouldn't want to leave your life's biggest investment exposed to such risks!

What many people tend to forget, however, is that claims are not processed overnight. It may take weeks before your place of business is repaired and fully operational again. In the meantime, you could lose thousands of dollars in profit and may also have to move to a temporary location to resume business, which will incur rental and moving costs. Finally, there may be additional expenses you will be paying while your business is closed down, such as property tax and mortgage payments.

Business Interruption Insurance covers you for all of these. You will be reimbursed for the lost profits and the additional expenses you incur moving to a temporary location, and any other expenses you continue to pay to maintain your damaged or destroyed property. This is not only important from a fiscal perspective, but also in terms of customer service. If your place of business is destroyed, you will want to ensure that you don't lose any customers in the interim -- knowing that a move to a temporary location will be covered means you can continue to serve your customers without fearing a serious financial loss for doing so.

As an intelligent business owner, Business Interruption Insurance should certainly be on your radar. For some businesses, a week or two of lost profits can be a serious detriment to the overall bottom line. Give yourself the peace of mind you deserve by investing in Business Interruption Insurance!

How To Save On Home Energy Bills During Winter

During winter, home energy bills can skyrocket. As the temperature outside decreases, your home heating system has to compensate by consuming more energy to heat your home. Thankfully, there are a number of ways you can save on your home heating bills this winter.

• Get a programmable thermostat. You can save yourself a lot of money by down the heat when you're away from home. Have the programmable thermostat turn the heat down when you leave the home and turn it up just before you return. 
• Change furnace filters. Be sure you change your furnace filter every 1-3 months. 
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. Compact fluorescents use considerably less power and are well worth switching over to. 
• Don't keep devices plugged in. Toasters and laptops, for instance, use power when they're plugged in. Unplug them after usage. Or, to make life easier, plug a few devices into a power bar
• Fix leaks. Assuming your walls are well insulated, the biggest source of heat loss from your home will be from windows and doors. Check for leaks around your door's and window's by holding a lit incense stick near the caulking. The smoke will tell you whether there's a leak or not! Fix the leaks with caulking or weatherstripping. 
• Plastic film your windows. Install plastic film on the inside of your windows to reduce heat loss. Special film for your windows can be purchased at most home supply stores. 

With these tips in mind, you can reduce your energy consumption, and -- most importantly -- your energy bill this winter! 

The Advantages of Renter's Insurance

As any university or college student living away from home knows, living expenses can take a serious toll on your bank account. You may not want to think about additional expenses, especially considering rising prices in tuitions, books, and student fees. One expense you may want to consider, however, is renter's insurance.

One thing most students don't recognize is that under most landlord-tenant agreements, damage to your personal property is not covered. That means that your expensive computer, stereo equipment, and furniture may not be covered in the event that you're robbed or there's a fire. Furthermore, third-party liability is often not covered by your landlord. This means that if you have a party and someone injures themselves, you could be found legally responsible for their medical bills!

The good news is that renter's insurance is incredibly affordable. You could be paying as little as $10 a month for basic coverage! That's less than the cost of going to a movie. You can also inquire about getting coverage through your parents' insurance provider -- they may be able to attach a policy to their plan instead of getting an entirely new one.

If you're a student, talk to your parents about getting renter's insurance. As essays and projects build up, the last thing you want to worry about is getting sued or having your stuff stolen! 

A Quick and Easy Winter Weather Emergency Kit

As Alberta temperatures slide to record lows, it's more important than ever to put together a winter emergency car kit. Getting into a cold car in the morning is treacherous enough -- imagine if you were stuck in a freezing car for hours on end! The reality is that this can happen and has happened, and you need to be prepared for this possibility.

As busy individuals, it's difficult to find the time to research and compile all the necessary items for your car, so we've compiled a quick and simple check list of items that you can scrounge from at home or at the mall.

• Lots of thick blankets. You can store them in your trunk to free up room in the car. 
• Some warm extra clothes. Throw some old clothes that you don't want to wear anymore into the trunk of the car. They will come in handy if you find yourself stuck. 
• Food and water. Have a box of granola bars or trail mix in the car, and a few plastic bottles of water. It's important that the bottles of water be plastic, since plastic will not break when it freezes. 
• Candle, tin can and a small metal dish. Pick up a few candles from the store and take the top off of a tin can so you'll have a container for the candle. A small metal dish will be useful for melting your water! The candles will also provide a source of heat when you're stuck freezing in your car! 
• Waterproof matches. Naturally, to light your candle you're going to need a box of matches. 
• Wind-up flashlight. If you happen to be stranded at night, a flashlight will be essential for getting yourself unstuck or for just seeing around your car's interior. 
• Whistle. If you're stuck, you're going to want to be able to attract attention to yourself. 
• First-aid kit. In the event that you get injured, a first-aid kit could be the difference between life and death. 
• Road salt and cat litter. Road salt can help melt away snow blocks that are stopping your car from moving forward, and cat little can give you some added traction in icy conditions. Pour some in front of your tires and it may help the situation. 
• Pre-charged cell phone. Keep a fully charged cell phone in the car (but don't forget a car charger too) to make emergency calls. To make things simple, get a pre-paid plan with minutes on it so you don't have to deal with an expensive phone contract. 
• Warning flares. You should be able to pick these up at a Canadian Tire or Home Depot. They will help you get spotted in the event that you get stuck. 

Staying Safe on New Year's

New Year's is a time for friends, drinks, good food, and hopefully some dancing! Whether you're hosting a New Year's party or attending one, be sure to read these tips on staying safe this New Year's Eve! 

If you're hosting a party...

• Drunk driving accident rates spike on New Year's Eve -- do your part to limit the number of people hurt on the road by asking guests to put their keys in a jar when arriving. If this seems too drastic, you can also simply keep an eye on guests as they leave to make sure that nobody is leaving intoxicated. 
• Ensure that your guests don't slip on the walkway to the house by salting or sanding the area. Do the same for your driveway and surrounding sidewalks. If you're anticipating people parking near the house, clear the sidewalks that you think they may be walking on even if they're not directly in front of your house. 
• Turn on the outdoor lights so that guests have no trouble walking up to your house. If you have guests who have not been to your house before, it will help to have your house lit up so that they can spot your house number. 
• If you've lit candles in the house, be sure to extinguish them before going to bed. To prevent any serious fire issues, check your smoke alarm batteries before guests arrive. Replace batteries as needed. 

If you're attending a party...

• When going out, pick a designated driver or agree with your friends to take a cab if everyone drinks. 
• Drive defensively when you're out on the road -- New Year's Eve is second only to Thanksgiving in drunk driving accidents. Keep a safe distance from other drivers and don't take too long to pass. 
• If you're leaving your kids with a babysitter, be sure to leave the sitter a number where you can be reached. Keep your cell phone on you, or nearby, so you can hear it if it rings. 
• If you're going to a pub or club for New Year's, don't go alone -- bring a few friends with you. 
• When drinking, be sure to keep an eye on your glass and don't leave it unattended. For women in particular there's always the risk of someone slipping GHB into your drink. Usually this risk is averted if you are partying with friends, since they will notice if you begin exhibiting the symptoms of GHB consumption. 
• Be polite to police officers at checkstops -- they're out (usually in the cold) to keep you safe! 

4 Costly Winter Driving Habits

During the winter, the cold weather can often make it more difficult for us to make good driving decisions. To help you avoid the bad habits that often accompany the change in seasons, we have compiled a list of some of the worst ones to help you identify if you need to make some changes to your habits.

Driving with all-season tires
All-season tires, contrary to public opinion, do not actually protect you all year round. All-season tires become much less effective after the temperature drops below 7 degrees Celsius. After that, the best protection for you and your family is winter tires, which are specially designed to get better grip in cold weather.

Not clearing snow completely off your vehicle
If not cleared completely, snow from your vehicle can blow into your windshield or the windshield of other drivers. Be sure to remove all snow from your windshield, hood and roof. This will prevent you from getting into a collision, and also prevent others from getting into collisions as well.

Leaving your car running unattended
When the temperature drops, it may be tempting to put your key in the ignition and leave your car running while you go back inside the office to finish off some work. While you may think your parking spot is safe, it only takes one opportunistic criminal to pass by at the wrong time for you to have your car stolen.

Keeping your doors unlocked to stop the locks from freezing
In the winter months, it's possible for your locks to freeze up, leaving you unable to open up your vehicle. Some drivers will leave their doors unlocked in order to avoid the frustration of being locked out. However, it's an obvious security problem to leave your vehicle unlocked for days on end. Thankfully there is a very cheap solution: a $2 de-iced that can be purchased from hardware and convenience stores.

What To Do If Trapped in a Car During A Blizzard

A car stuck in the snow on the side of
a road. Photo by Kim Hansen

It is a frightening situation to be trapped in your car during a snowstorm. With poor visibility, it often feels like you're the only one for miles and the prospect of being rescued can seem unlikely. In particularly harsh storms, knowing what to do can save your life. To help you understand the proper steps to take, we've compiled a list of tips on how to respond to being trapped in a car during a blizzard. 

Stay in your car

The first mistake people make is to leave their vehicles and search for help. Unless you can see the lights of a house or another car within 50 metres, you should avoid leaving your car. In a blizzard situation, you can easily become disoriented and unable to reach your car again. 

Make your presence known

Make sure people know that you're in trouble. Put a piece of cloth around the radio antenna to show that you require assistance. Keep your keys close to the ignition so you can flick your lights on and off to alert passing vehicles. 

Run the engine to keep warm

Turn the engine on for 10 minutes out of every hour to keep you and the engine block warm. You won't use much fuel and it will ensure that your car will start without much trouble when you manage to get unstuck. Be sure that your exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow, or you risk carbon monoxide poisoning. Keep your window slightly cracked as an extra precaution. 

Move around

At least once an hour you should move around to keep blood circulation up. Move from the front of the vehicle to the back seat, clap your hands, stomp your feet, or sing and dance to your favourite song. 

Huddle together

If you're with others, huddle together to keep warm. Be sure to cover yourselves with whatever blankets or jackets you have in order to stave off hypothermia or frostbite.