No matter how much you might relish holiday gift giving and the shopping that goes along with it, you probably also wonder if your mother in law will re-gift or exchange the coffee maker you stood in line to purchase or if uncle Harold will really appreciate yet another reindeer tie. So why not try something different this year?

Give Experiences… Not Things

With a little thought, you can give an experiential gift that will allow the recipient to make memories of their own. Who wouldn’t want the chance to do that? Depending on your budget, your gifts might include a night at the theater or a special sporting event, a certificate for a few rounds of golf at that new course in town, a voucher for a day at the amusement park… you get the idea.

Giving Experiences: The Benefits

Aside from saving you endless hours in busy shopping malls, here are a few other benefits you might find worthwhile…

Wrapping Not Required

Most tickets and gift certificates just slide into a greeting card which is easier for you and better for the environment.

Memories That Last

Whether or not the experience you provide includes you directly, your recipient will remember you as a part of their experience much longer than they might remember who gave them those expensive chocolates.

No Returns Necessary

When you give experiences, there is no duplication and no chance for wrong style, color or size. Assuming that you know your recipient’s interests, they’ll enjoy your gift even if they have had the same experience before.

Gifts That Are Used – Not Forgotten

With the current trend among Americans to save money and live more simply, many are moving to smaller living spaces with more sparse surroundings – valuing experiences over “things”. Consequently, those gifts you spent time buying and wrapping might soon be languishing in a storage locker collecting dust.

Life Insurance Tip

One of the most precious gifts you can give to yourself and your family is the peace of mind that comes with Life Insurance. It is truly a gift of Love. Knowing that the family will be financially safe in the event of your death is a powerful experience.

Here at the Daniel Howley Insurance Agency, we are prepared to answer all your life insurance questions and to help you explore the many policy options available.

We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

During the busy holiday season, there is never enough time for all that we need to do and remember. Along with the festivities, decorating, cooking, gift-giving and traveling, we still need to think, prepare and act to avoid those holiday hazards that can turn celebration into tragedy.

Common Holiday Hazards Are Preventable

Check out "Hazard Free Holidays" from Eriesense.com to learn about seven preventable hazards including holiday cooking, home decorating, heart attacks, slips and falls, outdoor fires as well as car and sledding accidents. The article offer tips and statistics from such sources as the NSC , NFPA , MADD and CPSC  to help all of us have a safe and happy holiday season.

Home & Auto Insurance Tip

As you prepare for the holiday season, don’t forget your insurance auto and home insurance protection. If you want the peace of mind to enjoy your holidays, consider taking a moment to review your policy with your insurance agent. The time to be sure that you are covered is well before you have to file a claim.

Here at the Daniel Howley Insurance Agency, we are always glad to assist as you consider your insurance options. Why not arrange a policy review or contact our office at your convenience?

Daylight Savings Time will soon come to and end, and those of us in the mid-Atlantic region will “fall back” to Eastern Standard Time. You might already know that many homeowners use the time change as a reminder to check their smoke alarm batteries as well. Here at the Daniel Howley Insurance Agency, we're all about safety.  So we urge you to get into the habit of changing your smoke alarm batteries as you reset your clocks marking the end of Daylight Savings Time to keep your family safe and protect your home from fire and smoke damage.  Moreover, this will help you to avoid homeowners insurance claims.

No one doubts the value of a reliable smoke alarm, but just having smoke alarms in your home isn't enough.It is important that they actually work if you are to be protected from fire damage.  Optimally, doing a quick check of your smoke alarms each month will ensure that they are ready to sound the warning should you need them.  Then, changing the batteries in each smoke detector at least once a year will ensure that they remain fresh and strong. 

Could a Smoke Alarm Stop Working?

There are a number of reasons that smoke alarms might stop working . If they have not been replaced in ten years or more, they could fail. More commonly, however, an alarm fails to detect fire and smoke because due to lack of power -- either a dead batter or disconnection from the power source.  In fact, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) warned in a September, 2015 report that about 3 out of 5 home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or non-working smoke alarms.

But My Smoke Alarm Will Remind Me, Right?

It is true that most smoke alarms alert you by beeping when the batteries need to be replaced. But relying on that warning is a bad idea for many reasons such as…

• If you are not at home during the time the beeping alert occurs, you would likely not even know that your alarms are not working. This leaves your family and your home unprotected against fire.
• Perhaps you'd be tempted to just stop the beeping by removing the batteries or disconnecting your smoke alarm, if you don't have replacement smoke alarm batteries ready when the alert occurs. Then, until you remember to reconnect the alarm, replace the batteries and get your smoke alarm working again, you have virtually no protection from the perils of fire in your home. 

Smoke Alarm Battery Facts

• It is important to install the correct type of replacement battery as recommended in the alarm's instruction manual or label and follow all directions. Manufacturers of smoke alarms advise against using rechargeable batteries.
• It is time to replace the entire smoke alarm unit if the alarm is producing frequent nuisance alarms. Don’t be tempted to just disconnect the battery to stop the nuisance alarms.
• If your home has hard-wired smoke alarms with a battery back-up, that battery should be replaced every year just like the battery-powered units.  In fact, the only exceptions to the yearly-replacement rule are hard-wired smoke alarms without a battery backup.  If your smoke alarm is not hard-wired but does not have a replaceable battery, then the entire unit should be replaced at least every ten years.
• You will also want to change the batteries in your carbon monoxide alarm at the same time that you change your smoke alarm batteries.
• At the time that you change the smoke alarm batteries, take the opportunity to clean your smoke alarm, as well.
   
• More About Home Smoke Alarms from the NFPA (Video) 
• Smoke Alarms: Installation and Maintenance Tips

Here at Daniel Howley Insurance Agency, we are a full service insurance agency, offering auto/car insurance, homeowners insurance, business/commercial insurance and life insurance to Rockville MD, all of Maryland and Virginia. Our experienced insurance agents welcome the opportunity to discuss your coverage needs and questions at any time.

Are you one of the many that looks forward to Halloween all year. Maybe you start planning months in advance. This spooky holiday is among the most festive and fun-filled. But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that Halloween is the most dangerous night of the year for kids walking the roadways. So, if you or your children will be out and about, there are some precautions to heed.

ErieSense.com warns of “Halloween safety dangers, like tripping and fire hazards” but suggests that “you can lower the risks of something bad happening with a few precautions”.

Read the entire ARTICLE for a list of tips to help keep your Trick or Treaters safe and happy.

Here at Daniel Howley Insurance Agency, we are a full service insurance agency, offering auto/car insurance, homeowners insurance, business/commercial insurance and life insurance to Rockville MD, all of Maryland and Virginia. Our experienced insurance agents welcome the opportunity to discuss your coverage needs and questions at any time.

How vulnerable is your college student when it comes to identity theft? Hadn’t considered it? You might want to take a close look.

We checked out Eriesense.com and found that it takes very little of a college student’s personal information to allow an identity thief to open new credit lines, empty bank accounts, submit fraudulent tax returns, receive medical services and even provide your college student’s ID as an alias to police upon an arrest.

It’s far too easy for personal information to be quickly lifted by a motivated ID thief from a smart phone or other device or even from wallet credentials.

Read “Who’s at risk for ID theft? More and more, it’s college students” and be sure to watch the video for additional details to keep your student safe on campus.

Insurance Tip

If someone in your family were to become a victim of identity theft, would you know what to do? Ask your agent about Identity Recovery coverage designed to quickly restore the credit and reputation of identity theft victims.

Here at the Daniel Howley Insurance Agency, we would be glad to discuss identity recovery coverage, fraud reimbursement coverage or, in fact, any insurance coverage that you might require. We can help you explore the options and arrive at an insurance plan that makes sense for you. Why not contact our office at your convenience?