Feb insurance

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7 Steps to Strengthen your Cyber Security

With recent reports stating that cybercrime is now the most common offence in the UK, cyber security has never been more important, especially for businesses. With cyber-attacks on the rise, all companies must take the necessary steps to protect any databases they maintain, but most importantly the personal data of their customers and employees.
We’ve put together a list of 7 steps you can take to help make your business less vulnerable to cyber criminals.

Strong Passwords
While you may have heard it a thousand times, it is still always the best place to start. Having a strong password and a strong password policy could really save you from an attack. Using a strong password is the easiest and cheapest way to give your cyber security a boost and using 8 characters or more, with a variety of upper- and lower-case characters and symbols can go a long way.

It’s also important to keep your passwords varied. Using the same password for multiple accounts could be massively damaging if one of your accounts were to be hacked it would leave all of your accounts vulnerable.

Purchase anti-virus software
If your computer catches a virus, it’s not as visually catastrophic as you may think, your system won’t immediately begin crashing and then fade to a black screen. The reason it’s so important to invest in software to protect your system from viruses and spyware is because there are a lot of tasks being carried out in the background and that’s where the anti-virus software comes in.

A good anti-virus software will keep your system safe from the threats on both the front end and in the background, while also notifying you of potentially harmful websites and links.

Stay up-to-date
Following on from the previous tip, in order to keep all of your operating systems, software and applications at their strongest, it’s important to keep them up-to-date. Cyber criminals are always looking for new ways to exploit your system, but at the same time, the developers of your system are constantly improving their security through updates and patches.

Ensuring that every system in your company is kept up-to-date on a regular basis could potentially save you from the latest method of attack.

Check all links
One of the most common methods cyber criminals use to access personal data is phishing. You may receive email messages that appear to be from trusted sources or well-known brands that ask for your information or require you to click a link to confirm some of your details, however, by clicking the link you could be directed to an unsafe web location and your data could be vulnerable to an attack.

An easy way to check most links is by hovering your mouse over the link itself and it should show the exact address you will be taken to. Some email addresses may appear legitimate, however, it may just be displaying a fake contact name such as ‘Windows Support’ that if clicked would reveal a ‘011010.net’ email address.

If you’re suspicious, take an extra second to check that the link is secure before clicking through to a dangerous website.

Be careful when logging in while you’re out
In today’s world, there are plenty of us working while on the go, but it is vital that you remain extra vigilant when away from the office. Finding and connecting to free Wi-Fi when you’re out and about can be a lifesaver, however, free and public Wi-Fi can also be vulnerable to online criminals if the network is not protected properly.

If you can avoid using public Wi-Fi, then it’s best to keep your companies’ data safe by not accessing the network at all. However, if you have to access the network, try using a ‘private browsing’ session so that your credentials won’t be stored locally.

Always log out
This rule applies at all times, but even more so when outside of the office. If you’re logged in to an account with sensitive information such as financial or personal data, ensure that you log out before closing your browser.

If another user were to use the same system after you close the browser, there is a good chance you will still be logged in to any accounts you have accessed during your previous session. It may seem tedious to go through all of your accounts and make sure you’re fully logged out, but it could save you in the long run.

Invest In Cyber Cover
Finally, to make sure your business is fully covered against the threat of cybercrime, take a look at the details of your current business insurance policy. Your current cover may not include cyber insurance as standard, leaving your business vulnerable if the worst were to happen.

Speak to us today and we can help make sure that your policy suits your business needs.

A Guide to Gadget Insurance

There’s nothing quite like the gut-wrenching feeling you get when you shatter a gadget screen or drop your phone in a sink full of water. Best case scenario you are a little inconvenienced by not having your e-reader for a few days whilst it is repaired, worst case you are left with a broken gadget that you can’t hope to repair or replace anytime soon.

A gadget insurance policy is a relatively cheap policy which can be used to protect a single or several policies.

Does anyone really need a gadget insurance policy?

Gadget insurance isn’t a policy that everyone will need. In some cases, your home insurance will extend some protection to your gadgets whilst you are out and about. In others, you might be too careful with your gadgets to necessitate an insurance policy – but as we all know, accidents will happen.

When considering a gadget policy, you should ask yourself:

• Can I afford to replace my items if I lose or break them?

• Are my gadgets still under their manufacturer warranty?

• Have I lost or damaged my gadgets in the past?

Well, what’s included

The main benefit of gadget insurance is that there are only two types, single gadget and multiple gadget covers. That means there’s no need to shop around for specialist cover for your precious electronic devices, instead, you can protect specific gadgets or several gadgets with one policy.

Depending on the insurer, a gadget policy can be used to protect items such as:

• Camcorder
• Digital camera
• E-reader (eg. Kindle)
• Fitness tracker
• Headphones
• Laptop
• MP3 music player (eg. iPod)
• Personal digital assistant (PDA)
• Portable DVD/Blu-ray player
• Portable games console
• Sat-nav
• Smartwatch
• Tablet

The risk that you are covered against will vary depending on the insurer. Usually, it will cover you against theft, loss, mechanical breakdown, accidental damage, liquid damage and in some cases cover when you’re abroad.

Depending on the insurer you may need to pay extra for certain covers such as loss or global cover.

The appeal of gadget insurance will depend on the type of person you are. If you are constantly losing or breaking devices all the time or if you are dependent on a certain device, then a gadget policy will probably save you a good deal of money.

A Young Professional's Guide to Essential Insurance

The idea of freedom that is intertwined with our image of adulthood is one of the most exciting things about striking out on your own. You can own property or a car and you have a choice when it comes to where you go on holiday. But for each life choice you make, there is an equal responsibility. In this case, can you legally and responsibly take part in the above roles and activities without the correct insurance?

If this is your first face to face with the idea of buying insurance, we have compiled a list to take you through the essential (and sometimes legally obligated) insurance policies.

Home Insurance
Imagine saving for years to be able to buy your own house, only for a disastrous event like a fire or flood to rob you of your home and investment. A home insurance policy ensures that you have financial support should the worst happen, giving you peace of mind.

If you decide to rent a home, you won’t need a home insurance policy, as it isn’t your responsibility to safeguard your landlord’s property. However, whether you rent or buy you should still purchase a contents insurance policy. Contents insurance protects your possessions such as electronics, furniture etc. against risks like theft or fire. Those who rent will often make the mistake of thinking that their landlord’s home policy will protect their contents.

Travel Insurance
Holidays are supposed to be relaxing! So if you lose your spending money, have a personal possession like a phone or camera stolen or suffer an injury and end up stuck in a hospital bed for weeks, that can put a real dampener on your good time.

The best thing about a travel policy is it can be shaped to suit your destination and planned activities. Going to a country like the U.S. where medical bills are notoriously high? You might want to consider having a policy with a good deal more coverage for hospital bills. Or maybe you’re visiting a city where tourists are frequently targeted for theft? It might be a good idea to invest a little extra money in a policy that covers all your possessions with little to no excess.

Car Insurance
You cannot legally drive your car in the UK without a car insurance policy, so this one really is a no brainer. If you are caught in an accident without insurance, you could be liable for a maximum £5000 and 6 points on your license. There are different types of coverage for you to choose from:

Third Party Insurance
This is the minimum requirement for car drivers. If you cause damage to someone else’s vehicle, the insurance policy will pay for the damage caused to the third party, but not your vehicle.

Third Party Fire & Theft
A step up from third party cover, that included protection to your vehicle in instances of damage caused by fire or if it is stolen.

Comprehensive
The most expensive policy of the three, but arguably the most useful, comprehensive covers you against most instances of damage to your car, as well as any damage you cause to another’s vehicle or property.

Which one you choose will probably depend on the age and condition of your car, as well as your financial situation.

Avoid Invalidating your Car Insurance this Winter

Whilst there’s something to be said for the aesthetic value of seeing parts of the country covered in snow and ice, we’ve now fully entered the time of year most likely to provoke groans from motorists. Our cars and vehicles are covered in frost, the roads are more treacherous and getting out of bed that little bit earlier to make sure your windscreen is thoroughly de-iced makes for an unpalatable proposition.

But as our roads become more difficult to navigate, it’s vital that drivers are aware of any potential acts that could potentially invalidate their car insurance when it comes to driving in these Wintry conditions. We’ve compiled a small list of things to look out for to make sure you stay covered:

Don’t leave your car unattended whilst it warms up
A simple one, but it bears repeating, nonetheless. Leaving your car unlocked and unattended for any amount of time as you attempt to warm it up with the engine turned on, even for something as seemingly trivial as going back inside your home for a brief moment could break your duty of care clause.

De-ice all of your car
Whilst this is easily the most time and energy-consuming of the tasks that you’ll be facing when it comes to preparing your vehicle for driving in icy conditions, it’s still vital that you clear all your windows and mirrors of any ice prior to departure. Despite the bother and the legwork involved, it’s important to know that it’s a legal requirement that your windows aren’t obstructed before you drive.

Remove all snow from the roof of your car
Again, a small thing, but one that could have big ramifications to your hopes of successfully making a claim if you’re in an accident of some kind. Clearing the roof of your car of any snow is vital as any falling snow could be deemed a hazard, both for yourself and other drivers as it could obscure your view of the road. Failure to remove the snow could give your insurer justification for deeming your driving as reckless whilst also putting you at risk of a police fine.

Drive according to the conditions
Whilst it’s impossible to completely eliminate the risk of an accident in snow or icy conditions, one way in which you can improve your chances of safety is to drive appropriately. In essence, a failure to drive appropriately in certain conditions puts you at risk of voiding your cover, so even if a weather warning isn’t in place, it’s important to adapt your driving to the weather.

How Brexit will affect your Summer Holidays

Europe is an extremely popular travel destination for Brits. A huge amount of people from the UK make trips to various European destinations each year; 58 million to be precise!

That’s a massive number of people left with questions surrounding future travel plans now that the UK has officially began the EU exit. What is reassuring to hear, is that no immediate changes will take effect as Britain is now in a transition period. This transition period will be in effect until the end of 2020. This means that until the end of December 2020, Brits can continue to travel as usual. Continue below for answers to the common Brexit travel queries:

Can I still use my Passport?

You do not need to apply for a new passport if yours is currently in date and valid. You can travel to any country in the EU if your return date does not exceed the end date on your Passport.

Will I need a Visa to travel?

Brits will not need to apply for a Visa to travel to the EU.

Do I need to take out a different form of Travel Insurance?

If you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), this can still be used until the end of the transition period, which is the end of December 2020. However, it is important to also take out appropriate travel insurance for your trip as EHIC’s can have some restrictions. If you do not normally use one of these cards, it is advised to book your travel insurance along with the rest of your holiday components as part of a package deal. This means that the travel company is responsible for ensuring your holiday is provided as expected.

If you do not book your travel using a package deal it is advisable to check your individual travel insurance cover with your provider before you depart for your trip.

Do I need an additional license or a new type of insurance cover to drive in the EU?

No, you do not need an additional license to drive in a European country if you have a full UK valid Driving License. There is also no requirement to have a GB sticker or a green card for your car insurance.

What about other travel methods?

The travel arrangement for coaches, ferries, and cruises will remain the same as the rules under which they operate on are mostly International rather than European.

Can I still use my mobile phone in Europe?

The current arrangements for using your mobile phone data, making phone calls, or sending texts from the EU from a British phone contract will remain the same.

Insurers in Hot Water with Whirlpool Washing Machine Recall

At the beginning of the year, certain models of washing machine by Hotpoint were deemed unsafe due to a fire risk and subsequently recalled. The machines included in this are some models made by Whirlpool between 2014 and 2018. [Please check Whirlpools website for full details]. Consumers are urged to check their machines to ensure they aren’t included. The potential fire hazard is due to a door locking system overheating for cycles above 20 degrees Celsius. A staggering half a million washing machines have been recalled in the UK as a result of this.

Such a huge recall of machines has massively disrupted thousands of customers who may not be able to do any hot washes until their machines are replaced or repaired. With the high volume of faulty machines, this could take months to resolve. Some remuneration efforts by Whirlpool include a free of charge replacement machine like their previous model, or a free repair.

A number of insurance companies have confirmed that customers will still be covered by their home or contents insurance if a faulty product causes a fire. However, this is dependent on customers following the advice provided by Whirlpool to prove that best efforts have been made to prevent a fire.

Customers have been advised to register any new or existing white good appliances on the Government register. That way, in the unfortunate event of an appliance issue, customers can easily be located if they may be at risk due to a product fault. Anybody who owns one of the recalled machines that has not already been in contact with Whirlpool or Home Insurers, have been advised to unplug and stop using their machine or ensure to only do cold wash cycles under 20 degrees Celcius. Customers have also been advised to keep on top of general upkeep of their appliances. This can be done by regularly cleaning the filters, draws, and drums of machines and dryers. This can help to prevent build up and maintain efficient operating.

This is not the first time a Hotpoint appliance has caused a fire risk. The Grenfell Tower fire of 2017 is thought to have been started from a faulty Hotpoint fridge-freezer. The Whirlpool manufacturer produced a statement reiterating that the safety of their customer is their upmost importance and that no other appliances of theirs are currently affected.

Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance

With the property market starting 2020 with a real surge, many of us will be thinking about moving home or indeed buying our first property, however in the event that something goes wrong, it is nice to have some peace of mind. Thankfully, this is where Mortgage Payment Protection comes in.

In a nutshell
Should you be unable to pay your mortgage through circumstances beyond your control (redundancy, for example), Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance will come into play. Each insurer will vary but you should expect to receive cover for at least 60% of your income.

Why do I need it?
If you’re completing a purchase on a home, a mortgage is almost certain to become your main expense each month. Having appropriate protection should you experience a loss of income is important to make sure that you can keep on top of your mortgage payments. We’ve all likely experienced some financial difficulty during our lives and can recall the stress of making ends meet; the idea behind Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance is to alleviate that and provide you with vital piece of mind when it comes to purchasing a home.

How long could I be covered for?

The length of your protection can be tailored to suit your needs and can last for several weeks up to a year, or potentially longer. Check with our experts to see what cover we can provide.

What types of cover exist?

Most brokers will offer the following cover:

• Unemployment only
• Accident and sickness only
• Accident, sickness and unemployment

Unemployment is restricted to redundancy and will require you to be registered as unemployed with the government, as well as seeking a new job.

Accident and sickness will provide protection if you are unable to work due to an accident or long-term sickness, which will need to be verified by a doctor.

Accident, sickness and unemployment will provide protection against all of the above.

What is Goods In Transit Insurance and Why do I Need It?

There are many types of motor insurance specifically tailored to businesses, but the majority of them will protect your vehicle or third parties, but not the contents you are transporting. Should you be involved in an accident and your goods or equipment are damaged, you could face financial loss and damage to your reputation. A goods in transit policy can offer additional protection for the contents of your vehicle whilst travelling.

How do I know if I need a Goods in Transit policy?

Depending on what type of goods you transport, you will fall into one of two categories

Haulage cover – if you transport items for third parties (i.e. As a courier) then you will need goods in transit insurance tailored to your sector and risks.

A goods in transit policy is especially important for haulage firms, as you are handling your customer's goods. Should anything happen whilst the items are in transit, you could end up losing out financially, and you could face permanently losing a customer – in fact, many of your customers will expect you to have some type of cover to protect their property.

Carriage cover – If you are using a business vehicle as your primary transport to and from work, as well as for transporting business-related goods, then you will need a policy tailored to carriage.

So what is a Goods in Transit policy?

A goods in transit policy insures any goods carried in your vehicle as part of your trading activities. This can include any supplies you are transporting (i.e. Building materials), as well as courier cargo. Should one of your drivers be involved in a crash or should one your vehicles get broken into whilst in transit, you won’t be faced with the financial cost of replacing your items and compensating your customers.

Travel Insurance: Common Mistakes that Buyers Make

Before going on your travels it can be tempting to search for a standard policy at the cheapest price available as you are probably busy organising a variety of things in preparation for your departure.

While it’s always great to get a good deal, without reading some of the fine print you could be in for a bit of a surprise when trying to make a claim on your policy.

According to Travel Insurance Explained, there are quite a high number of Brits that fall into this trap.

In a recent study that looked into just how much people know and understand about travel insurance policies, it was found that a huge 75% of British travellers expect a standard travel insurance policy to cover them for lost or stolen gadgets, such as phones tablets and cameras.

What is possibly the most surprising statistic of this research is that 59% of respondents don’t understand how the payout for claims on lost belongings is calculated.

The truth behind it is that if your gadget is more than 6 months old you’ll only receive the second-hand value for it, were to be lost or stolen, this means that you could potentially be under-insuring your possessions by picking a standard policy.

It seems that some consumers are expecting the opposite, with 18% of survey participants expecting a full refund on the price they originally paid and 27% expecting the original price they paid, minus any excess.

It is possible for travellers to take out extra insurance to cover items such as phones and laptops, however, it is vital that you check the single item limit as these policies will only cover you up to £500 per item.

Fiona Macrae, of Travel Insurance Explained, spoke on the results of the survey, stating that “our research highlights just how many are people are unclear as to what they would get back from their insurer if their phone, tablet or favourite electronic gadget, was lost or stolen while on holiday.

“Most insurance companies will not replace an item on a new for old basis, especially if the item is more than six months old. Some will ask you to pay your excess and then provide you with a replacement of a similar age and model, whilst other insurers will give you a cash settlement after taking in account the age, any wear and tear and then deducting your excess.”

8 Myths about Life Insurance Busted

Life insurance provides peace of mind that your family and dependants will be looked after financially should the worst happen. It’s very rarely discussed and is often seen as an awkward topic, of course, nobody likes to think about such things. However, life insurance is very often misunderstood, so we have exposed some of the most common myths around life insurance so you can make up your own mind.

1. The premiums are really expensive. If you think your life insurance premium is going to break the bank, think again. Of course, this is subjective but life insurance can start from as little as £4.50 a week!

2. A serious illness = rocketing premiums. Wrong. Your premium is based on your health at the time you take out the policy. Just make sure you’re completely honest with your insurer about your health in your application form.

3. You’ll need to be credit checked. No credit check is required for an insurer to provide you with cover. If at any point you can no longer afford it, then you simply stop paying them and the policy and cover will end.

4. You don’t need it if you’re not working. Even if you’re not the breadwinner, you need to consider the financial impact your death could have on your family. For example, if you take care of the children while your partner works, you will need to cover childcare costs.

5. Credit card debts disappear when you die. When you pass away, unfortunately debts don’t disappear. Your estate will have to repay your debts before anything is passed to your beneficiaries. If your debts outweigh the total of your estate, a credit card provider cannot pursue anyone else for your individual credit card debts.

6. Most of your insurance pay-out goes to the taxman. Technically, your pay-out is subject to inheritance tax. However, if you have the policy written ‘in trust’ the proceeds are paid into a trust and aren’t considered a part of your estate so aren’t subject to inheritance tax. The trust is managed by a family member or solicitor who will be known as the ‘trustee’.

7. There’s no point if you don’t have children. Not true. If you have a spouse who is dependent on your income, it can really help should the worst happen. Without a combined income, paying the bills may prove to be a struggle for your other half. A pay-out can prevent spiralling debt while your significant other gets back on their feet.

8. Life insurance does not pay out for suicide. This can differ between insurers, but generally speaking, suicide is covered after the policy has been in force for at least one year. Check with your individual policy.