Watch our Fintech journey in action in our latest Brand Impact video below !!!
Acrisure Impact Video (brightcove.net)
Author: Jacqueline Stephens
On Saturday August 26th we hosted our 3rd annual Employee Appreciation Event at the Toronto Blue Jays Game where our team members were able to connect and enjoy an amazing game won by our Toronto Blue Jays in our amazing space at the Rogers Centre. We were joined by our EVP. Erik Bristow from Acrisure Home Office, our Sr. Director Jacqueline Stephens and the Acrisure Re team also located in Toronto.
We look forward to celebrating with the team at our next event!!
A big shout out to our Account Manager Tammy on an another amazing compliment from a happy Eastern/All Point Insurors’ client.
WOOO HOO TAMMY !!!🎉🎉🎉
“Good morning,
I understand that Tammy Mills reports to you both and I felt the need to reach out to make it known how wonderful she is to work with. I had called Tammy this morning to cancel my home owners policy. I have been a customer for over 20 years, but my policy was just too expensive. She was sympathetic to my situation and very supportive if I ever wanted to come back, if I was not happy with my new company.
Additionally, I had a situation about 6 months ago with my mortgage company not processing my home owners payment and I was close to being cancelled. Tammy went above and beyond to help rectify the situation, all the while keeping me updated and well informed about the resolution. She was extremely responsive, attentive, knowledgeable, thorough and just a simple pleasure to work with.
It is not everyday that I experience exceptional customer service but every time I have talked to Tammy Mills, that is exactly what I received. You are very lucky to have her as an employee and she is a true asset to your company.”
Regards,
D.
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of visiting our Acrisure partner, Eastern Insurors/All Point Agency, in the New Jersey office. Meeting the partners, Chris Rossi and Mike Goras, along with the team was a blast. We have been working with each other for the past 2 years and finally had the opportunity to meet in person. Chris and Mike toured me to see the towns surrounding Midland Park and showed me the history and development of the areas. I even had a chance to see where the office used to be located before we moved to the current location at 445 Godwin Ave, Midland Park, NJ.
It was a wonderful opportunity working in person at the office with them for the 2 days. Can’t wait for another chance to fly down to meet them again.
| Written By: | Chi-Hung Liao
Commercial Lines Account Executive Eastern Insurors / All Point Agency – with offices in New Jersey and Florida |
Acrisure is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Grand Rapids Pride Festival, hosted by the Grand Rapids Pride Center (GRPC). Celebrating its 34th year, Grand Rapids Pride Festival is working to create a safe, open and inclusive environment for Grand Rapids community members to celebrate who they are!
No matter who you are, how you identify, or who you love, at Acrisure we stand together to celebrate and support all LGBTQIA+ employees, clients and communities around the world.
Why Are Consulting Businesses at Risk for Cyberattacks?
You work with a variety of clients.
Consulting businesses can be more bang for a cybercriminal’s buck! If a consulting business’s data is breached, it may open the door to customers’ data also being breached.
It’s possible you are less likely to have strong cybersecurity.
Unless they are a financial consultant, cybersecurity probably has not been top of mind for consulting businesses, and many cybercriminals know it. Consulting businesses may even think of cybersecurity as an unnecessary inconvenience when they’re shuffling from contract to contract.
You may be more likely to pay and move on.
Rather than trying to find someone to respond to a ransomware attack, consulting businesses can be more likely to pay the ransom and move on with their business due to pressing deadlines and client demands.
Why Have Cybersecurity as a Consultant?
Your reputation matters.
You’ve built up your reputation through reliable, solid work. The same rings true whether you’re an environmental consultant, IT consultant, or marketing consultant, or you perform management consulting or strategy consulting. You have more to lose than some other types of companies because your business depends on your relationships—the stakes can be higher for you.
A cyberattack is disruptive.
Think about it. If you’re an independent consultant who fired up your laptop today and got greeted by a ransom request, it halted your work. Your laptop is your office! And if you passed a computer virus to your clients’ systems as an engineering consultant, you’d spend part of the day making calls that no one wants to make instead of working on complex solutions for clients.
Simple steps make a difference.
When it comes down to it, cybersecurity isn’t necessarily that complicated. The good news is that you can help improve your defenses relatively quickly.
7 Tips to Help Improve Your Cybersecurity as a Consultant
1. Have a different password for every client project and log in.
Across the board, from your business banking login to your business credit card, to your laptop itself, and all the tools you use for your business consulting services… each and every one should have its own password. You can also use a secure tool like LastPass to help you manage this task.
2. Use secure passwords.
We’re all old hands at this by now, right? Though it is tempting to be clever with your passwords, you should go past clever and include numbers and special characters. Avoid using your birthday or anniversary! And change your passwords more than once a year.
3. Avoid using public wifi without precautions.
If you’re working at a local coffee shop, help protect your passwords and business by using a VPN (virtual private network) and accessing HTTPS pages only. This isn’t the time to pay bills or check your bank balance!
4. Keep your software and computer updated.
Yes, updates can be annoying. They are your first line of defense, however. Make it a routine to go ahead and check for updates each morning or evening, or have your computer alert you when there are updates available. Delete unused software, and keep your smart phone completely updated, too!
5. Lock your computer.
If someone steals your laptop, why make it easier for them to access your files? Put a login on your computer and follow the advice on secure passwords above.
6. Back up your data.
If someone really does steal your laptop, you’ll be back up and running faster if you’ve backed up your data. This also helps if you must reformat your computer due to a pesky virus. Make it a habit or set up a continual backup.
7. Be smart about emails.
Don’t click on attachments until you have confirmed that you recognize the sender’s full email. That will save you potential agony. Update your email passwords even more often than other passwords. Have antivirus software on your computers in case someone else sends you a virus by email. If you receive an email from a client company whose name you don’t recognize, contact the company to verify their identity first.
We hope these seven tips for cybersecurity have given you some ideas on how to help protect your cybersecurity business. An additional tip is to consider cyber insurance. A cyber insurance solution can help you recover from a cyberattack, including restoring lost data. Acrisure Cyber Services1 can help consultants and financial advisors with their cyber insurance and risk mitigation needs.
1 The insurance products described are placed by Acrisure, LLC and/or its insurance producer affiliates. The non-insurance cybersecurity and related cyber services described are provided by Acrisure Cyber Services, LLC, an affiliate of Acrisure, LLC.
The Direct Link Team hosted our annual spring social event. We were able to welcome and meet our newest team members along with catching up with some of our existing group. Our team was able to enjoy a wonderful dinner, team giveaways and funtastic round of Glow in the Dark Mini Putt. Congratulations to all the winners 🙂 We sincerely thank everyone who made the effort to come out and participate in our social event and look forward to the next. 
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Every Woman Counts !!
Today is a reminder that all women, from all ages and walks of life, have a place in every aspect of Canadian society, including in the economic, social and democratic spheres.
Let’s celebrate the successful women around us, reminding today’s youth and girls that their dream is within reach.
What Is Personal Liability Insurance vs. Renters Insurance?
Being hit with a lawsuit can create serious problems for even the most financially-secure individuals. Litigation costs—not to mention the prospect of having to pay any damages awarded by the court in the event that you lose your case—can easily drain bank accounts and plunge defendants deep into debt. But there is a way to prepare for these kinds of dangers: personal liability insurance.
Here, we take a closer look at personal liability insurance, how it relates to renter insurance, and what kind of personal liability coverage you can expect.
What Is Personal Liability Insurance for Renters?
Personal liability occurs when you or other members of your household are deemed legally responsible for an accident that results in either property damage or bodily injury sustained by others. For example, if your dog gets loose and bites someone, or if you have a house guest that slips on your wet floor and breaks their arm, the injured party may decide to sue you for damages. Likewise, if you have a child who hits a baseball through a neighbor’s window and breaks a television, you may be held responsible for the damages.
Personal liability insurance protects you from having to pay out of pocket to cover these and other kinds of damages—depending on your coverage limits—and may also pay for your legal costs resulting from lawsuits. In other words, personal liability insurance is an important safety net to have under you, which is why it’s typically included as part of the standard renters insurance policy.
Personal Liability Insurance vs. Renters Insurance
Personal liability insurance is not, strictly speaking, the same thing as renters insurance.
Renters insurance is a comprehensive way to protect your possessions and your finances from unexpected dangers. Personal liability insurance is an essential part of renters insurance, which generally also includes personal property insurance and additional living expenses insurance.
What Does Personal Liability Insurance Cover?
Personal liability coverage is generally comprehensive enough to cover a range of possible scenarios, including the following:
Bodily Injury or Property Damage Caused by Pets
Dog bites are some of the most common personal liability claims, with most dog breeds covered by personal liability insurance policies (though some larger, stronger, or more aggressive breeds may be excluded from specific policies). Property damage caused by pets may also apply, such as if your cat scratches up a guest’s expensive leather jacket or if your dog runs through a neighbor’s screen door.
Bodily Injury or Property Damage as a Result of Negligence
An injury to a guest or other party as a result of negligence may also lead to liability claims. If you fail to properly de-ice your walkway and a food delivery person slips and hurts their back, or if you’re renting a single-family property and one of the trees dies and falls onto a neighbor’s house, personal liability insurance may cover the costs and damages.
Legal Expenses from Lawsuits for Damages Covered by the Policy
Personal liability insurance typically also covers legal fees and court costs related to personal liability claims. This coverage exists whether or not you are found responsible for the damages.
Taken all together, personal liability coverage needs to be capable of handling the full range of costs associated with personal liability lawsuits. This includes legal fees, medical bills, lost wages, and even death benefits. Personal liability insurance for renters usually does not cover accidents involving motor vehicles (which are usually covered by auto insurance policies), claims related to professional activities (which should be covered by business insurance policies), or injuries involving two or more people living in the same dwelling.
It’s also worth noting that personal liability insurance does not cover any intentional bodily harm or property damage. Also, most policies will contain specific exclusions or exceptions. As such, you should make sure to familiarize yourself with the details of your coverage, so you know what kind of support you can expect if an accident should occur.
How Much Personal Liability Coverage Do I Need?
Typically, renters insurance policies include $100,000 of liability coverage, but some insurance companies will also offer $300,000 and $500,000 options. If your rental property includes high-risk features such as a pool or trampoline, if you own a pet, or if you frequently entertain guests, then it might be worth the extra investment to increase your liability coverage.
If you feel as though you need additional protection beyond just increasing your personal liability coverage, consider taking out a personal umbrella policy. The right umbrella policy extends coverage beyond what is normally included in personal liability insurance and can work together with other policies to increase your coverage limits.
Every February, people across Canada participate in Black History Month events and festivities that honour the legacy of Black people in Canada and their communities.
The 2023 theme for Black History Month is: “Ours to tell”. This theme represents both an opportunity to engage in open dialogue and a commitment to learning more about the stories Black communities in Canada have to tell about their histories, successes, sacrifices and triumphs.
No matter where you live, we invite all Canadians to learn more about these communities, and how they continue to help shape Canadian history.