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White & Associates Insurance is closely monitoring the current COVID-19 situation and the daily changes in the number of cases and severity. We are following the guidance of our local County Health Departments based upon the CDC’s recommendations.

Our W&A staff, their families and our clients are of the utmost concern. Our decisions are based on ensuring that we are able to respond to every facet of this situation. W&A maintains detailed and flexible plans to respond to a wide range of scenarios and to maintain business continuity.

Our office doors are currently OPEN. We continue to be happy to serve you via curbside pick-up, our mail drop box, via phone or electronic communication based upon your comfort level. Please call our office to arrange curbside pick-up.

Please see the list below of all our locations and phone numbers:

If you are like me, you find this whole Valentine’s Day thing a bit overrated. I don’t love the idea of needing a specific day to show how much we appreciate our loved ones. I certainly don’t want my sweet husband to feel pressured to live up to any social media induced expectation.  And, let’s be honest, him bringing me a perfectly made cup of coffee is about as romantic an act could be when that alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m.

But, on the off chance that a piece of jewelry does head my way today, I certainly am not going to send it back! I also am going to want to protect this special item.  That brings up the question, “Does my homeowners insurance cover a new piece of jewelry?”

The answer is a bit tricky. Standard home policies typically have coverage for your personal property (a.k.a. your stuff), but it is likely that there is a dollar limit set on how much it will pay for certain categories of valuable items, like jewelry.  For example, your home insurance policy may have a specific jewelry coverage limit of $2,000, even though your overall personal property limit is much higher. So, if you were to lose your wedding ring and it is worth $1,000, you would be in good shape. But, if the lost ring was valued at $5,000, you would likely only receive a $2,000 claim payment to replace the ring.

The first thing you need to do when purchasing a piece of jewelry is to get it appraised.  Provide a copy of the appraisal to your insurance agent and discuss scheduling the specific item of jewelry on your home insurance policy. There will be an additional cost for scheduling the item, usually around 1-2% of the item value each year.  If you currently have high value items in your home and have not talked to your insurance agent to confirm coverage, there is no day like today to get that checked off your list.

Ingredients 

4  6 oz. containers of fresh raspberries or two
12 oz. frozen raspberry bags (thawed)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup Swerve powdered sugar substitute

Plain low fat yogurt

1½ cup old fashioned rolled oats

2/3 cup sliced almonds (raw)

¼ cup Truvia light brown sugar substitute

½ tsp. salt (optional)

Directions

Coulis:

Place raspberries and powdered sugar in a sauce pan with the lemon juice.  Mash the raspberries to release the juice.  Cook the raspberries until they are fully broke down.  Press the cooked raspberries through a sieve to remove the seeds.  Return the juice to the pan, making sure there are no seeds in it. Cook, stirring frequently, to reduce and thicken the coulis.  Remove from heat when the coulis is the consistency of a light syrup and add 1 tsp. of vanilla.  Set aside.

Oatmeal Crumble:

Place ½ cup of the oats in a food processor and chop them until fine.  Place chopped oats in a bowl with the other cup of whole oats.  Add brown sugar, ½ tsp. of salt and 6 tbsp. of butter.  Mix everything together until oats are well mixed with the other ingredients.  Add the almonds and mix well. Coat an 8×8 baking dish with coconut oil, pour the coulis in the dish (reserving 1/3 cup to drizzle over the finished desert) and top with the oatmeal mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serve hot, topped with plain yogurt and a coulis drizzle on top.

White & Associates Insurance Named in Business Insurance’s Annual Best Places to Work in Insurance
Award Recognizes Outstanding Employers in the Insurance Industry

DYERSBURG, TENNESSEE, January 16, 2020 – White & Associates Insurance (www.whiteandassociates.net) today announced it has been named the 14^th Best Place to Work in the annual Best Places to Work in Insurance program, which recognizes employers for their outstanding performance in establishing workplaces where employees can thrive, enjoy their work and help their companies grow.

“White & Associates is honored to be named on the national list of best places to work in insurance for the third consecutive year,” said White & Associates chief executive officer Larry White. “I am proud of our commitment to creating opportunities for our people to succeed both personally and professionally. Our team is always looking for ways to enhance our company culture, to elevate the communities in which we serve and to provide meaningful careers to hardworking individuals.”

White & Associates offers a variety of programs to encourage community involvement, peer collaboration, career development and healthy living. The company offers cash and time off rewards programs for both serving in the community and taking strides towards living a healthy lifestyle. White & Associates also founded an employee-driven community program in 2015, Referrals for a Cause, which allows employees to select local nonprofits to support throughout the year. The agency donates ten dollars to the selected nonprofits for every customer insurance referral received. The employees of White & Associates have raised $17,360 for organizations that are important to them.

Best Places to Work in Insurance is an annual sponsored content feature presented by the Custom Publishing unit of Business Insurance and Best Companies Group that lists the agents, brokers, insurance companies and other providers with the highest levels of employee engagement and satisfaction. Harrisburg, Pa.-based Best Companies Group identifies the leading employers in the insurance industry by conducting a free two-part assessment of each company. The first part is a questionnaire completed by the employer about company policies, practices and demographics. The second part is a confidential employee survey on engagement and satisfaction.

The program divides employers into the categories of small, 25-249 employees; medium, 250-999 employees; and large, 1,000 or more employees. This year’s report features 75 companies of various sizes, from 25 employees to more than 4,000.

The ranking and profiles of the winning companies can be viewed online at bestplacestoworkins.com/Winners .

Established in 1976, White & Associates Insurance is a locally owned and operated insurance agency with 11 locations in West Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. White & Associates strives to provide a “doing more” approach to all aspects of operation including enhancing employee job satisfaction, providing clients with innovative insurance packages and improving the communities in which they serve. To learn more about White & Associates, visit one of their local agencies or whiteandassociates.net.

Business Insurance is the authoritative news and information source for executives concerned about risk and the impact on their business. With information for risk managers, insurers, brokers and other providers of insurance products and services, Business Insurance delivers in-depth analysis on new and emerging risks, case studies of successful programs, market intelligence on trends, and guidance on how to capitalize on opportunities and overcome challenges. In addition to a monthly print magazine, Business Insurance provides essential news via its website, BusinessInsurance.com; daily and weekly e-newsletters; and breaking news via email news alerts. To subscribe, please contact Business Insurance at info@businessinsurance.com.

Best Companies Group works with partners to establish “Best Places to Work,” “Best Companies,” and “Best Employers” programs on a national, state-wide and regional basis. Through its thorough workplace assessment using employer questionnaires and employee satisfaction surveys, Best Companies Group identifies and recognizes companies that have been successful in creating and maintaining workplace excellence.

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A Night in Hollywood….

We are thankful for the opportunity to celebrate the people who make up White & Associates Insurance each year at our Annual Christmas Celebration.  With our offices being spread out through Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas, we do not have a lot of opportunities to get the whole team together and cherish this special time. Our celebration theme for 2019 –  “Come as your favorite movie character, celebrity couple or the star you already are!”

We were able to squeeze 150 people into one room to recognize many special achievements, highlight several special individuals and have a lot of fun with Northwest Tennessee Trivia. We are proud to recognize the following individuals:

Congratulations to the following Service Award recipients:

2019 Top Personal Lines Account Manager:     Kelly Key  –  White & Associates Insurance | Union City, Tennessee
2019 Top Commercial Lines Account Manager:     Julie Todd   –  W&A Carpenter Agency  |  Jackson, Tennessee
2019 Top Life & Health/Group Benefits Account Manager:     Julia Rankin  –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
2019 Top Claims Manager:     Angela McGuire  –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
2019 Rookie of the Year:     Ali Seation  –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee

Congratulations to the following Sales Award recipients:

2019 Top Personal Lines Producer:     Kelly McCormack  –  W&A Carpenter Agency  |  Jackson, Tennessee
2019 Top Commercial Lines Producer:     Martin Caton  –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
2019 Top Ag Services Producer:     Dwayne Dunn  –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
2019 Top Life & Health Producer:     George Johnson  –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
2019 Top Group Benefits Producer:     Dustin Price  –  W&A Semo Insurance  |  Caruthersville, Missouri

2019 Wellness Challenge Winners:

Candy Hedges  –  W&A Wimberley Agency  |  Paris, Tennessee
Jan Jernigan  –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Kathy Johnson  –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Union City, Tennessee
Kelly Key  –  White & Associates Insurance  | Union City, Tennessee
Julia Rankin  –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee

2019 Perfect Attendance Award Winners:

Tommy Allmon  –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Martin Caton    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Jennifer Cheatham    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Tiffany Felkner    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
John Fry    –  White & Associates Insurance  | Union City, Tennessee
Shelia Gurien    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Candy Hedges    –  White & Associates Insurance  | Paris, Tennessee
Gail Hopper    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Bolivar, Tennessee
Tommie Hudson    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Anne Rose Jackson    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Jan Jernigan      –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Kathy Johnson   –  White & Associates Insurance  | Union City, Tennessee
George Johnson    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Kelly Key    –  White & Associates Insurance  | Union City, Tennessee
Amy Ladd    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Tim Ladd    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Duncan McKinnie    –  White & Associates Insurance  | Bolivar, Tennessee
Kim McReynolds    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Kim Petty    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Selmer, Tennessee
Julia Rankin    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Josh Roberson    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Union City, Tennessee
Cate Robertson    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Ali Seaton    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee
Kristin Smith    –  White & Associates Insurance  | Bolivar, Tennessee
Valerie Tucker    –  White & Associates Insurance  | Paris, Tennessee
Lori Vandiver    –  White & Associates Insurance  | Bolivar, Tennessee
Larry White    –  White & Associates Insurance  |  Dyersburg, Tennessee

Click here to view our party pictures! 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3 free range eggs
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine first 5 ingredients. Use a hand mixer. In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Add the dry mixture in thirds to the banana mixture. Combine with hand mixer until well blended. Fold in the chopped nuts. Cook for 50 minutes.

It is the time of year when many employers have their annual open enrollment, and most of us are asking ourselves “what should I do?”  This question especially pops up when it comes to choosing how much we should contribute to a health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA) or 401(k). It is important to make well-informed decisions when it comes to your benefits.

The first step is to know how much you the IRS allows you to contribute, as the limits change each year.

1) Health Savings Accounts

The 2020 contribution limits for an HSA plan are $3,550 for individual coverage and $7,100 for family coverage.  You must be enrolled in an HSA-qualified High-Deductible Health Plan to be eligible to open and contribute to an HSA.  Also, it is important to remember that the contribution limit includes both employer and employee contributions.  For Example: You are enrolled in individual coverage and your employer contributes $1,200 per year to your HSA; to stay within the limit set by the IRS, the most you can contribute is $2,350.

HSA Limits

Source: IRS Notice 2019-25. 

2) Flexible Spending Accounts

Flexible Spending Account (FSA) contribution limits are increasing from $2,700 to $2,750 in 2020. FSAs, like HSAs, allow employees to deduct pretax dollars from their paychecks to pay for eligible out-of-pocket health care expenses.  Unlike with HSAs, you do not have to be enrolled in a High-Deductible Health Plan to contribute to an FSA.  Also, participants typically must spend their annual contributions by the end of the year (extended by a 2 ½ month grace period if the plan allows) or remaining funds are forfeited.

Health FSA Limits

Source: IRS Notice 2019-44.

3) 401(k)

Annual 401(k) contribution limits are increasing, too.  Please be sure contact your employer’s human resources officer for specific information regarding employer contributions and to learn more about how to make changes.

401(k) Plan Limits

​Source: IRS Notice 2019-59.

INGREDIENTS

6 medium beets, washed and trimmed

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp. honey

3 tbsp. green onions, thinly sliced

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

6 cups of baby spinach or fresh arugula

3 oz. crumbled Feta cheese

1/2 cup chopped, slightly roasted walnuts

1/3 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries

1/2  avocado peeled, pitted and cubed

DIRECTIONS

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Line a baking sheet pan with aluminum foil and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and roast in the oven until tender; about an hour.

Remove cooked beets from the foil and set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel the beets with a paper towel and dice.

In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, honey, green onions, mustard and some fresh ground pepper.

Whisk together until blended.

Toss the diced beets in a small bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat.

Bump the oven temperature up to 450 degrees.

Place the beets on the baking sheet and roast until they are slightly caramelized; stirring occasionally for about 12 minutes.

Set the beets aside to cool.

HSAs are not generally thought of as retirement accounts, but they should be.

Most people don’t think about a Health Savings Account (HSA), like a savings account. HSAs are typically thought of as an account where you set aside money to spend on health care items during the current year. While, technically, that is true…that is not the ONLY purpose for a HSA. A HSA can be a great addition to an IRA or 401(k) plan, and, in some cases, it might actually be better to contribute to a HSA instead of the IRA.  (Note: As discussed in the last blog, to set up an HSA, you must be enrolled in a high-deductible insurance plan that meets the necessary qualifications.)

Could a HSA be better than an IRA?

A HSA account is basically a souped-up IRA. Most people are familiar with an IRA or 401(k)… basically, if you’re eligible, you get a tax deduction for the amount you contribute to the plan. The money grows tax-deferred, and then you pay taxes when you withdraw it in retirement.

The HSA is unique because of the additional benefit of tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses. The HSA is the only type of account that has this double tax benefit; deductible contributions and some tax-free withdrawals. After age 65, if HSA funds are not needed for medical expenses or insurance premiums, they can be used the same as funds in your IRA or 401(k). You’ll pay taxes on any withdrawals that are not used for medical reasons, but after age 65, there is no penalty tax.  This makes HSAs a smart retirement savings option.

For most individuals, health insurance premiums and medical expenses of some kind are a certainty. Why not pay for them with tax-free dollars?

• Prior to age 65 HSA funds cannot be used for health insurance premiums, but can be used to pay for qualified medical expenses (co-pays, deductibles, dental care, etc.).
• After age 65 HSA funds can be used to pay for health insurance premiums (including Medicare Part B premiums & long-term care insurance premiums).

When looking at all your options and estimating expected health care costs after retirement, I think you will see a HSA can be a very effective way to save to meet these costs.

Are there downsides to funding an HSA instead of an IRA?

I listed some HSA/IRA differences below:

• With a HSA, funds can be used at any age for qualified medical expenses and are tax-free when used for this reason.
• For withdrawals that are not used for medical reasons:
  • HSA – 20% penalty tax applies (up to age 65)
  • IRA – 10% penalty tax (disappears at age 59½)
• Must be enrolled in a qualified high deductible health plan to be eligible to contribute to an HSA.
• HSA contribution limits are lower than than those for an IRA.
• HSAs have no required minimum distributions – IRAs do.

Now, how HSAs & IRAs are similar:

• Both offer tax-deductible contributions (if you are eligible).
• Money grows tax-deferred.
• Penalty taxes can apply to withdrawals that do not follow the rules.

As a final thought, the best retirement savings option is usually a combination of 401k, IRA and HSA investments. The bottom line is that everyone’s situation is different. You should weigh the pros and cons of each option to determine the best retirement saving strategy for you.

Ingredients

6 oz. softened fat free cream cheese

2 tbsp. Fairlife reduced fat milk

1 tbsp. Swerve sweetener

2 cups thawed out frozen Cool Whip Free

1 reduced fat graham cracker crust

1 cup of cold Fairlife reduced fat milk

1 package (6 serving size) sugar free french vanilla instant pudding

1 package (4 serving size) sugar free french vanilla instant pudding

3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3 cups canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

Directions

In a medium bowl mix together the cream cheese, 2 tbsp. Fairlife reduced fat milk and 1 tbsp. Swerve sweetener until smooth.

Gently fold in the Cool Whip Free to keep it fluffy.

Spread cream cheese mixture in the cooled graham cracker crust.

In a large bowl mix together 1 cup of Fairlife reduced fat milk, both packages of french vanilla pudding and the pumpkin pie spice with a wire whisk for about one minute until the pudding starts to thicken, Then whisk in the pumpkin (this mixture will be thick).

Gently spread the pumpkin mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture.

Refrigerate for about 4 hours before serving.

Garnish the top with grated whole nutmeg if desired.