URGENT:

Check your equipment VALUES

Due to the current shortage of parts and materials-we have seen salvage values almost quadruple in the last 6 months. If your equipment is not valued correctly, you will be very disappointed if you should have a claim.

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We just had a claim where the equipment was valued by the insured at $25,000. The repairs are approximately $13,000. The SALVAGE BID for his truck was $14,000. According to Illinois Insurance law-this is a “constructive total loss”. That means the insurance company is mandated to hand him a check for the $25,000 for a total loss MINUS his deductible….and KEEP HIS TRUCK-selling it to the salvage bidder.

The actual value of the Tractor was $32,500!

DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU.

We are increasing values on equipment daily. The cost is minimal-the value to you is priceless.

Feel free to call with any questions, or ask for the premiums on value changes.

What to do:

1.  Never undervalue your equipment.

2.  Check NADA values of your units.

3.  Check sources such as Truckpaper.com for comparable unit.

4.  Contact your truck salesperson for an estimate of values.

5.  Call our office to adjust values accordingly.

815-338-2452.

Whether you have a few PCs or hundreds on a network, there’s one thing that can separate your system from being compromised:

A great password.

1. Don’t be complacent: Attacks can and do happen.

Hackers are a devious bunch and will stop at nothing to get into your network and files. They use three different methods to get to you: brute force, dictionary attacks, and social engineering.

Brute force is the most time-consuming method. Basically, it involves a program that tries every combination of letters, numbers, and keyboard characters to guess your password. Another method of attack is through the use of custom dictionaries. These dictionaries are filled with words and names, but also number and letter combinations. The third and most effective method of attack is social engineering. This involves someone with criminal intent soliciting a password directly from a user.

2. Know what makes for a bad password.

Because the attacks described above are becoming increasingly more common, you don’t want to use anything in your password that’s personal and easy to guess. Keep in mind the following don’ts:

• Don’t use only letters or only numbers.
• Don’t use names of spouses, children, girlfriends/boyfriends, street you live on or pets.
• Don’t use names of spouses, children, girlfriends/boyfriends,street you live on or pets.

3. Get proficient at creating good passwords.

A good password is one that is easy to remember but difficult to guess. There are a couple of different ways to create difficult-to-crack passwords. One is substituting letters with characters and numbers. To make it easier on yourself, try to use numbers and characters that resemble the letters they are replacing.

4. Change your password often—as in several times a year.

Your network administrator can force your employees to change their password every so often. Microsoft recommends having users change their passwords every 30 to 90 days.

NOTE: The recommendations above aren’t just for your business, but will keep your personal information safeguarded as well. Because bad practices at home are often reflected in the work place when it comes to securing data, encourage your employees, family, and friends  to change their passwords to personal Web sites—such as to banking, Internet e-mail accounts, shopping sites, and so on, and advise them not to use the same password for all of their sites.

Test Your Password Strength HERE:

http://www.passwordmeter.com – On this site, you’ll receive ratings of “Weak”, “Good”, “Strong”.

http://howsecureismypassword.net – Here you won’t find a measurement of “Good” or “Poor”, but instead it will tell you approximately how long it would take to CRACK your password!

http://www.testyourpassword.com – Weary of putting your real passwords through these testers? This one lets you generate a random password and then lets you put it to the test. We took a random generated password from this site and put it into the previous one and it said it would be cracked instantly!

Last but not least, from Microsoft itself: https://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/password-checker.aspx – And you’re back to receiving a rating of “Good”, “Strong” etc.

To address residents’ concerns quicker, they’re using the power of social media — in particular their @ComEd Twitter account – to answer concerned citizen’s questions and requests quicker.  Of course, more than having their fears assuaged, most residents are tweeting their complaints, demands and pleas to get electric power back to their areas. It is currently 80 degrees F with humidity at 72 percent.  Most people were concerned about elderly residents and spoiling food.

ComEd is not unfamailer with the problems long term power outages cause and have a claim form to file for losses you may have. Click this link for ComEd’s claim form and instructions https://www.comed.com/…Brochuresandforms/comedclaimform.pdf

Come ride with John and Susan for a great day of fun, food, friends, and raise money for Gavers Comunity Cancer Foundation

We all know a direct lightning strike can cause severe damage to any structure, electronics, and mechanical systems.  However, an indirect strike is far more common and, and until the use of CSST, was not commonly associated with fires.

CSST is a flexible fuel gas tubing system that was intended to replace black iron pipe as a means of transporting natural gas and propane from the meter outside to the structure and the various appliances and machinery fueled by gas.  CSST has often favored over black iron pipe as it is less labor intensive to install and is flexible to bend around objects.

When a lightning strike occurs, as far away as 3 miles, a large amount of electrical energy travels through the earth in an unpredictable manner.  The energy can enter a structure through any conductive path, such as a water main, gas piping, or utility wiring.  For a microsecond, the energy travels through the property until the electricity is able to reach the ground.  Black iron pipe, after 100 years of continuouse use, has proven it has no problem with such a surge. The thickness of the iron pipe allows it to absorb the energy without failure.

CSST, on the other hand,  is incapable of withstanding such energy and causes the energy to arc to other metal services (pipe, duct work) in the structure.  When the electrical arc occurs, a small hole in created in the CSST and the pressurized gas is ignited instantly by the heat of the event.  The result, a blow torch like flame reaching lengths of three-to-four feet with an unlimited supply of fuel!

How was this material approved by the government and installed in structures throughout the US without knowledge of this potential hazard?

When CSST was first used in the U.S. in the late 1990′s it was tested and passed corrosive resistance ability, pressure, as well as its bending capabilities.  However, the National Electric Code and the National Fuel Gas Code contain no guidance for the protection of a gas system from lightning energy.

Studies have shown CSST is over one million times more likely to fail than black iron pipes when exposed the the energy from indirect lightning.

Keep this in mind when building, updating, or purchasing you next property.  What kind of gas piping product is being or has been used?

Information gathered from National Underwriter Property & Casualty, Feb 2011

Road Check 2011

>>>June 7-9<<<

Roadside inspections are a big part of reducing truck related deaths.

So make sure that you and your equipment are ready for this

72-hour roadside inspection and law enforcement blitz.

survival tips

• Ensure that your vehicle is in tip-top shape, wear your seat belt, don’t speed, don’t dirve fatigued, and put you cell phone down when behind the wheel.
• Be aware that the most common violation areas are: brakes out of adjustment, other brake problems, lights, tires and wheels, cargo load securement
• Be professional and courteous
• Check tires carefully as bad tires and sidewall damage are an invitation for a thorough inspection
• Have your CDL & medical card (including any waivers)
• Keep you log book current (up-to-date to the last duty status) and neat, and that you have the last 7 days
• Make sure you have your annual inspection for truck and registration for trailer and that all documents in permit book are updated
• Keep in mind that all inspection violations will become part of you CSA/SMS record
• As for a sticker if you get a level one roadside inspection

First option, you will have to decide if you want to stay with your current insurance agent anyhow.  To stay with your current agent, you will have to willing to give up your current insurance policies with the excellent insurance company of Safeco and go through the proccess of getting new quotes from other companies your current agent represents.  That will mean answering many questions, signing many papers, possibly submitting your house to inspections, signing that you will get everything fixed that they want you to, and coming up with a down payment that could be as much as $______.

The other (easier) option is to keep your current insurance with Safeco – complete as is, with no changes, and no charges.  According to John Stassen, President of Stassen Insurance, this can easily be done by changing to an agent that still represents Safeco.

For example, we at Stassen Insurance are proud to still offer Safco Insurance!

1. call us at 800-872-5909 and ask for Robbie or
2. email us with your policy number, name & address, cut and paste ‘Please recognize The Stassen Insurance Agency as my agent of record’

“You can’t fix stupid…..but you can prevent it”

How will this affect my auto policy?
It really does not affect the rating of your policy because your new driver will always be supervised by a parent during the learning period. You should always keep your agent updated with this information just in case of a claim.

When should they be added to my auto policy?
Once your child does get their driver’s license then  they should be added on your auto policy as a rated driver because they will no longer be supervised and on their own. YIKES!  This will be the time when you will see a increase in your auto policy because they are now an additional driver.