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Author: cvargas

Recap: Phishing Scams

Posted on by cvargas

“At the end of the day, the goals are simple: safety and security.”

– Jodi Rell

Do you ever worry about your electronic security? It seems like nowadays there are hackers around every digital corner, looking to take advantage of users everywhere. The key to avoiding being taken advantage of is to stay vigilant. Here are some tips from our recent blog about how you can avoid being the target of a phishing scam when you are online:

  • Have unique, secure passwords for each of your online accounts. A secure password should include a random assortment of letters, numbers, and special characters.
  • Use two-factor authentication in addition to a password whenever possible, especially on accounts for banking and other sensitive information.
  • Never click on a link or open an attachment when you don’t know who sent you an email. Check URLs to make sure that they are legitimate and not misspelled or using special characters.
  • When browsing the web, be aware if a website is secure and encrypted by checking to see if the URL starts with “https.”

If you’re looking for more than just digital protection, call Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency for all your Massachusetts insurance needs. We offer many types of insurance policies that will provide you and your loved ones with financial protection for your home, car, business, and much more. One quick and easy call to 617-298-0655 will get you on the road to great insurance protection.

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What Your Home Insurance Does (and Doesn’t) Cover

Posted on by cvargas

Everyone knows that when you own a home, it needs to be insured with a great home insurance policy. But what does that mean? What types of protection does a typical Massachusetts home insurance policy cover? While each policy will be slightly different based on the home and the needs of the homeowner, there are certain things that you can safely bet that any home insurance policy will (and won’t) include.

What Is Covered

Your Property

When you purchase home insurance, the most basic type of coverage included in your policy is coverage for the property itself. This should include your walls, windows, floors, roof, and all the basic structural elements of your home. Just be aware that damage due to specific causes or events may not be covered, as noted below.

Personal Property

In addition to covering the structure of your home, most home insurance policies will also cover your personal possessions, up to a stated limit. Thankfully, you can talk to your local insurance agent to adjust this limit to fit your needs and the needs of your family. It is also worth noting that your belongings don’t necessarily need to be in your home in order to be covered – ask your agent whether your coverage includes protection for items stolen out of your car, or a child’s belongings while they are away at college, for example.

Personal Liability

The final type of protection often included in a standard home insurance policy is personal liability protection. This coverage will help to ensure that you are financially protected if you are involved in a lawsuit because, for example, a guest trips and injures themselves on your property and sues you for medial expenses and lost wages. You never know what the future will bring, so while you never expect to be involved in a lawsuit, this insurance coverage is a good safety net to have just in case.

What May Not Be Covered

Flood

Your basic home insurance policy will cover several perils, but flood damage isn’t one of them. To learn more about flood insurance, read our FAQ blog here. One of the most important things to know is that to be a flood, waters must cover at least two square acres of normally dry land and/or affect at least two properties. If you want coverage for flood damage, ask your insurance agent about getting a flood insurance policy to add to your insurance portfolio.

Earthquake

Like floods, earthquake coverage is contained in a separate insurance policy and won’t be included with your home insurance. New England regularly gets hit by smaller magnitude earthquakes, but there is always a chance that a big one will hit. The most famous earthquake to ever hit our area was the 1755 Cape Ann earthquake – at over a 6.0 on the Richter scale, it damaged hundreds of buildings and could be felt all the way from Nova Scotia to South Carolina!

Collectibles and High Value Items

Your home insurance will probably include coverage for your possessions, but you may want to offer special consideration for your high value items. As stated above, policies have limits on the amount of coverage they offer, so adding extra protection for some of your items may be recommended. This is especially true for fine jewelry, antiques, collections, etc. Talk to your Vargas and Vargas Insurance agent about any items that you fear may not be covered under a standard home insurance policy – they will be able to tell you whether you need additional insurance protection for these items as a floater on your home insurance or as a separate policy.

High Risk Items and Situations

Here is another reason that you may want some expert help in reading the small print of your home insurance policy: some high-risk situations and items may not be covered! Every insurance provider is different, but some may not cover, for example, trampolines or offer liability protection for certain breeds of dog. If you have any special needs when it comes to having a high-risk situation like these, an insurance agent can help you select a policy that will offer coverage for you. The most common of these is pool accidents – and even if your policy offers coverage for incidents pertaining to your pool, you may want to consider some extra liability insurance to offset the additional risks associated with it, especially if you will have children or young adults swimming often.

As we mentioned earlier, this blog should not serve as a definitive guide for every home insurance policy. To find out what your unique home insurance policy covers, call Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency at 617-298-0655. Want to find out what types of coverage we recommend for your Boston home? Call or click for a free home insurance quote from our coverage experts, and have us craft a unique policy tailored to your needs.

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Morning Motivation – Week of December 31, 2018

Posted on by cvargas

Hello again, friend!

Are you ready for my last words of wisdom for 2018? Here they are:

Last week, I talked about how it is hard to market your business nowadays because it is so easy for messages to get lost in the crowd. In the old days, it was enough to get a logo, a tagline, some colors and maybe a theme song. That was a brand. But those days are LONG gone.

In 2019, brands are about action and motion and relationship building and connectivity and repetition. (Repetition. Repetition.) And I can bet that you’re not doing NEARLY enough to help your business by creating the relationships and actions necessary for excellent branding.

Here’s what you should be doing to win even be recognized in your space:

  • Show what you do into something memorable
  • Show that you care about your community and other businesses
  • You need to say and do what you’re afraid to express
  • Use your brand to support your friends and customers’ stories

The newest ideas or shiny objects that have worked in the past are not going to take you far in 2019. You have to build something concise, flexible, repeatable, and that connects and serves others (the people we most want to see win).

(Name here), let’s rock this coming year together, and let’s do that by starting with a look at how we are branding ourselves. And make sure that you stay tuned for my first message of 2019 next week!

Happy New Year!
– Carlos

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Recap: New Year’s Success

Posted on by cvargas

“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”

– Henry David Thoreau

Have you decided on a New Year’s resolution for 2019 yet? Many people around the world will be choosing personal and professional goals to work on throughout the year, but statistics show that many of them won’t succeed! Here at Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency, we want to make sure that you achieve all your goals, so we shared some tips to help you make your New Year’s resolution a reality this year:

  • Choose a goal or two, but don’t overextend yourself by trying to do too many things at once: remember – quality over quantity.
  • Make sure that your goal is well-defined by using the SMART goal guidelines.
  • Hold yourself accountable and do what it takes to ensure success in your endeavor.
  • Treat yourself to small rewards on your journey – they will help motivate you to keep going and make process toward your desired result.

If there is anything our agency can do to help you reach your goals this year, please call us at 617-298-0655. We can review your insurance policies, refer you to a local professional, and much more. Here at Vargas and Vargas Insurance we are passionate about helping our neighbors, so let us know what we can do to help you in 2019 and beyond!

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Avoid Being the Target of a Phishing Scam

Posted on by cvargas

At Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency, we always want to make sure that our clients are safe. Insurance, for example, is a great way to ensure financial security in case of an unexpected loss. If you have the right insurance policies, you can rest easy knowing that you are financially protected.

Another way that we provide safety tips to our clients is through these informative blog posts. We recently read about an upsurge in phishing scams, so we want to make sure that you are well versed on what these cyber attacks are and how you can avoid falling prey to them.

What is Phishing?

No, don’t look for your bait and tackle just yet – we’re talking about phishing, with a ‘ph,’ which is a term for the scam where hackers attempt to attain your personal electronic information via electronic means, often email, phone call, or text message. The information they target can vary but is typically either usernames and passwords or credit card information.

Why is it called ‘phishing,’ you ask? Well, it’s done by lulling the target into a false sense of security and attempting to lure them into giving out sensitive information!

This type of scam has been around for more than a decade. The first lawsuit related to phishing was in 2004 against a California teenager who used an imitation of the AOL website to trick people into entering their credit card numbers.

Unfortunately, hackers are evolving the avenues used for phishing more quickly than cybersecurity experts can defend against them. This means that you must be constantly vigilant about making sure that your information is secure.

What can you do to avoid being targeted?

In today’s world, one of your top priorities is to keep your personal information safe from prying eyes. Thankfully, there are a few basic steps that you can take in order to help ensure that you are protected from those that would take what isn’t theirs.

The first thing you should brush up on is password security. You probably have a lot of online accounts, ranging from the unimportant to the critical. Consider this: how many of these accounts have the same (or very similar) passwords? If a hacker were to somehow obtain the credentials to one of your accounts, would they then have access to many more?

In order to keep your online accounts secure, each one should have a unique password. Preferably something that doesn’t involve names of loved ones or the numbers of your birthday (and please, never use “password123” – it’s the first thing that hackers will try). The best thing that you can do is use a completely random string of letters, numbers, and special characters. To simplify this process, consider using a well-vetted password manager (there are several available) for your password creation and management. Also consider using two-factor authentication on websites that allow it, namely for your banking accounts.

Once you have secure passwords, you need to do your part in making sure that you don’t accidentally give them to hackers. This is easier said than done, as phishing scams are getting more difficult to detect. When you’re in your email, make sure that you only click on links or open attachments from trusted senders. If you ever receive an email that makes you uneasy, remember that it’s better to be safe than sorry – especially when it comes to your personal data. Verify that a website’s URL is correct when clicking a link. Some scammers get crafty and make URLs look authentic by making things seem legitimate, but you may discover that they’re using a special character or adding or omitting letters from your intended destination. Also, before entering your login information on a website, check to make sure that the URL starts with ‘https’ – the ‘s’ means that the website is secure and encrypted, and can be one step in verifying that entering your information is safe.

In addition to being careful in giving out your information, make sure that you and your loved ones are using spam filters and ad blockers when on the web. These can help block out known scams from even being seen on your browser or in your email client.

Remember, the best thing that you can do to keep your information safe is to be very careful about giving it out. If you’re ever in doubt about an email or communication that you get from our agency, just call our office at 617-298-0655 and ask if it is valid. We can help you determine whether we need information from you and get it safely and in a way that doesn’t compromise your online security.

We’re also always available if you need a quote for Boston insurance policies! Call 617-298-0655 for a free consultation on Massachusetts home insurance, auto insurance, business insurance, or any of your current or needed policies.

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Morning Motivation – Week of December 24, 2018

Posted on by cvargas

As you know, I love to start the week with some words of wisdom:

How much of what you know you’re “supposed to do” are you actually doing? Where are your paths of resistance? What do you still think is “for the kids?”

People aren’t seeing most of what you offer. You’re sharing sometimes, but not enough. You’re creating marketing and messaging, but often it’s “same as” and getting lost in the weeds. And it gets worse…

Here are the facts:

  • No one has much of an attention span
  • The stream of life moves far too fast
  • Most people are NOT reading much
  • All business needs media attention
  • Your brand needs constant expression
  • Branding today is an all-encompassing packaging effect around the work you do FOR others

Branding is designed to aide with memory, with recognition, with a sense of tribalism built around an experience, of a service or product. The people who think it doesn’t matter are the ones who are forgotten or ignored.

So, what can you do to stand apart from the crowd? That’s another message for another week, so make sure to watch for my next message.

I hope that you had a great holiday!

Carlos

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Recap: 2018 Blogs in Review

Posted on by cvargas

“The process for finding, creating, and consuming information has fundamentally changed with the advent of the web and the rise of blogging.” – Ryan Holiday

Here at Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency, we have put a lot of effort into providing our clients with interesting and informative content all year round. In 2018 alone, we have posted dozens of blogs with varied content – you’re sure to find something of interest to you or your loved ones. Here are just a few examples of posts from the last year:

What was your favorite blog post from 2018? There are so many great ones from which to choose!

We also want to ask that you subscribe or stay tuned to our agency in 2019. We have a lot of exciting plans and we don’t want you to miss a thing! There will be plenty of blogs with tips about insurance, home ownership, automobiles, running a business, and much more.

And, as always, make sure that you call Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency in 2019 if you have any insurance needs. We will always work hard to make sure that you get the coverage you need, so don’t fret – just call 617-298-0655.

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Set Yourself Up for Success in the New Year

Posted on by cvargas

The start of a new year is a great time to evaluate your life. Looking at where you are and determining where you want to be in the future (both personally and professionally) is the first step in setting and achieving your goals!

Choosing a Goal

Do you have something in mind that you want to achieve this year? There are several common personal goals that people set, including eating healthier, exercising more, spending less (or saving more) money, learning a new skill, etc. In addition, some people like to set professional goals, like focusing more on networking, reading more business books, getting a certification, or getting a raise or promotion.

Which of these resonate with you? Don’t overstretch yourself by choosing too many goals, pick the one or two that you want to focus on this year, and save the rest for another time. If you need help choosing a goal for the year, talk to a close friend or mentor about what they think you can do to be a better person (only if you have thick enough skin to handle some criticism, though!)

Defining Success

Choosing a goal for the year is a great first step, but you need to make sure that your resolution is well-defined so that you have a clear finish line to work toward. Take a few minutes and make your resolutions into a SMART goal. Remember, the acronym “SMART” says that your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound. So, instead of “lose weight” try “lose __ pounds by December 31 by exercising twice a week and eating less calories.”

Making a Timeline

Once you have a well-defined goal, you should make a timeline of the steps needed to reach your goal. You have a whole year, so spread out the tasks and give yourself plenty of wiggle room. Monthly mini goals would be a good place to start so that you can measure your progress and make sure that you stay on track.

Holding Yourself Accountable

Accountability is an important trait to have if you’re going to achieve the goals that you set. It is so easy to make excuses, but you’re not going to! Instead, use some of these tricks from the Inc.com list of 8 Habits of Highly Accountable People:

  • Take responsibility for your tasks.
  • Don’t make excuses or blame others if things aren’t going according to plan.
  • Be on time with your mini-goals.
  • Control your own fate with proper planning.
  • Own your feelings and don’t let a bad day (or week or month) derail you.
  • Manage expectations and adjust goals and timelines as needed.
  • Collaborate with others and make the most of all your available resources.
  • Don’t expect praise – satisfaction should come with a job well done.

Which of these habits will you employ to help you with your 2019 New Year’s resolution? We especially like the tip to collaborate with others. Here at Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency, we have lots of community referral partners that help us achieve our goals.

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In addition, having a friend or loved one that knows about your goal and that has been asked to periodically follow up on your process is a proven accountability technique that helps many people achieve their goals year-round. There are even accountability and goal tracking apps for iPhones and Android phones that will help to keep you honest about whether you are on track and can even add in a financial component to motivate you – automatically transferring money to a person or charity when you don’t meet your goals.

Celebrating Wins

The saying may state that “A job well done is its own reward,” but sometimes you need a little extra motivation to complete your goals or achieve your resolutions. Everyone has their own unique set of rewards that will motivate them, the trick is to decide ahead of time what you will do for yourself and at what point. If you know that you are close to hitting one of your small milestones, you may push yourself in order to earn your reward.

Ask yourself: What would motivate me to work harder toward achieving my goals? Maybe it’s buying something for yourself, some ‘me-time’ or time with the family, or a food treat. Find what motivates you and use it to your advantage.

So, are you ready to make 2019 your best year yet?

Can Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency help you reach your goals in 2019? Whether you need a referral to a local professional or you want help making sure that you are financially sound in the year to come, all you need to do is call our agency at 617-298-0655 for assistance with your insurance policies. We are always excited to be able to help our neighbors!

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Morning Motivation – Week of December 17, 2018

Posted on by cvargas

Are you getting your week off to a good start, friend?

I have a question for you – Do you ever feel like you’re not good enough to do something?

In my message last week, I told you all about how I was encouraged by the state of the independent insurance industry as I was at an IOA conference that I attended recently. At that conference, I also spoke on using video in business.

I told the whole room full of people during my speech that their excuses as to why they weren’t making videos were dumb. I said, “You’re worried that you’re fat. I am fat, and I am definitely not the handsomest guy in the world. You may worry that you are too old, but I am old. The truth is, you are. You’re fat. You’re ugly. You’re old, face these facts and make videos anyway.”

It got laughs. SOME of the people that laughed probably thought, ‘Carlos just called me out on my BS and he’s right. I’ll make a video.’ Other people laughed in that nervous way that showed they were worried I was looking into them.

Here is the point: Sometimes you’re a loser. So what? I am… Still. After all these years. And then I’m a winner. And then I’m too fat. And then sometimes I get the bug to get fit again (feel like it just bitten me again on this last trip to hit the gym).

If I tell you how often to send an email out, great. If you ask me about the mechanics of podcasting, wonderful. But who cares what you’re doing as long as your audience perceives it as valuable?

Here is a hint: no one cares if you’re successful as much as they care that you’re helping them solve a problem in their lives. I mean, they want you to win, want you to be okay, etc. But if you’re connecting with people for your business, it’s not like they’re losing sleep over you.

In all cases, the stories I’ll remember most were the ones where someone was real with me. People who were willing to be vulnerable made me want to reach back and help.

But the ones who I asked how they were doing and they responded “great” and “busy” – not so much!

Thank you for reading!

Carlos

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Recap: Before Buying Business Insurance

Posted on by cvargas

“Finance is not merely about making money. It’s about achieving our deepgoals and protecting the fruits of our labor. It’s about stewardship and,therefore, about achieving the good society.” – Robert J. Shiller

Protecting your business is something that you must take seriously. That’s why you need a great business insurance policy. If you’re getting ready to start a new business and purchase your first policy or get a quote for a new policy, read our full blog post about how you should consider some of the following factors:

  • There is a minimum amount of insurance you must carry based on Massachusetts laws.
  • Your business has unique risks that need to be accounted for.
  • You should make sure that you get a great deal on your policy without sacrificing great coverage.
  • When in doubt, get a little extra coverage – the peace of mind is well worth the cost.
  • Once you have a policy, review it with your agent and update as needed – at least once a year.
  • If you need help with your business insurance, ask a Massachusetts insurance expert from our agency.

Want a helping hand in building and choosing your next business insurance policy? Call Vargas and Vargas Insurance Agency at 617-298-0655. One of our agents will get to know your needs and will find the perfect commercial insurance coverage for you. The process doesn’t have to keep you up at night – just get some help from your neighbors here at Vargas and Vargas Insurance!

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