When you are likely already purchasing a number of insurance policies to help protect your family and assets such as homeowners and auto insurance it may seem like overkill to purchase an umbrella policy, but the reality is it’s not. Otherwise known as excess liability insurance, an umbrella policy helps to supplement your existing liability coverage for everything from your auto to a homeowners policy. In short, your umbrella policy kicks in when you’ve exhausted your existing liability coverage and helps ensure your assets are safeguarded. 

For example, if you are in an automobile accident that involves multiple third parties being injured and are deemed to be at fault, then you can anticipate being on the hook for thousands and thousands of dollars in damages which can quickly surpass your existing liability coverage. In these situations, your umbrella policy kicks into gear to ensure that you don’t have to cover any excess damages that could leave you in financial ruin. When deciding how much umbrella coverage you need, it’s important to factor in the totality of your assets which could include homes, retirement accounts, investments, and savings. The higher your total assets the more umbrella coverage that you need. Additionally, take risk into account by factoring in your environment such as whether you have a dog that is prone to barking aggressively at strangers or have a pool that all the neighborhood kids use. Similar to your assets, the higher your risk the more umbrella coverage that you may need.

When it comes time to find the right umbrella insurance policy, let the professionals at Hamilton Fox & Company Inc. in Pinecrest, FL help. Not only will we take the time to learn about your needs, but also we’ll customize a policy that makes the right sense for you and your family. 

Depending on the nature of your business, employees are likely to experience work-related injuries. In the construction or manufacturing industries, these injuries could frequently be resulting in substantial financial obligations for your business. The workers’ compensation insurance is a program that covers your employees against work-related injuries or illness arising from work-related activities. The state mandates this program, and you must speak to one of our agents at Hamilton Fox & Company Inc. in Pinecrest, FL on how your company can benefit from worker’s compensation insurance.

Benefits of workers comp insurance

• Medical expenses

The workers’ comp insurance covers your employees’ medical expenses related to a work-related injury or illness. This may include emergency room visits, surgeries, and doctor’s prescriptions. Some work injuries may be repetitive or occur over a long period of time. Exposure to some work environments may result in long term illnesses which are covered by the workers’ comp insurance.

• Missed wages

Some work-related injuries may require your employees to stay away from work until they are completely healed. This can be a substantial cost to the company to pay salaries to employees who are not working continually. The workers’ compensation insurance pays your employees wages that miss while recovering from their injuries or illnesses.

• Disability

Where workers become temporary or permanently disabled, the workers’ comp insurance provides your disabled employees with benefits that help pay their medical bills as well as replace their lost income.

• Ongoing medical cost

Injuries to the back may require constant physical therapy. This could be expensive for your organization to maintain. The workers’ comp insurance will cover such ongoing costs, including providing the right workplace equipment such as an ergonomic seat the employee may require.

• Funeral expenses

Sadly, your employee may lose life as a result of a work-related accident. This policy will cover the funeral expenses and provide death benefits to the employee’s beneficiaries.

Please visit our offices or speak to one of our agents at Hamilton Fox & Company Inc. in Pinecrest, FL on the many benefits your employees will gain from worker’s comp insurance.

The farming and agriculture industry continues to be extremely important as it helps to ensure that people all over the world are able to gain access to healthy food. At the same time, those that own farms in the Pinecrest, FL area also own large businesses that could be quite valuable. If you are in the agriculture industry, it is important to protect your farm with proper insurance. There are several benefits that come when you get a full farm insurance policy. 

Liability Protection

If you are an owner of a farm, you are going to be taking on a lot of different liability risks. This could include risks that someone could be injured while they are on your farm or if a product you sell causes an injury or illness to another party. Since the damages associated with this risk could be serious, you will want to make sure that you are properly covered at all times with a farm insurance policy. 

Coverage for Assets

Another reason that you should get farm insurance is that it will give you coverage for your farm’s assets. A farm owner is going to invest a lot in different assets that are needed to build and operate the business. To ensure that these assets are protected, you will need to get farm insurance as it will give you a certain level of coverage for your business assets.

There are a lot of reasons that you should get a farm insurance policy. When you are looking for this insurance, you should reach out to the team at Hamilton Fox & Company Inc. The team at Hamilton Fox & Company Inc. can help farm owners all over the Pinecrest, FL area get into insurance policies that protect themselves and their investments. 

Flood insurance is the type of coverage, the purpose of which is to protect your home, your personal belongings, and financial wellbeing in case if your house is damaged by water. Flooding remains one of the most common natural disasters in the United States, which makes flood insurance so important to have. On average, a flood can cause up to $25,000 worth of damage.

The way flood insurance works is similar to your auto or home insurance. If the flood occurred and caused the damage, you need to document everything, file a flood insurance claim, and let a licensed adjuster have a look at the damage in order to process the claim you filed. Once everything is done, your insurance company will give you a check for the damages and you will be able to use it to repair the house and restore whatever was damaged or destroyed. 

It is also important to know that standard home insurance does not cover flood damages. Therefore, even if you have your homeowners’ insurance already, you still need to purchase flood insurance separately to protect your home from a flood. 

There are two ways to purchase food insurance – either through The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or through one of the private insurance companies of your choice. Even though it is not required to have flood insurance in Florida, it is still highly recommended to get one because the entire state of Florida is in a flood zone. 

If you are a resident of the Sunshine State and you are looking for a reliable insurance agency to purchase flood insurance, Hamilton Fox & Company Inc. serving Pinecrest, FL is ready to assist you. Whether you live in Pinecrest, FL or any other surrounding town, give Hamilton Fox & Company Inc a call today to discuss how you can protect your home and belongings from unpredictable flood events. 

When you own a business in Pinecrest, FL, you’re responsible for the safety and security of your employees. Depending on the nature of your business, you’ll need to put measures in place to create a safe working environment. These tips from Hamilton Fox & Company Inc. can help you get started.

Encourage Awareness

Promote safety awareness amongst your workforce to motivate them to be safety-minded. Encourage them to report hazardous conditions or situations that can lead to accidents. Take prompt action to correct these situations to create a safer work environment.

Make Contingency Plans for Disasters

Develop a plan for what to do in the event of a disaster. Designate emergency exits for employees and mark them accordingly. Conduct quarterly or bi-annual drills for vacating your business in the event of a disaster so everyone knows what to do in a crisis.

Uphold Health Standards

Educate your workers on health, safety, and cleanliness and encourage them to uphold these standards to prevent sickness and accidents.

Maintain Business Building and Workspace

Inspect your business environment periodically to see if there are upgrades that need to be made to improve safety. Clear walkways of clutter, add rubber padding to stairs, and make sure stairs have secure, slip-proof railings. 

Support Policies on Sexual Harassment

Make sure employees are aware of policies concerning sexual harassment and ensure your HR department is upholding these policies. Encourage an atmosphere of courtesy and respect in the workplace to create a safe, positive environment.

Protect Your Pinecrest, FL Business with Commercial Insurance Coverage

Talk to your Hamilton Fox & Company Inc. agent about commercial insurance to protect your Pinecrest, FL business against theft, accidents, and disaster damage. Commercial coverage protects your business assets so you can have the confidence to invest in its growth and expansion. 

If you’re looking for a worker’s comp insurance policy and have questions call the friendly agents at Hamilton Fox & Company Inc., in Pinecrest, FL.

Worker’s comp insurance is designed to help workers who get injured or become sick because of their job or workplace. The insurance pays for worker’s medical bills and a portion of their lost wages, vocational rehab, in the event of death the funeral and burial costs are also covered. Sometimes workers comp cases end up being settled with a lump sum of money. If it appears or if it does go on for a long time (years) a settlement will be offered by the insurance company who represents and holds the policy for the employer.

Small Business and Workers Comp

If a small business is also an independent business and the only person working at the business is the owner worker’s comp insurance is not needed. If the small business has a co-owner in cases that a  policy is needed specifically if one person’s name appears on all the businesses document. If the business has one employee or 300 workers comp is needed.

Large Businesses and Workers Comp

All large businesses that employ at least one person must have worker’s comp insurance. The amount of money an employee must pay for each employee far out weights the amount of money it would cost to pay out of pocket if a worker got injured or sick on or because of the job.

Except in the States of Alabama and Missouri, businesses aren’t required to have workers comp unless they have five employees. Unless it is a construction business then regardless of the number of employees the insurance is necessary.

If you need a worker’s comp insurance policy call Hamilton Fox & Company Inc. in Pinecrest, FL call today to set up an appointment.

No matter the size of your business, you likely want to provide some kind of security for your employees in the event they become injured or sick from conducting their job activities. It can be tricky to figure out how you should discuss these matters with people who work for you. Here are a few tips on how to do so accurately and with compassion.

Workers’ Compensation in Pinecrest, FL

In the state of Florida, all businesses with four or more employees must offer worker’s compensation. All construction companies are required to provide this insurance to all of their employees, even if they’re contractors. Make sure to tell your employees that the laws only cover those illnesses and injuries that arise during the course of employment, though it doesn’t have to occur in the workplace. This includes when they’re running errands for the company, at a work social function, or traveling for business. If any of this is confusing and you want clarification to be able to give your employees all the facts, we can help at Hamilton Fox & Company Inc.

The Complexities for Workers’ Comp Claims

There are a variety of injuries and illnesses that are covered by workers’ compensation which includes the following:

• Occupational diseases occurring as a result of the conditions in the workplace (i.e. cancer and lung disease from being exposed to toxic chemicals)
• Cumulative trauma from repetitive stress or strain injuries from conducting the same physical tasks repeatedly