So, You Want to be a Landlord

 By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pixabay

If you’re thinking of renting out your Florida home, condo, mobile home or even a room in your home, there are a few things you need to know.  That’s because as a landlord in Florida, you have to live up to the obligations imposed by the state.  Meet the demands detailed in the Florida Residential Landlord Tenant Act and you’ll be able to extract an income from your property.  Fail to live up to the letter of the law and you could find yourself fined by the state or taken to court by your tenant.  For the uninitiated, being a first-time landlord can be a bit daunting.  To help make the Florida landlord-tenant laws a bit easier to digest, here are some things you need to know before you put up a For Rent sign:

How to Protect Your Startup Business

By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pixabay

If you’re looking to start a new business, you want to make sure it has a fighting chance to thrive for years to come.  Statistics show that two thirds of startups don’t survive the first three years of operation.  While the reasons for business failure are many, some of the most prevalent are undercapitalization, overestimation of sales volume, and failure to adequately protect the business from the risks inherent to the marketplace.  While I can’t help you raise or make money with your latest venture, one of the things I can show you are ten ways to protect it from the slings and arrows of the free market.

Lightning the Load

By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pixabay

It’s that time of year again in Florida when just about every afternoon you can expect a passing thunderstorm to make an appearance.  As well as the gusty winds and torrential showers, thunderheads also pack a wallop every time they unleash a lightning bolt that can discharge up to a billion volts n an earsplitting instant.  Like it or not, lightning isn’t only a hazard to life and limb. It can also do some serious damage to home.  Lightning strikes in the US cause more than $1 billion in property damage every year. To help you understand the kinds of hazards an electrical storm presents to your home and how to mitigate the danger, I’ve created a top-10 list of lightning hazards.

10 Ways to Prepare Your Home for a Flood

 By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pixabay

Most everyone in north Florida breathed a sigh of relief after Tropical Storm Elsa blew through town last week.  While there were some downed trees and powerlines, it wasn’t nearly as hair raising a storm as Hurricane Irma was a few years back.  While the high wind and torrential rain that comes along with a named storm leave many people quaking in their boots when the weatherman tells them one is headed their way, what most homeowners don’t realize is that when it comes to severe damage, there’s another peril that can be unleashed whenever severe weather rears its ugly head.  I’m talking about flooding.  We insurance agents know that when it comes to damage claims, flood damage trumps wind and rain damage by far.  To help you get prepared for the next named storm, I thought I’d give you ten was to prepare your property for a potential flood.

How to Keep Your Kids Safe at the Pool and Beach

 By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pixabay

When it gets hot, many families like to head to the beach or a swimming pool to cool off.  While getting in the water is a great way to beat the heat, it’s also a danger zone for children.  Like it or not, drowning is the number two cause of accidental death for kids aged 5-15 and the number one cause for children aged 1-4.  Of the approximately 750 children who drown every year, half do so within 25 yards of a parent or other responsible adult.  If you want to keep your kids safe in the water, here’s what you need to know.

Why You Should Consider Switching Your Home Business to Commercial Insurance

 By Catherine Powell

 

Image courtesy Pixabay

Homeowner’s and auto insurance are terrific ways to cover your personal assets from such things as fire, theft and acts of God.  However, if you use either your home or your personal vehicle for business purposes, you had better be aware that there are built-in exclusions that could leave you holding the bag should you need to file a claim.  For those of you who run a small business out of your home or moonlight as an Uber or Lyft driver, this blog will show you what you need to do to keep your business from putting you in the poor house.

Ten Things Newlyweds Need to Know About Insurance

 By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pixabay

If you’ve recently wed or are within months of tying the knot, there are some things you need to know when it comes to insurance.  The good news is that combining households can represent a substantial saving when it comes to insurance.  The bad news is you may need to add some additional coverage to better protect the assets your new household represents.  Either way, I thought I’d give you some food for thought along with congratulations for keeping the age-old tradition of matrimony alive and well.