Expert Advice Articles for May 2012 (click on title below)
• What is Title Insurance and why is it so important that I purchase Title Insurance for my residential home at closing or even after owning my home for many years?
• Why can’t I just back my data up to an external hard drive?
• What is the difference between custody and access?
• Is your place of business capable of passing a Critical Perspective Readiness Test?
REAL ESTATE EXPERT, Karen Paul, Sales Representative
QUESTION: What is Title Insurance and why is it so important that I purchase Title Insurance for my residential home at closing or even after owning my home for many years?ANSWER: 1. It is a form of Indemnity Insurance (sum paid by A to B by way of compensation for a particular loss suffered) which insures against financial loss from defects in title to real property and from the invalidity or unenforceability of mortgage liens.
2. It is a very important insurance to purchase only to protect the owner’s or lender’s financial interest in the real property against loss due to title defects, liens, or other matters. The owner’s policy assures a purchaser that the title to the property is vested in that purchaser and that it is free from all defects, liens and encumbrances …Example: A hydro bill not being settled at the time of closing and the bill is then sent to the new owner. Title Insurance will pay that bill. It also covers losses and damages suffered if the title is unmarketable. The policy also provides coverage for loss if there is no right of access to the land. These are only basic coverages.
A lawyer is the only one you can attain Title Insurance through so best to speak to him/her as to which coverage would suit you best and review in detail the reasons why you should buy Title Insurance.
Direct tel: 905.634.2334
Office tel: 905.634.7755
info@karenpaul.com
www.karenpaul.com
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EXPERT, Scott Putman
QUESTION: Why can’t I just back my data up to an external hard drive?ANSWER: The short answer is: Because you need to recover more than just your data to restore your systems to pre-disaster status.
Just imagine how business has changed. Today’s business environment puts a much greater premium on speedy recoveries than even 10 years ago: a few hours of outage can cause serious damage to your operations.
Nobody schedules a disaster. That’s why your backup and disaster recovery plan should take into consideration the amount of time you can reasonably be without computer services. Today’s backup plans make it possible to restore you entire infrastructure in a matter of hours—not days or weeks. But, what factors should you consider when choosing a plan?
Cost is a no-brainer. But, consider also the value of what you’re protecting. Backup plans tend to come in basic or premium packages.
Can you get a free trial? Many companies that offer backup plans will tempt you by letting you try out their service for a couple of months.
What should you back up? Mission-critical information requires continuous backup. Automatic and continuous backup can be costly, and may slow down your system performance from time to time.
Will the service provider compress and encrypt all of your data?
Finally, where is the off-site data physically stored? The U.S. Patriot Act may implicate your data.
Do a serious evaluation of which services are essential, and which are “nice to have.”
Feel free to contact us about this and other computer related issues.
tel: 905.937.7658
3-23 Nihan Dr., St. Catharines ON
scott@iovision.ca
www.iovision.ca
FAMILY LAW EXPERT, Jennifer L. Cooper, B.A., M.A., LL.B.
QUESTION: What is the difference between custody and access? ANSWER: Custody and access both refer to children in a separation or divorce, and the two are often confused.
Custody refers to who makes the decisions about a child’s school, medical and dental needs, and general well-being. Parents may have joint custody following separation, which means they make decisions together about what is in the best interests of their children. In some cases, one parent will have sole custody, and they can make decisions without consulting the other parent. This will often be the case when the parents can’t communicate effectively. Even in cases involving sole custody, there can still be restrictions, such as a requirement that the custodial parent inform the other parent of doctors’ appointments or school functions, or a requirement that s/he get the non-custodial parent’s consent before moving outside of a prescribed area.
How often each parent sees the children is actually called access. A parent with sole custody will almost always be the “primary” parent, meaning the children live mainly with him/her, and share his/her address for school purposes. There are many possible arrangements for access, ranging from no access (which may occur in cases with a history of abuse) to supervised visits, to arrangements such as alternating weekends plus a regular weeknight, or even week-on, week-off sharing. Separating parents are free to negotiate whatever they feel is in the best interests of the children. Courts are mainly concerned with maintaining a stable pattern for the children, and promoting relationships with both parents, where possible.
tel: 905.634.3155
jennifer@jaskotfamilylaw.ca
4200 South Service Rd., Suite 101
Burlington, ON
www.jaskotfamilylaw.ca
BRANDING AND MARKETING EXPERT, Jim Albanese, President
QUESTION: Is your place of business capable of passing a Critical Perspective Readiness Test?ANSWER: “You don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression” is more relevant today than ever.
Here are six tips to making a great first impression.
1. Curb view of your business—Is your signage modern and professional looking?
2. Is your parking lot free of unsightly vehicles, oil stains, garbage, and weeds?
3. Is your building giving an appropriate impression for your type of business?
4. Is the general feeling in your reception area friendly and inviting?
5. Is your seating area comfortable and is your reading material current and in good condition?
6. Are your washrooms clean, fresh smelling, and well stocked, with a proper locking door?
Hanging on to existing customers is hard work and attracting new ones is even harder. Make your first impression a great one, every time!
Building Exceptional Brands and Marketing for Greater Success.
tel: 905.526.0067 ext: 14
jim@albanesebranding.com
435 York Blvd., Hamilton, ON
www.albanesebranding.com