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Liability and safety tips for dog owners

Most dogs are friendly, loving members of the family, but even normally docile dogs may bite when they are frightened or when protecting their puppies, owners or food. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs annually, resulting in an estimated 800,000 injuries that require medical attention. More than 50 percent of dog bites occur on the dog owner’s property, and they account for one-third of all homeowners insurance liability claims. Dog owner liability Dog owners are liable for any injuries their pets cause in the following instances: if the owner knew the dog had a tendency to cause that kind of injury; if a state statute makes the owner liable, whether or not the owner knew the dog had a tendency to cause that kind of injury; or if the injury was caused by unreasonable carelessness on the part of the owner. There are three kinds of law that impose liability on owners: Dog-bite statute – The dog owner is automatically liable for any injury or property damage the dog causes, even without provocation. “One-bite” rule – In some states, the owner is not held liable for the first bite the dog inflicts. Once an animal has demonstrated vicious behavior, such as biting or otherwise displaying a “vicious propensity”, the owner can be held liable. Some states have moved away from the one-bite rule and hold owners responsible for any injury, regardless of whether the animal has previously bitten someone. Negligence laws – The dog owner is liable if the injury occurred because the dog owner was unreasonably careless (negligent) in controlling the dog. In most states, dog owners are not liable to trespassers who are injured by a dog. However, a dog owner who is legally responsible for an injury to a person or property may be also responsible for reimbursing the injured person for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and property damage. Protect yourself—and your assets Homeowners and renters insurance policies typically cover dog bite liability. Most policies provide $100,000 to $300,000 in liability coverage. If the claim exceeds the limit, the dog owner is personally responsible for all damages above that amount, including legal expenses. Most insurance companies will insure homeowners with dogs. However, once a dog has bitten someone, it poses an increased risk. In such a case, the insurance company may charge a higher premium or exclude the dog from coverage altogether. Some companies will require dog owners to sign liability waivers for dog bites. Some will cover a pet if the owner takes the dog to classes aimed at modifying its behavior. A single lawsuit—even if won—can end up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. And the greater a person’s assets, the more potentially is at risk. The personal liability coverage available through a standard homeowners or automobile policy simply may not be enough, so you may want to consider purchasing a personal excess liability policy. Also known as an umbrella liability policy, it protects you against personal liabilities—such as dog bites—that could impact a substantial portion of your assets. The amount of umbrella liability coverage usually ranges from $1 million to $10 million, and covers broad types of liability. Most insurance companies have required minimum amounts of underlying coverage—typically at least $250,000 of protection from your auto policy and $300,000 of protection from your homeowners policy. If you own a boat, then you must also have boat insurance with a specified minimum amount of coverage. Personal excess liability insurance is relatively inexpensive. The first $1 million of coverage costs about $150 to $300 per year, the second million about $75, and subsequent increments of $1 million cost about $50 per year. Be a responsible dog owner Ultimately, the responsibility for properly training and controlling a dog rests with the owner. The most dangerous dogs are those that fall victims to human shortcomings such as poor training, irresponsible ownership and breeding practices that foster viciousness or neglect and abuse. To reduce the chances of a dog biting, the following steps are recommended by the CDC when getting a dog: Consult with a professional (e.g., veterinarian, animal behaviorist, or responsible breeder) to learn about suitable breeds of dogs for your household and neighborhood. Spend time with a dog before buying or adopting it. Use caution when bringing a dog into a home of with an infant or toddler. Dogs with histories of aggression are inappropriate in households with children. Be sensitive to cues that a child is fearful or apprehensive about a dog and, if so, delay acquiring a dog. Never leave infants or young children alone with any dog. Have your dog spayed or neutered. Studies show that dogs are three times more likely to bite if they are NOT neutered. Socialize your dog so that it knows how to act with other people and animals. Discourage children from disturbing a dog that is eating or sleeping. Play non-aggressive games with your dog, such as “go fetch.” Playing aggressive games like “tug-of-war” can encourage inappropriate behavior. Avoid exposing your dog to new situations in which you are unsure of its response. Never approach a strange dog and always avoid eye contact with a dog that appears threatening. Immediately seek professional advice from veterinarians, animal behaviorists, or responsible breeders if the dog develops aggressive or undesirable behaviors.
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What are the different types of term life insurance policies?

Term insurance comes in two basic varieties—level term and decreasing term. These days, almost everyone buys level term insurance. The terms “level” and “decreasing” refer to the death benefit amount during the term of the policy. A level term policy pays the same benefit amount if death occurs at any point during the term. Common types of level term Yearly- (or annually-) renewable term 5-year renewable term 10-year term 15-year term 20-year term 25-year term 30-year term Term to a specified age (usually 65) Renewable term policies Yearly renewable term, once popular, is no longer a top seller. The most popular type is now 20-year term. Most companies will not sell term insurance to an applicant for a term that ends past his or her 80th birthday. If a policy is “renewable,” that means it continues in force for an additional term or terms, up to a specified age, even if the health of the insured (or other factors) would cause him or her to be rejected if he or she applied for a new life insurance policy. Generally, the premium for the policy is based on the insured person’s age and health at the policy’s start, and the premium remains the same (level) for the length of the term. So, premiums for 5-year renewable term can be level for 5 years, then to a new rate reflecting the new age of the insured, and so on every five years. Some longer term policies will guarantee that the premium will not increase during the term; others don’t make that guarantee, enabling the insurance company to raise the rate during the policy’s term. Some term policies are convertible. This means that the policy’s owner has the right to change it into a permanent type of life insurance without additional evidence of insurability. “Return of premium” In most types of term insurance, including homeowners and auto insurance, if you haven’t had a claim under the policy by the time it expires, you get no refund of the premium. Your premium bought the protection that you had but didn’t need, and you’ve received fair value. Some term life insurance consumers have been unhappy at this outcome, so some insurers have created term life with a “return of premium” feature. The premiums for the insurance with this feature are often significantly higher than for policies without it, and they generally require that you keep the policy in force to its term or else you forfeit the return of premium benefit. Some policies will return the base premium but not the extra premium (for the return benefit), and others will return both.
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What kids are telling us about their pandemic lives

As more children get to head back to in-person school after a year of virtual learning, they bring with them the lessons learned from a year of living under the threat of a once-in-a-century virus. Our kids have learned a lot during the pandemic. Many have gotten closer to their siblings and others fought more with them; they have loved spending more time with their parents at home and gotten sick of only having their families to talk to — just like adults. Some of these parents have cancer. Others are first responders or live with lupus or other health conditions. In quarantine, these children have worried about losing their parents to the pandemic. These kids have seen if their communities mask up and practice social distancing — and if those communities want to keep them safe — or not. “As a mom, I’ve seen firsthand how hard this past year can be for kids,” photographer Kate T. Parker told CNN. “My own two struggled, fought, learned and grew like so many others. It is hard to find an area of their lives unaffected by this pandemic. I was curious to hear from them, in their own words, exactly what they thought about life during quarantine. “Due to Covid-19, we’ve been forced to create smaller, safer worlds for ourselves. I was so thankful for this project to push out of our own bubble to safely see how other families and kids are experiencing this virus and the ensuing change of life,” she said. “Kids are overwhelmingly resilient. I remain in awe of their perspective and think Kaitlin really summed up the general response of the kids: ‘I learned a lot this last year,’ she told me. ‘Follow your dreams, and do it now. … Don’t wait, because you never know when you won’t have a chance.'” Here’s what several children told Parker about their lives during the pandemic. Kaitlin, 12: I have asthma. I’ve had it since I was a baby, so we had to be pretty strict in quarantine. It wasn’t all that bad, though. I learned how to skateboard and how to cook better. Also, because we had totally new routines, I formed a bond with people I might not have before Covid. I’ve gotten to know and make friends with people I might not have before this. I learned a lot this last year. Follow your dreams, and do it now. … Don’t wait, because you never know when you won’t have a chance. Abrianna, 13: When quarantine first started, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was so busy before, running from school to dance practice to home. I realized I needed some hobbies. I started to learn how to do hair and make bracelets and put in extra work into my dance. And then two weeks turned into a month, and then we were out for the summer and now a year. I am actually happy to be virtual because my mom has lupus, and I don’t want to go to school then get sick, and then you pass that onto her and everybody else in the house. I did start to miss it some because it’s my last year before I graduate (from middle school), and I wanted to spend it there with my friends, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Virtual is harder for sure, but I just focus on my work because if I do the work, I’ll have good grades, and it will make my parents proud. It can be lonely though, because sometimes, I’ll be honest, I don’t want to talk to my mom or I don’t want to talk to my dad. Sometimes I don’t even want to talk to my counselor at school. I’ve learned more this year about myself and about to not take things for granted — 2020 was a rough year, but I would rather say that it was a year that changed everything more than it was a bad year. Charlotte, 11: It was good and bad. The bad part was virtual school, which is really bad because it is annoying and boring. But the good part was I got to spend time with this little monkey (my sister). And I also learned how to finger knit and how to play soccer. So now my sister and I sit in bed together, listening to podcasts and finger knitting. I just wish everyone would wear masks and use hand sanitizer. Leela, 6: We moved to Atlanta in July, but before that we were in New Jersey. We had to stay in the house for five months straight and we couldn’t see my friends or my Nani or Grandpa. But, we did learn that we could slide down our front yard on cardboard boxes (in summer) and we made a fairy house in the basement. So, that was fun. Maddox, 7: Well, the pandemic has been hard for me. My dad is a doctor, so he couldn’t stay with us for three months at the beginning of the pandemic. It was just me and my brothers and my mom, he was trying to keep us all safe, especially me. I have leukemia, so we had to be really careful since I have to do chemo still. He’s back home now, which is good, and both my parents are now vaccinated. I also get to go to school in person, which is great. But, because of my cancer it’s not safe to go on the playground equipment. It’s hard when I see everyone having fun on the equipment. I have to stay on the ground. And just because I can’t go on the equipment, nobody plays tag with me. Like nobody ever tags me. But, my best friend Andrew is really nice to me. Yesterday I heard something on my mom’s phone, something that made me super happy. It said lots more people are getting the vaccine. I think that is good news. >>Read more
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Why should I buy life insurance?

Many financial experts consider life insurance to be the cornerstone of sound financial planning. It can be an important tool in the following situations: Replace income for dependents. If people depend on your income, life insurance can replace that income for them if you die. The most commonly recognized case of this is parents with young children. However, it can also apply to couples in which the survivor would be financially stricken by the income lost through the death of a partner, and to dependent adults, such as parents, siblings, or adult children who continue to rely on you financially. Insurance to replace your income can be especially useful if the government- or employer-sponsored benefits of your surviving spouse or domestic partner will be reduced after your death Pay final expenses. Life insurance can pay your funeral and burial costs, probate and other estate administration costs, debts, and medical expenses not covered by health insurance. Create an inheritance for your heirs. Even if you have no other assets to pass to your heirs, you can create an inheritance by buying a life insurance policy and naming them as beneficiaries. Pay federal “death” taxes and state “death” taxes. Life insurance benefits can pay estate taxes so that your heirs will not have to liquidate other assets or take a smaller inheritance. Changes in the federal “death” tax rules between now and January 1, 2011, will likely lessen the impact of this tax on some people, but some states are offsetting those federal decreases with increases in their state-level “death” taxes. Make significant charitable contributions. By making a charity the beneficiary of your life insurance, you can make a much larger contribution than if you donated the cash equivalent of the policy’s premiums. Create a source of savings. Some types of life insurance create a cash value that, if not paid out as a death benefit, can be borrowed or withdrawn at the owner’s request. Since most people make paying their life insurance policy premiums a high priority, buying a cash-value type policy can create a kind of “forced” savings plan. Furthermore, the interest credited is tax-deferred (and tax-exempt if the money is paid as a death claim).
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Ever Given Suez Canal blockage should not drive up petrol prices, but Easter might

The blockage of the Suez Canal by a grounded container ship may disrupt world trade, but is unlikely to push fuel prices higher in the short term, experts say. Key points: The Suez Canal blockage is affecting around 12 percent of global goods trade But analysts say Australian petrol prices should remain unaffected as oil prices have not risen Analysts warn that petrol prices in Sydney and Melbourne may rise in the lead up to Easter due to the end of the discounting cycle Giant container ship, the Ever Given, which got stuck diagonally across the canal on Tuesday (Egypt time), has blocked traffic in both directions on one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. Around 12 percent of global trade in goods passes through the canal, which has some analysts concerned it could see supply disruptions and possible price rises. “If it takes longer than a few days to move, it could exert further upward pressure on shipping costs and exacerbate goods shortages,” said Gabriella Dickens from Capital Economics. “The grounding of the Ever Given could hardly have come at a worse time – freight rates for routes from Asia to the Mediterranean have already trebled since mid-November, with shipping capacity struggling to keep up with demand for traded goods.” While it is hoped the vessel can be moved within days, the CEO of the Dutch company tasked with freeing the ship said it was possible it may take weeks. With the canal currently shut to new traffic, some shipping firms may opt to take the detour around southern Africa, but that comes at a cost in time and money. “With bunker [ship fuel] prices plunging as low as $US250 per tonne in April, a third of their level at the start of the year, many operators opted to give a wide berth to Suez’s transit fees, which work out at roughly $320,000 for the average container ship,” noted Reuters columnist Ed Cropley. “Ever Given has left shipping operators with a headache. With bunker prices back above $500 a tonne, the extra week round the Cape of Good Hope will cost $350,000 in fuel alone, assuming rough consumption of 100 tonnes per day.” The rise in freight costs, both sea, and air, as well as shortages in some crucial components, such as computer chips, have raised fears that both producer and consumer prices will rise more rapidly than they have for many years. Aside from increasing the cost of some goods you might buy in the shops, these inflation fears have been a key factor in recent financial market volatility. Fuel prices may rise, but not because of Suez While the price of some goods shipped via container might be affected by the current Suez crisis, a leading local analyst believes Australian fuel prices are unlikely to be pushed higher. CommSec senior economist Ryan Felsman told ABC News that worries about weaker demand are currently more important than any risk of supply disruptions. “Concerns around demand because of European and Indian COVID outbreaks and lockdowns are outweighing supply worries around the Suez blockage,” he said. This has been reflected in benchmark Brent crude oil prices. While oil prices bounced a couple of times this week in response to the Suez blockage, it had been from one-month lows, and both times they quickly fell back down again. Brent crude oil was trading at $US61.95 a barrel. However, Mr. Felsman warned some consumers may still see prices rise at local service stations. He told ABC News that Sydney and Melbourne were currently near the low point of their retail fuel-discounting cycles, with average prices around $1.35 and $1.34 a liter respectively for basic unleaded petrol. With Easter approaching at the end of next week, Mr. Felsman warned that Sydney and Melbourne motorists could soon see average prices jump as high as $1.70 a liter, a level experienced by some Brisbane motorists over recent days at the peak of its retail price cycle. Mr. Felsman tipped petrol prices in Brisbane to actually fall slightly heading into Easter as the discounting cycle resumes. “The retail cycle is more of an influence in prices in the near term than Suez,” he explained. Most of Australia’s refined fuel comes from Singapore, which sources most of its crude oil from the Middle East, which does not have to ship through the Suez Canal. Mr. Felsman said, if anything, Australians should expect cheaper fuel prices over the next few weeks as the cost of refined products from Singapore had recently eased from 13-month highs. Source: abc.net.au
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