Summer fun
Summer safety

Summer is not over yet and many of us are spending as much time as we can outdoors — pool parties, cookouts, and other fun activities — before everyone heads back to school. While having all that fun outdoors, it’s important to remember to be safe. Here are some tips that may help keep your family and guests out of harm’s way:

• Pool safety — Install a safety fence around your pool. Educate your family and guests on pool rules: no running around the pool; no food or drinks while swimming; and no diving. Consider posting a “Pool rules” sign. Always keep an eye on children when they are in and around the pool.
• Grilling safety — Be sure an adult monitors the grill at all times. Keep children and pets away from the grill and tools you use to cook. Be sure to turn off or extinguish the grill and remaining embers, candles, outdoor fire pits, barbecues and the like before retiring to the indoors.
• Patio safety — Redirect sprinklers that may drench your patio — the excess water can cause slippery areas. Store yard tools, hoses and other equipment to prevent people from tripping. Install proper lighting so visitors can see where they’re walking.

In spite of your best efforts, unforeseen events may happen. What would you do if a catastrophe struck and caused damage or injuries beyond the limits of your homeowners coverage? What would you do if you found yourself on the wrong end of a multi-million dollar lawsuit? Naturally, most people don’t expect the unthinkable to happen to them — but sometimes it does.
Caveat: Don’t assume that your homeowners insurance provides adequate coverage in the event you’re sued for negligence or injury. How much of your assets could be up for grabs in the event of a lawsuit is determined to a great extent by our state law.
Life is uncertain: Plan for it
You probably work very hard to accumulate assets — take steps to safeguard them. You never know when the unexpected can ruin not just your day but also your well laid financial plans for the future. Make sure you’re prepared. Call me for more information on what you can do to help protect your assets.

Why life insurance?
It’s all about financial independence

If your death would leave your family in financial difficulty, you may want to consider life insurance. Life is full of unexpected events and although we can’t prevent or predict the unexpected, we can prepare for it. Life insurance gives you the opportunity to help maintain your family’s lifestyle, dreams and finances should the unexpected occur.
Life insurance may help your family:

• Continue to pay the home mortgage
• Maintain their current standard of living
• Pay off debts, estate taxes and final expenses
• Create a fund for college education
• Continue to pursue their dreams for the future

Take some time to think about life insurance. And call me — we can work together so you can be sure you have the coverage you want and the protection your family deserves. It’s all about financial independence for the ones that you love.

Life insurance issued by Farmers New World Life Insurance Company, Mercer Island, WA 98040

It’s all about the journey …

You wouldn’t drive your motorhome to the local supermarket to do your food shopping, would you? Probably not. So why would you consider insuring your coach with a policy designed for a standard automobile? Your standard auto or homeowners policy may not offer the coverage you want for your motorhome or travel trailer.
Farmers offers specialized insurance coverage that provides important standard and optional coverages typically not available in conventional auto policies. We cover most types of motorhomes including:

• Class A, B and C motorhomes
• Luxury motorhomes
• Full-timers

Covered trailers
We also offer specialized travel trailer insurance programs that provide comprehensive coverage for covered trailers including:

• Fifth-wheels
• Pop-up campers
• Stationary travel trailers
• Park model travel trailers
• Truck-mounted campers

Call me for your RV needs including motorhomes and travel trailers. Then sit back and enjoy the journey.

Women and life insurance

Why should a man buy life insurance? To protect his family, replace lost income if he dies, provide for his own retirement security and so on. The decision to purchase insurance typically reflects a loving commitment to family and recognition of the need to meet other financial responsibilities. Why should a woman buy life insurance? For the very same reasons.

Some facts

• Just 40 percent of women own individual life insurance. (Source: “MarketTrends — LIMRA’s Factbook: 2010 Trends in United States”)
• Women of all ages average smaller amounts of individual life coverage than men of similar ages. On average, women have $129,800 of individual life insurance, while men have $187,100 of individual life insurance coverage. (Source: “Facts About Life 2011” LIMRA, 2011)
• The time mothers spend performing the 10 primary “mom job functions” would equate to an annual cash compensation of $117,856 for a stay-at-home mom. Working moms would earn $71,860 above their regular salary. (Source: salary.com, 2010 survey)

What about you?

What does your life insurance coverage look like? Is it adequate to help your loved ones, meet your objectives and fulfill your responsibilities?

• If you’re part of a two-income family — Today in many families, husbands and wives are economic partners and those two-income families typically depend on both paychecks to make ends meet.
• If you’re a single woman heading a household — If you’re the sole breadwinner responsible for the support and care of your children, your need for life insurance may be more crucial than in a dual-parent household.
• If you’re a full-time homemaker — How would your husband and children manage without you? While much of what you do as a mom is beyond value, replacing some of the services you perform could cost tens of thousands of dollars a year.
• If you’re a single woman — You may be single but you’re probably not without responsibility. You may have a mortgage or outstanding credit card debt. Perhaps you help provide support for aging parents or grandparents. Should anything happen to you, there will be final expenses that could cost tens of thousands of dollars. Without life insurance, these obligations could fall on parents and other loved ones.

Call me — I’m here to discuss your individual situation so that you can decide if life insurance is appropriate for you. And if you feel it’s not necessary at this time we can review your other insurance policies so you can be sure you have the coverage you want.

Life insurance issued by Farmers New World Life Insurance Company, Mercer Island, WA 98040

Kitchen safety tips

We use the kitchen so often that we sometimes forget about the dangers it can present. Here are some safety tips to keep in mind:
Safety “musts”
Make sure you have the following safety “musts” in your kitchen:

• Fire extinguisher — An ABC Dry Chemical fire extinguisher is recommended for kitchens as it typically will not accelerate grease fires. In addition, it leaves a non-flammable substance on the extinguished material, reducing the likelihood of reignition.¹
• Smoke detector — There are two types of home smoke alarms available — the ion type and the photoelectric type. The ion type reacts faster to open flaming fires such as a grease cooking fire. The photoelectric type reacts faster to slow smoldering fires such as burning countertops and is less likely to react to a cooking fire. You may want to consider installing one of each type in your kitchen.²
• Oven mitts — Purchase name brand oven mitts, made by leading kitchen appliance manufacturers for highly-rated performance. Silicone oven mitts can be slippery. When using them, make sure you have a strong grip on your hot pan to prevent an accident.³

Safety tips
Remember these safety practices:⁴

• Don’t leave anything that’s cooking unattended
• Keep cooking area clean to prevent grease buildup
• Have nothing flammable near the stove
• Roll up your sleeves, tuck in your shirt, and pin back long hair
• Heat cooking oil slowly

Little chefs
Many kids love to cook with their parent(s). Help keep your young chef safe:⁴

• Enforce a “kid-free zone”
• Use the back burners, and turn pot handles toward the center of the range
• Teach children that hot things can burn
• Never pick up and hold a child while cooking

If a fire starts⁴

• Use your fire extinguisher as directed
• Never throw water on a grease fire — it can accelerate the flames
• Put a lid on it
• Keep the oven or microwave door shut
• Stop, drop, and roll

Many home fires start in the kitchen so keep these safety tips in mind as you prepare to feed your hungry family.

¹Source: http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com
²Source: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pyfff/smkalarm.html
³Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_2189528_buy-oven-mitts.html
⁴Source: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/home_fire_prev/cooking.shtm

Feeling drowsy? Stop driving!

Many of us don’t get enough sleep and as a result we may become moody, irritable and easily stressed. But if you’re behind the wheel, lack of sleep can also impair your driving which may lead to potentially dangerous consequences. In addition to accidents, sleepiness can lead to higher stress levels, slower reaction times and faster, more aggressive driving. According to the National Sleep Foundation, if you experience any of these warning signs, find a safe place to pull over and get help:

• Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking and/or heavy eyelids
• Difficulty keeping your mind on the road
• Trouble keeping your head up
• Drifting from your lane, swerving, tailgating and/or hitting rumble strips
• Inability to clearly remember the last few miles driven
• Missing exits or traffic signs
• Yawning repeatedly
• Feeling restless, irritable, or aggressive

Reduce your risk

• Get enough sleep at night — Try to get adequate sleep every night — seven to nine hours if possible. This is particularly important before a road trip.
• Watch what you consume — Avoid alcohol and heavy foods such as pastas. Try to eat food high in protein. If you take medications that may make you drowsy try to take them either early enough or late enough to avoid the effects while you’re on the road.   
• Take a break, take a nap — If you begin to feel drowsy look for a safe place to take a 15- to 20-minute nap. When you wake up, refresh yourself with a snack or short walk before starting to drive again.
• Don’t drive alone — If you are going on a long road trip consider taking someone along with you. A companion who stays awake can provide interesting conversation, spot the warning signs of driver fatigue and relieve you at the wheel.

A worthwhile exercise
Try to think of a recent occasion when you experienced fatigue while driving. Now think about your mindset at the time. How did it affect your driving? Bottom line: Feeling drowsy? Stop driving!
For more information visit the National Sleep Foundation website . And call me to be sure you have the insurance you want.

Winter Driving Tips on Accelerating

Driving in Snow and Ice

The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all, if you can avoid it.

Don't go out until the snow plows and sanding trucks have had a chance to do their work, and allow yourself extra time to reach your destination.

If you must drive in snowy conditions, make sure your car is prepared (TIPS), and that you know how to handle road conditions.

It's helpful to practice winter driving techniques in a snowy, open parking lot, so you're familiar with how your car handles. Consult your owner's manual for tips specific to your vehicle.

Driving safely on icy roads

1. Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
2. Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
3. Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
4. Keep your lights and windshield clean.
5. Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
6. Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
7. Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
8. Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
9. Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

If your rear wheels skid...

1. Take your foot off the accelerator.
2. Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they're sliding right, steer right.
3. If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
4. If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
5. If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.

If your front wheels skid...

1. Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don't try to steer immediately.
2. As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in "drive" or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.

If you get stuck...

1. Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.
2. Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.
3. Use a light touch on the gas, to ease your car out.
4. Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.
5. Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.
6. Try rocking the vehicle. (Check your owner's manual first — it can damage the transmission on some vehicles.) Shift from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you're in gear, give a light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.
7. More Tips