We're a social society, and we love to celebrate life's biggest events surrounded by our closest friends and family, whether it's a birthday, graduation, baby shower, family reunion, or a fun crawfish boil with friends. However, hosting a party can come with certain risks, and these risks, if left unchecked, can lead to accidents and potential liability claims. Rather than risk loved ones or close friends getting hurt, homeowners can mitigate these risks through a few proactive steps.

While students are taught history, science, grammar, and math in school, few ever get an opportunity to learn about real world information needed as an adult, such as how to file income taxes, the ins and outs of a mortgage, or how insurance works. As a result, many young people leave high school or college without understanding what kind of insurance they need, how it works, or how it can help in the event of a disaster. In addition, many individuals, families, and business owners can end up getting the wrong kind of coverage for their needs.

Disasters and life events always bring with them lessons for the future, whether you're directly impacted or have just narrowly avoided a disaster. These lessons may come from natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey, life events like medical emergencies, or accidents like a car crash. In these situations, consumers can learn something about their financial security and protection when it's needed most. One of the more common things people learn after a disaster is that they might have a gap in their insurance coverage.

Although Texas isn't known for its record levels of snow and ice, we do enjoy colder temperatures during the winter months. It's not uncommon for homeowners to use their fireplace, candles, or space heater more often as the temperatures drop, but they can also lead to a rise in home fires. In fact, winter months have the highest rates of fire fatalities because of accidental fires in homes and apartment complexes.

In the past, it was common for people to know all their next-door neighbors and even many of the families on their street. Likewise, business owners often knew all the other shop owners up and down their block. Now, in the hustle and bustle of today's society, people go days or even weeks without ever seeing their neighbors, much less interacting with them. When individuals, families, and business owners make an effort to get to know their neighbors, the community is a safer place.

Online shopping has become the preferred method for buying gifts during the holiday season, with over $90 billion dollars spent online during the 2016 holiday season alone. Purchasing online means shoppers can avoid the crowds, busy parking lots, and mad dashes to find deals before they're gone. Unfortunately, all the time and money you save by buying online is pointless if package thieves steal your packages from your front door. In today's Aegis blog post, we look at four simple ways to protect package deliveries from thieves and ensure you receive your shipments.

Studies have long shown that if you want a child to master a specific skill set, language, or talent, then early exposure and training is key. For example, a child learning a second language should be immersed in it as early as possible, since it only becomes harder to learn a new language as you age. The same is true when it comes to teaching kids about money and personal finances. If you want them to make smart choices about money and finances as an adult, then it's critical to teach them at a young age and to model wise decisions yourself.

One of the best tools we have to fight crime in our workplaces and homes is technology. October is National Crime Prevention Month, and it's the perfect opportunity to use technology to reduce crime on your residential or commercial property. In today's Aegis blog post, we'll identify four simple ways technology can be used to protect people and property, whether it's in your home or place of business.

Hurricane Harvey has been a major wake-up call to individuals and families across the country about their own level of preparedness in the face of a natural disaster. Improved technology has made it slightly easier to predict certain types of natural disasters and their expected pathways, but it's still next to impossible to predict their full impact or level of destruction. For example, Texas residents knew several days in advance that Hurricane Harvey was approaching our coast, but no one knew that we would receive multiple tornadoes and catastrophic, record-shattering flooding.

Renting an apartment can offer significant benefits to individuals and families looking for a place to live. It might mean a shorter commute to work, closer proximity to better schools, access to amenities like swimming pools or gyms, additional shopping and entertainment options, or the ease of not having to handle property maintenance. However, apartment renting may also increase the likelihood of personal property damage to renters and their families.