A Terrifying Tall Tale
CALL FOR DETAILS OR TO MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY (727) 748-2886 Chuck Chucri, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, FLMI Financial Advisor The Prudential Insurance Company of America Prudential.com/advisor/chuck-chucri Our financial advisors offer investment advice, and some may offer financial planning. Our financial advisors and financial planners offer financial planning and/or investment advice through Pruco Securities, LLC (Pruco), under the marketing name Prudential Financial Planning Services (PFPS). A financial advisor or financial planner offers securities products and services as a registered representative of Pruco and offers insurance products as an agent of issuing insurance companies. 1-800-778-2255 Vermost Insurance is an independent organization and is not an affiliate of Prudential Financial. Do not smoke. It’s not a secret that smokers are at a higher risk for a wide range of health issues, and when they apply for life insurance, this is reflected in their premiums. So, if you are currently a smoker, you should quit right away, and if you don’t smoke, it’s wise to not start! Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity is linked to an increased risk of many medical conditions, higher mortality rates, heart conditions, and other health concerns. Many insurance companies rely on a standard table of height and weight to determine if an applicant is overweight, so it’s important to maintain a healthy weight to obtain life insurance at a reasonable cost. Maintain your health. If you have existing health issues such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, thyroid complications, or another chronic health condition, this doesn’t mean that you’ll automatically be lumped into the group with higher premiums. Provided that you follow a treatment plan and take medications as prescribed, you may still qualify for a lower premium! Avoid living on the edge . Sure, hazardous hobbies such as rock climbing, skydiving, skiing, scuba diving, water rafting, and bungee jumping are thrilling and exciting, but these activities may increase your life insurance premium. To keep your premium low, only engage in safe hobbies and activities! For all questions and concerns about your life insurance policy or obtaining a lower premium, contact us today. The experts at Vermost Insurance Agency are here to help!
Halloween Candy Myths That Won’t Die
Halloween has many rituals: hanging up spooky decorations, choosing costumes, and going trick-or- treating. And one nearly universal routine is parents checking their children’s candy stash and throwing out anything deemed suspicious. People consider it an unfortunate but necessary part of life, and the danger seems vast. There are supposedly razor blades in apples, candy laced with drugs, and sweet treats made with poison. But the fear is almost entirely unfounded. Stories of poisoned Halloween candy trace back to at least the 1960s, and the New Jersey legislature passed a law against tampering with apples in 1968. It seemed prudent since 13 people reported finding razor blades in apples that year. However, at least 75% of those cases were hoaxes, and there was insufficient information about the others to determine their veracity. Several prominent op-eds warned against tainted candy in the 1970s, and fear increased after a 1982 incident where multiple people died in Chicago from cyanide-laced Tylenol. If a maniac could poison consumers like that, people asked, why wouldn’t they target Halloween candy? Meanwhile, the stories have kept coming: a child who died of a heroin overdose, Pixy Stix filled with cyanide, and childhood sweets substituted with cannabis candy. Some stories had a kernel of truth but did not match the original news reports. The heroin overdose originated with a family member’s stash; they blamed candy as a coverup. One father tragically murdered his son with poisoned candy and blamed it on trick-or-treating. And while it’s true that some edible THC products look like regular candy, they’re also far more expensive, and users are unlikely to give them away for free. Sociologist Joel Best has studied claims of contaminated Halloween candy since 1985 and has never once confirmed an intentional poisoning or injury by a non- family member. He speculates that people circulate the legends each year almost as a tradition. Further,
examining potentially dangerous candy makes parents feel in control compared to many other dangers their children face. So, inspect your child’s trick-or-treat haul if you must. After all, it’s tradition. But rest assured that the risk is only as authentic as the fake cobwebs on your front porch.
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