Posts Tagged ‘Insurance’
By: George Francis, President / CEO at Alta Vista Insurance Agency
As social media platforms become vehicles for businesses to steer down the vast Internet freeway, the complexities of these once simple applications are growing. It’s no secret that what was once considered “hip” niche marketing has now evolved into a strategy that many businesses are now utilizing. Social media was previously thought of as a tool used by younger generations to interact and network on the web. Now, while remaining that, it has become an avenue for businesses to expand their brand awareness and reach new customers they may have not encountered before—not to mention it allows independent insurance agencies like ours, to be visible and active right where our consumers are.
Brand awareness ultimately is the goal companies have in mind when creating these online accounts and they do this by acquiring as many Facebook fans as possible. But how is this accomplished? How does a business go from 100 fans to 1,000? The answer is simpler than you’d think; although it takes the proper diligence and patience – you can’t expect massive social success overnight. Below we’ve broken down some social media best practices that have proved successful for our agency:
• Call to action for your current fans: The easiest and most direct way to accumulate more Facebook fans is to ask the fans you already have to spread the word among their friends telling them to “like” your business page. Your current friends can do this by using the “suggest to friends” link under your profile in the left-hand column.
• Put links on your website and blog: Make sure your website has links for your Facebook and Twitter in a prominent spot on your homepage while suggesting that they like your Facebook and follow your Twitter somewhere near the links.
• Have fun! Above all, social media should be a fun, refreshing way to interact with current clients and build relationships with prospects. Sometimes it’s good to think outside the box, such as spicing up your social efforts with things like having contests or polls on a certain day of the week. Be creative and make sure you are appealing to the public with news and information you know people will find value in. Sharing information about California business insurance may not seem all that glamorous; but with a little imagination and creativity you can find ways to make the topic exciting and appealing to your audience.
• Be consistent, relevant & valuable: Again, remember that social media success takes time, you really are aiming to build lifelong relationships with your insurance clientele, and that doesn’t come easy. It’s recommended that you post every day on your agency’s Facebook page. Try posting at least once per day, and no more that once every 3 or so hours – you don’t want to over-stimulate and cripple your Facebook Fans with meaningless content. Make sure what you are posting is relevant – does it tie into a product or service you offer? Is it beneficial to the surrounding community? Try sharing links to recent, educational blog posts you may have written or sharing information about an upcoming community event – ask yourself if what you’re posting will or can benefit your consumer in a positive way.
It’s important that you diversify your Facebook account in order to make it more appealing and add more traffic. If you fill it with only insurance related posts, you won’t get much traction. Keep the content informative, interesting, and entertaining and you’ll see your “likes” go up in no time!
Howard Kaye of Howard Kaye Insurance Agency, Inc. Recommends Life Insurance As Vehicle for Wealth
Howard Kaye knows a thing or two about growing wealth. The son of the famous Barry Kaye, Howard Kaye has been a leader in the field of wealth creation since 1984. Under his leadership and guidance, Barry Kaye Associates grew to become a leading provider of life insurance. Now running his own firm, the Howard Kaye Insurance Agency, Inc., Howard Kaye assists his clients in growing and managing their wealth with the goal of passing it down to their heirs or charities as part of their estate plan. Life insurance is a prime vehicle for doing this.
Howard Kaye Insurance Agency, Inc. Explains The True Worth Of Life Insurance to Clients
At the Howard Kaye Insurance Agency, Inc., advisers spend a lot of time counseling clients on the benefits of life insurance policies as a means to grow wealth. Unlike investments that are dependent on the stock market, and hence, susceptible to ups and downs, life insurance is oftentimes a safer and more steady product that can provide its beneficiary with a guaranteed* sum upon payout. At Howard Kaye Insurance Agency, Inc., advisers spend time getting to know the client and their estate planning goals before recommending appropriate life insurance policies.
*Guaranteed payment of insurance proceeds is based upon the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance carrier and sufficient premium payments to keep the policy in force.
Too many small business owners spend money because they have a positive bank balance or because they think they have a positive bank balance. This can be a very dangerous practice to the health of their business.
When a business makes a big sale or gets a large upfront deposit on a new order the owner of the business may begin to spend the money to pay various bills, take the spouse out to an expensive restaurant or even buy a new boat. The owner first needs to know how much “free” cash he/she really has available to spend, before it is spent. If you are a contractor of some kind, you may need that money to buy materials for that specific job or to make payroll on that job. Just because cash is there does not mean it can be spent without a plan.
Every business needs to have some kind of “cash needs” analysis to know what is due, when it is due and how much is due. An employee may see a large check come in and think, “well, the owner has a lot of money, I am going to ask for a raise”. The employee may not realize that the job is only a break even job and all of the available funds will go to pay labor, materials and overhead on the job. There will be no profit on this certain job. Many do not realize that things like insurance, rent, utilities, etc. need to be paid every month.
Several years ago there was a contractor who received a large deposit on a job. Because he had so much money in his bank account he made a few purchasing decisions that cost him his business. He spent some of the job deposit on, yes you guessed it, a new boat. But it was only a down payment. He later lost the boat to repossession, the job was never completed and he later lost his whole business.
All business owners need to find a workable system that will help them know what to pay, when it is due and how much is due, so they will have an accurate accountability for their cash. As a wise person once said, “cash is king”. That is still a truism today. Be very careful with your “free” cash. It may mean the difference between survival and the alternative. Good luck with your business!
Looking for bankruptcy? Don’t go for it! Instead, keep bankruptcy as your last option and try out the other options which are available in the market. There are a few debt relief options to consider. The best 3 are mentioned below with brief explanations for each one of them.
Do it yourself – debt management:
This method involves arrangement of the credit cards or other personal unsecured loans in an order. The order will be a descending one with loans having high interest rates getting top priority and then followed by the ones with lower interest rates. In this method, you will have to create a new budget in which, you will have to eliminate some of the unnecessary expenses and then save some extra money. Pool this money with the amount out of your paycheck that you keep aside for loan repayment and start repayments with the one, which has the highest interest rates. This helps in containing the debt due to faster accrual of interests.
Professional or self arbitration – debt settlement:
In the method of settlement, you will have to negotiate with the creditor on your own or you will need to use professional help for doing the same. In either case, the process converges to push the creditor to eliminate the debt by a certain percentage. The amount not forgiven is to be paid in lump sum to the creditor. To force the creditor to eliminate at least 50% of the dues, the use of the bankruptcy threat is essential. Once the remainder is paid, the consumer will get a clean cheat and the debt will be considered as paid in full.
Reducing monthly installments – debt consolidation:
In this method, negotiation with the creditor is carried out by a professional negotiator who negotiates for the reduction in the interest rates and elimination of associated costs like insurance charges, over limit fees, late fees and other. The threat of bankruptcy is used to force the creditors to agree to the above conditions. When the creditors agree, they re-amortize the loans and then the monthly installment burden for the consumer is reduced significantly.
The above mentioned three methods ensure that the credit score of the consumers remain unharmed and that the consumers get back their financial stability and get out of their debts asap. This is not possible in case of bankruptcy filing because, once the consumers go for bankruptcy, the FICO score will be lost completely. This brings in more financial troubles for the consumers. Hence, personal bankruptcy should be avoided.
Financial planning is a process of setting objectives, assessing assets and resources, estimating future financial needs , and making plans to achieve certain goals. Many elements are involved in personal financial planning. Typical financial planning tools include investing, asset allocation, risk management, taxation, life cover, retirement, insurance, and estate and trust planning.
In the long term, financial planning will assist you to manage your finances to achieve your goals and dreams, while at the same time negotiating the inevitable financial barriers that arise throughout life. Always remember that personal financial planning is a process and not a product.
Good financial advice is about providing you with the information you need to move in the direction to achieve your goals. This is why the financial planning services of a personal financial planner can make a huge difference to your financial future. Personal financial planning helps you create a stable future and improve your financial status by creating a plan that lets you save and invest your money so that it can start working for you.
A PSG Konsult financial planner can help you make financial decisions to give you peace of mind, because good advice is money well spent.
PSG Konsult’s financial planners offer high quality, independent advice regarding all aspects of personal financial planning. Our independence is our most trusted asset, because this enables us to source the best options available to suit your needs – regardless of the product provider. This means that you will receive a service that matches the most suitable solutions to your very unique circumstances.
With PSG financial planning you never have to worry about being on the wrong side of the law. We have standardised our personal financial planning and investment processes to meet all the legal requirements. We recognise the need to measure our advice to clients according to a benchmark that sets the standard in the industry. Our benchmark of the “best advice” and offering “superior services” are the cornerstones of this process.
We have an extensive support structure to assist our financial planners and portfolio managers. Financial planning services rendered in this regards include:
* Induction training.
* Bi-annual work sessions.
* Other specialised training on an ad hoc basis.
We ensure a high standard of financial planning within the company and provide the means to maintain that standard. Our in-house designed financial planning tools and modules make it possible to deliver a professional financial and investment planning service, backed by our excellent reporting processes.
We have more than 200 offices throughout the country that can ensure you peace of mind. You can search for offices by region, by advisor name or by advisor speciality. You can also request to speak to an advisor and we will ensure that one of our highly skilled advisors contact you.
We place a strong emphasis on personal financial planning services and on building lifetime relationships with our clients. We believe that the better you plan the better your future will be.
Our expert financial planners, portfolio managers, short-term insurance brokers and stockbrokers offer a unique one-stop integrated financial planning service, providing a diverse range of needs and offering appropriate financial and related products.
A PSG Konsult financial planner is a practicing professional who will assist you to manage various aspects of your financial wellbeing through proper planning. All of us can benefit from expert financial planning services including but not limited to: retirement planning, investment planning, risk management and insurance planning, tax planning, estate planning and business succession planning (for business owners).