Newsletter Issue 3 - June, 2010

From the Desk of Chad Connell

Welcome to the June 2010 edition of our Connell Insurance Newsletter!

Summer has arrived in the Ozarks! The temps and the humidity are rising, and the tourist traffic is back! On the good news side for area business owners, Paul Miller of Branson Tourism Center reports that Memorial Day Weekend activity was the busiest they've seen in a long time. On the other side of the equation, May's heat and humidity has definitely driven up the electric bills for most of us.

We're happy to report that our Connell Seminar Series presentation on Employment Law Updates and Wellness Programs was a great success. Everyone felt that the presentations were valuable to their operations and we saw a lot of new faces attending one of our seminars for the first time. Our next seminar is slated for July 16th in Springfield. The topic is the ever-popular Workers' Compensation Update. Details and registration are available at Connell Seminar Series.

We also had a wonderful time at our 40th Anniversary Client Appreciation Day. From free car washes and great door prizes to the barbecue and camaraderie, everyone seemed to enjoy the day. And a big "thank you" to Mother Nature for keeping the rain away - despite the dire forecasts for the day.

We have also recently decided, based on a continual flow of federal reforms, to add two extra seminars this year on an emergency basis.

• One will be on the Health Reform Act, its current status and implications for your business, which has been slated for September 24th at a location to be announced. Skaggs Regional Medical Center will be co-hosting this seminar with us. Skaggs' William Mahoney will have just returned from Washington DC with the latest information on the implications of this new Act.
• The other, probably in the late Fall, will deal with the new Estate Tax Reforms. This seminar, tentatively scheduled for November, will be co-hosted with a law firm specializing in estate law and our financial planning partner, Tyler James. We'll definitely keep you advised!

I hope you enjoy the articles we've compiled for today's newsletter, ranging from the value of technology at Skaggs Regional Medical Center to a new effort by businesses to penalize employees who don't pay attention to their health. We've also included an update on the "Red Flags" rule and survey results on fraudulent insurance claims. Our financial planning partner Tyler James penned an article on wills that should be of interest to many as well. We're also happy to introduce you to one of our valued team members, Jennifer Rice, so that you can get to know her a little better.

On a serious note, our last newsletter discussed the problems of texting impairments. Bringing that home, Bobbie Terrapin, one of the contestants in CAM's Gospel Sing-Off last year, will be unable to enter this year's contest:

"It breaks my heart I am going to have to decline entering this year, due to involvement in a bad accident on May 16th. I was coming home from church that morning and it was raining and a young guy was texting his wife and driving and he came crashing into me. God had his arms and legs wrapped around me 'cause I was trapped in the car and they had to use the jaws of life to get me out. I walked away no broken bones, but lots of cuts and bruises, I'm having trouble with my left foot, so I'm not getting around too good, but if it's in the Lords will, I will be with you next year singing my heart out cause that's what I love to do."

Information on this year's Gospel Sing-Off for CAM can be found at www.christianactionministries.org.

Remember that if you have any suggestions or topics that you would like to see in future issues, drop me a line at cconnell@connellinsurance.com.

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Insurance is really about people and relations! That's why we will be introducing you to various members of our staff in our newsletters. Today we would like you to meet Jennifer Rice, who is an Account Manager in our Life & Health Department. We appreciate Jennifer tremendously as a valued team member -- and so do our clients!

Here at Connell Insurance, we are committed to continued technological improvements in order to better serve our clients and protect our environment. (We've been paper-free for two years now.) This article looks at Skaggs Regional Health Care Center and the value technology has brought to its patients and the community.

Speaking of technology, the FTC has again extended the enforcement deadline for the "Red Flags Rule", requiring any business that extends credit to develop a policy to identify potential "red flags" when it comes to identity theft.

Connell Insurance is committed to helping our clients promote wellness amongst their employees. (Our last newsletter contained a report showing a 6-to-1 return on investment for wellness programs.) However, some companies are using a "stick and carrot approach" as they reward healthy behaviors and penalize unhealthy ones.

Perhaps it is denial, but far too many Americans delay the writing of a will, despite the fact that it is one of the most important documents you can create. Our financial planning partner, Tyler James, provides critical information about wills and addresses some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding them.

Everyone has a vested interest in keeping insurance premiums low. Yet fraudulent claims are on the increase, resulting in increased costs for the insurers and the insureds. Two of the primary centers of fraud are: auto accidents and roof repair.

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