Are you one of the 45% or so of American adults that make New Year’s resolutions each year? How does that work out for you? Do you stick to them, or do you tend to lose your resolve as over half do after the first month? Regardless of whether you have met your goals in the past, it’s a good idea to keep trying. The folks at ProactiveChange.com tell us that those who make explicit resolutions are ten times more likely to attain their goals in life than those who don’t make such resolutions.

Whether you are making resolutions to improve your personal or business life, a few tips and tools from the experts might help to make 2015 the year that you reach the goals you aspire to.

Are Your Resolutions Visual & Clear?

International Business Times offers an unforgettable way to visualize your goals with a Vision Board in their “5 Tips To Make Lasting Changes...”

Are Your Efforts Worth It?

In their “9 Ways to keep your New Year’s resolutions”, Bankrate.com advises not to make “cheap resolutions” but to focus on only one or two goals that you really want to reach and forget about what other people want you to accomplish. They also offer a very sound suggestion for automating your efforts, and they offer some valuable examples to get you started.

Why Not Take it Easy on Yourself?

Eriesense.com, in their article “Seven Tips to Help Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick”, recommends “mini-resolutions” – taking small bites of a big goal to assure success. And, if you’re a person who responds better to penalties than rewards, they suggest a unique automated disincentive that you won’t want to ignore.

Insurance Tip:  Don't Guess at Your Coverage

No matter what you resolve to change in 2014, the start of this new year is just the right time to sit down with your insurance agent to review your policies and discuss any new insurance needs. Whether it is auto, home, life or business insurance, knowing that you have the best coverage in place to meet your needs gives you the peace of mind you need to pursue all other resolutions.

Here at the William M. Sparks Insurance Agency, we are always glad to help you consider your insurance options so you can make the right decisions. Why not arrange a policy review or contact our office at your convenience?

You know how it starts – traffic back-ups, roadway gridlock, driver distractions – circumstances that try the patience of even the calmest driver. In such circumstances, many drivers tend to become aggressive. However, most of them don’t take it to the next level and act out with road rage.

Need more incentive to stay cool? Try this... Depending upon the circumstances, when you cross the line to exhibit aggression on the road, your car insurance may no longer protect you if you should happen to be involved in an auto accident.

In “Keep Your Cool When Road Rage Hits”, ErieSense.com offers, “It’s important to keep control when dealing with an aggressive driver and not retaliate in order to prevent further problems. It offers “six tips to help you keep your cool when dealing with aggressive drivers so you don’t become one yourself.”

Read the article to learn more about road rage and how to best protect yourself.

The William M. Sparks Insurance Agency in Lutherville - Timonium MD is a full service agency offering homeowners insurance, auto/car insurance, business/commercial insurance and life insurance to all of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania since 1981. Our experienced insurance agents welcome your inquiries and are glad to discuss your coverage needs at any time.

We all know how burdensome student loans can be for college students. They can soar to six figures and sometimes take decades to pay off. Therefore, those who co-sign on such loans are taking on significant risk because, should the unthinkable happen and the student die, the co-signer is often responsible for repayment. Perhaps the answer which will offer protection and peace of mind is Life Insurance.

ErieSense.com says: “This is especially true for private loans: While many federal student loans let a borrower’s cosigners complete paperwork releasing them and the estate from the debt, many private student loans do not. What’s more, in community property states like Wisconsin, surviving spouses are often held responsible for a deceased spouse’s outstanding loans.”

Read the article to learn how life insurance can protect in the repayment of student loans.

The William M. Sparks Insurance Agency in Lutherville - Timonium MD is a full service agency offering homeowners insurance, auto/car insurance, business/commercial insurance and life insurance to all of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania since 1981. Our experienced insurance agents welcome your inquiries and are glad to discuss your coverage needs at any time.

Ask any business owner – from the huge retailer to the one-person shop, and they’ll likely tell you that the security of their business data is a top concern for them. The latest high profile victim of data theft is Home Depot where the recently-discovered data breach could reach back through months of processing and potentially affect all of the retailer’s 2,200 U.S. stores. However, perhaps of greater concern is that 55 percent of small businesses responding to a recent survey said they experienced a business data breach.

How does it happen? There are many vulnerabilities – from poor office procedures causing improper document handling to theft of a computer or staff compromise. The result is lost or stolen data – whether your local database is hacked or that “cloud solution” you rely on is suddenly exploited or goes belly-up overnight – taking your business data with it. If you have not done your own secure data back-ups and kept copies of critical data, then you are at risk.

ErieSense.com says: “The personal information of customers, employees and/or tenants entrusted to you is critical to the day-to-day functioning of your business… Whether it’s a misplaced computer, an improperly shredded document or a hacked database, business data can easily become exposed. If it does, a business data breach could occur.”

Read this article to learn what measures to take to help avoid a data breach.

The William M. Sparks Insurance Agency in Lutherville - Timonium MD is a full service agency offering homeowners insurance, auto/car insurance, business/commercial insurance and life insurance to all of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania since 1981. Our experienced insurance agents welcome your inquiries and are glad to discuss your coverage needs at any time.

When we think of summer weather phenomena, hurricanes are often top of mind. But in fact lightning occurs more frequently, affects more areas, and packs a huge – although different – punch. Lightning strikes without warning and, in an instant, can cause devastating structure fires, deaths and hundreds of millions in damage expenses – not to mention the threat to your personal safety. How much do you know about lightning? For example, would you know what time of day and month of the year most lightning occurs? It is worthwhile to know as much about this threat as you can so you are able to protect yourself and your family as well as your property.

ErieSense.com says: “From 2007 to 2011, local U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 22,600 fires per year that were started by lightning. These fires caused an average of nine civilian deaths and $451 million in direct property damage per year. Home fires accounted for 19 percent of the lightning fires.”

See the article, view the video and study the infographic to learn more about lightning and lightning protection systems.

The William M. Sparks Insurance Agency in Lutherville - Timonium MD is a full service agency offering homeowners insurance, auto/car insurance, business/commercial insurance and life insurance to all of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania since 1981. Our experienced insurance agents welcome your inquiries and are glad to discuss your coverage needs at any time.