Volume 4 Issue 8

August 1, 2014

DONOVAN INSURANCE SOLUTIONS

The Beauty of Stress b y P a u l D o n o v a n

Insurance News

You Can Use

The Beauty of Stress 1

Pay or Play

Obamacare Update

2

The 2

Encouragement

Chronicles

3

Trivia 3

The 10 Worst Jobs in America

4

Insurance News 4

Inside this issue:

Stress has been described as = the confusion created when ones mind overrides

their natural instinct to slap the daylights out of a person who clearly deserves it.

However, thats not the stress were talking about (I just lost 1/2 of you). Im talking

about how our bodies sympathetic nervous system activates in response to a

challenge or stressful event. This is often referred to as our fight-or-flight response

(nothing to do with the TIA pat-downs). In humans, stress typically describes a negative condition

and how it impacts a person's mental and physical well-being. Most people equate lifes troubles,

problems, and angst with stress. They see a problem as a nuisance and try to avoid it. However, if

we have the right attitude and appreciate a change, not only will we work harder to solve it, but we

can also learn and grow from it. Thats the irony of having difficulties. Problems always bring

opportunities, and opportunities always bring problems. The two go hand in hand.

Its like the old story of the new VP asking his senior for advice. Whats the secret to success in this job? She

responds, By making as few mistakes as possible. How do you avoid making mistakes, he asks? She replies, By

having experience. He asks, How do you gain experience? She replies, By making mistakes. You see, stress

accompanies growth if you allow it. We have to accept that all worthwhile transformation and renewal, brings about

temporary stress. Have you ever encountered a hardship within your company or personal life that resulted in a positive

outcome?

Think about the stress of an expectant mother. She begins with morning sickness, her hormones change

dramatically and her body is stressed and stretched to make room for the newborn. The lack of sleep and

the physical discomfort continue to grow and eventually bring about the excruciating pain of labor. Then,

with the birth of the child, the mothers heart is flooded with joy. All of the stresses her body has endured have led to this

miraculous momentthe birth of new life!

Those who feel a sense of purpose and commitment, who view change as a challenge instead of a threat, arent affected

by stress in a negative way. As each transition draws to a close you feel less stress, become stronger through the process

and become more mature. The question is, will you allow the storms of life to make you better or bitter? Remember,

challenges always looks different on the back end than on the front side and every great story of triumph started with a

dilemma filled with stress.

Everybody has a problem, is a problem or has to live with a problem. Sam Shoemaker

P A G E 2 I N S U R A N C E N E W S Y O U C A N U S E

Pay or PlayObamacare Update

Head coach Al Golden and his Miami Hurricanes will face many challenges during the 2014 season on both sides of the football. Sorry, wrong canes. Hurricane season officially begins in June, lasts through November and peaks in the second week of September. Its easy to get lulled into a false sense of security when we have not

experienced a hurricane making landfall on the gulf-coast in over eight years.

Keep in mind, this is when waters are at their warmest and unstable conditions at their most unstable. Not all gulf-coast states are as vulnerable as other. For instance, around September 21st, it is rare to see a hurricane cross the Texas coastline thanks to oncoming cool fronts that signal the start of fall in Texas. Unfortunately, this pushes the path of most tropical storms into the other bordering states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Please remember, if

you are in a hurricane evacuation zone you should have the following minimum action plan:

For more information, go online and check out the latest supplies for hurricane preparedness kits.

Hurricane Update 2014

Beginning January 1, 2015, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will require large employers with 100 or more

full-time (FT) and full-time equivalent employees (FTE) (2016 it drops to 50 or more employees) to offer

minimum essential health insurance coverage to at least 70 percent (increasing to 95 percent in 2016 and

beyond) of their FT employees (and their dependents) or pay a penalty on all full-time employees (not

including the first 30). This is commonly referred to as play or pay. For a large employer with a full-time

workforce ( = 30 hours per week), everyone will need a policy. However, what about employers with large

variable-hour workforces that arent sure who qualifies for an offer of health insurance coverage as a full-time

employee? ACA regulations have created measurement and stability periods to determine an employees status. A

measurement period is the time in which an employer can track the number of hours worked by a variable-hour em-

ployee to determine whether he/she averaged 30 or more hours per week. Employers can select the duration of the

measurement period, from three to 12 months. Obamacare enrollment asks individuals to:

Identify their employer

Disclose their income

State whether they are provided with insurance coverage through their employer.

When play or pay takes effect in 2015, employers will receive a notice from the IRS if any of their employees qualify

for a credit or subsidy to purchase insurance from the marketplace, along with a statement of the potential penalty. If

employers want to contest the penalty, they will need proper documentation to demonstrate either that their company

isnt a large employer subject to play or pay or that the employee isnt entitled to insurance coverage because he/she

didnt qualify during the relevant measurement period. Employers must establish measurement, stability, and

administrative periods, notify employees, and add the information to the ACA section of their employee handbooks.

Documentation will therefore become extremely important for many employers.

Maybe death and taxes are inevitable, but death doesnt get worse every time Congress Meets. Lloyd Cory

If this rain keeps up it wont come down. Sonny Lenoci

Escape route plan communicated to your family

If youre hunkering down plan to have no electricity, potable water or communications

RX/- dont run out of your maintenance medications

Emergency First aid kit, flashlights, batteries, candles

2 weeks of ample water (water purification) and food (non-perishable) supplies for you and family.

Optional - chainsaw, generator, camping gear, gas, etc.

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 8

Guess the Sitcom Quotes b y P a u l D o n o v a n ( j u s t t h e m e s s e n g e r )

Encouragement Chronicles B y P a u l D o n o v a n

It was advertised that the devil was going to put his tools up for sale. On the date of the sale the tools were

placed for public inspection, each being marked with its sale price. There were a treacherous lot of

implements, Hatred, Envy, Jealousy, Doubt, Pride and so on. Laid apart from the rest of the pile was a

harmless-looking tool, well worn and priced very high. whats the name of the tool? asked one of the

purchasers. Oh, said the devil, thats Discouragement. Whys it priced so high? Because its more

useful to me than all the others. I can pry open and get inside a persons heart with that one, when I cant

get near him with all the other tools. Now, once I get inside, I can make the person do whatever I choose.

Its a badly worn tool, because I use it on almost everyone since few people know it belongs to me. The

devils price for Discouragement was so high he never did sell it. Its still his major tool today and he uses it

on all of us. Think about someone you can help today by offering a word of encouragement (not a text, Fa-

cebook or email) via a telephone call or personal visit.

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!

Dad, Doug and I were just thinking. Dad: Well I hope you didnt strain

yourself! I kid out of love.

What you talkin bout Willis?

No soup for you!

Lovey, I don't know how we're going to explain to our friends that we spent several years

with people who aren't even in the social register.

Moe, a toast, To alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all of lifes problems.

Signed, Epstein's mother -Juan Epstein.

The one thing about being a cabbie is that you dont have to worry about being fired from a really good job.

If I had a gun with 2 bullets and I was in a room with Hitler, Bin laden and Toby, I would shoot Toby twice.

A little song a little dance a little seltzer down your pants. Chuckles the Clown

Lemon, you look terrible, and I once watched you eat oysters while you had a cold.

Maybe you won`t have to get the margarine, Trix. Four hundred pounds of lard just walked in. You have just said

the secret word, Alice. You have just won a trip to the moon.

Let`s just hope for the best. Don`t worry Fred, Ethel will come back Fred: I said let`s hope for the BEST.

Manny got into a fight at The Sound of Music. Ive never been so proud.

Its like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo and when the herd is hunted, its the

slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole be-

cause the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest mem-

bers. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake

of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this

way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells making the brain a faster and more efficient

machine. Thats why you always feel smarter after a few beers.

Karen: Oh Lord, honey, you are just as simple as that blouse youre wearin

Carmen, we need to talk. Come on, lets go for a ride. Am I coming back George? As long as youre a tax

deduction, youll always be safe in my house.

Peter! youre bribing your daughter with a car? Ah, cmon Lois, isn't bribe just another word for love?

Answers on next page

If at first you don't succeed then skydiving definitely isn't for you. Steven Wright

A recent poll ranked the top worst jobs in America and their respective Median Annual Salary (MES) and the estimated job growth (EJG) in the coming years. So before you complain about

your job think about some of these career choices.

Dont you feel a little better about your job right now!

Pg. 4

10 Worst Jobs in America by Laura Mazucca Toops for P&C 360

You can tell youre on the road to success; its uphill all the way Paul Harvey

A 6.0 magnitude earthquake rattled Napa Valley CA at 3:20 am on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014.. Early

estimates of damages could bring about $1 billion dollars. Response teams are focused on restoring

water service through multiple breaks in the system

Got bad credit? Expect to pay twice as much in homeowners' premiums. Homeowners with bad credit

pay 91% more in homeowners' insurance premiums (almost double) than those with excellent credit.

The top 10 states most at risk of disaster from various types of severe weather (earthquake, floods, drought, dust

storms, hurricanes tornadoes, zombie apocalypse etc.). While no location is completely safe, here is a listing of the

top 10 states that have suffered the biggest property losses from disasters during the past eight years. 10. AZ $3.5

Billion (B), 9. CO $3.7B, 8. LA $3.9B, 7. MS $4.3B, 6. OK $4.5B, 5. AL $4.9B, 4. MO $5B, 3. TN $5.1B, 2. TX

$23.7B and 1. NJ $26.4B.

Riots in Ferguson MO cause millions of dollars in damage from looting. Riots are covered under most business

insurance policies and are defined as any tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons

mutually assisting one another in execution of a common purpose by the unlawful use of force and violence resulting

in property damage of any kind.

Ebola virus in W. Africa has killed more than 1,145 and sickened 932 others. With no know cure, health

officials are on alert for a possible spread of the deadly virus into the USA by travelers having visited the

infected area.

Insurance News Making Headlines

Answers to page 3 Trivia: 1. Brady Bunch, 2. King of Queens, 3. Different Strokes, 4. Seinfeld, 5. Gilligans Island (Lovey to Thurston), 6. (Homer) The Simpsons, 7. Welcome Back Kotter, 8. Taxi, 9. The Office, 10. Mary Tyler Moore, 11. 30 Rock, 12. The Honeymooners,

13. I Love Lucy, 14. Modern Family, 15. Cliff from Cheers talking to Norm, 16. Will & Grace, 17. George Lopez, 18. Family Guy

Lumberjack - MES = $24,340, Technological advancement have contributed to dwindling opportunities for this dangerous and low-paying job

Newspaper reporter - MES = $37,090, A job that has lost its luster is expected to plummet even further by 2022 as more print publications close up shop.

Enlisted Military Personnel - MES = $28,840, Enlisted military personnel is the most stressful job of 2014, with men and women that are routinely placed in dangerous situations

Taxi Driver - MES = $22,820 EJG = by 2022: 16%. Can be both stressful and dangerous, and doesn't even pay well.

Broadcaster - MES = $55,380, ESG = by 2022: -13% An unfavorable job outlook, fewer opportunities, tough competition and high levels of stress.

Head cook - MES = $42,480 ESG = by 2022: 5% The position is highly stressful. Although lucrative opportunities exist, income is not always commensurate with the inherent challenges of the job.

Flight attendant - MES = $37,240, ESG = by 2022: -7% High stress, low pay and as airlines continue to consolidate and reduce staff.

Garbage collector - MES = $22,970, ESG = by 2022: 10%, A dirty, volatile job market, low income levels and a gross work environment make for a challenging career.

Firefighter - MES $45,250 - Job Growth by 2022: 7%, Firefighters face high-stress, and dangerous situations inherently

Corrections officer - MES = $38,970, EJG = by 2022: 5% Corrections officers see on a routine basis. The job ranks near the bottom for work environment.