With the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, distractions can make us all prime targets for identity thieves. In store or online, schemes rely on credit card data and emails disguised as legitimate inquires may conceal "phishing" scams to gain access to your personal account information. With "no-swipe" credit cards, some account and user information can be decoded through radio frequencies and old-school dumpster diving is still a favorite activity with low-tech crooks. Read more 

What can one do?

1. Only keep a bare minimum of personal info in your wallet
2. Guard your credit card when making purchases
3. Always take credit card or ATM receipts
4. Proceed with caution when shopping online
5. Monitor your accounts
6. Keep personal info generic in your electronic devices
7. Password protect your credit card, bank and phone accounts
8. Do not give out personal information
9. Shred, shred, shred
10. Add Identity Theft Insurance to your Homeowners Policy,
    call us today at 401-846-9629 for a quote.

Reflection, Celebration & Blowing Winds of Change 

In December 1962 as the nation prepared for the holiday season, President Kennedy appeared in an unusual hour-long television interview called After Two Years directly communicating to the American people from his White House rocking chair. As he lit the National Christmas Tree, he said "Peril was faced and reason ruled in 1962, making the nation just a little bit more confident of peace on earth to men of good will this Christmas season." In national news the New York City Newspaper Strike began with the walkout of the International Typographical Union, halting production of all nine of the city's major newspapers. The strike lasted 114 days, but it didn't stop the transmission of news from outer space to Earth. Mariner 2 reported data showing the surface of Venus to be 900° Fahrenheit, revealing "a planet inhospitable to life," which "dashed hopes for... read more

It was another good month at the movies with the releases of Lawrence of Arabia and To Kill a Mockingbird. Locally, the Opera House screened Thunder Road with Robert Mitchum, and you could catch an Audrey Hepburn double feature, Sabrina and Roman Holiday at the Strand. Musically speaking Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons topped the charts with Big Girls Don't Cry until they were knocked out of orbit by The Tornados instrumental hit Telstar. Connie Francis' I'll Be Home for Christmas was ubiquitous this season, bass player Bill Wyman joined the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan recorded his new album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, including Blowin' In the Wind at Columbia Records. read more

Here in Newport, Santa Claus seemed to be everywhere, he was first sighted atop NFD Hook & Ladder Truck 2 at Washington Square, later in the month he made another aerial entrance via whirly bird. (View a gallery of Santa in Newport 1962 images on our Facebook page.) A capacity crowd filled Emmanuel Church for Swanhurst Chorus' Annual Yuletide Concert and restoration began to replace the rotted sills, clapboards, stairs and chimneys of Trinity Church's Tower Room. On the 22nd an overnight snowfall coated the city with 3 inches of pre-holiday snow, but by Christmas Eve the Newport Daily News reported that the weather had been perfect for last minute holiday shopping with record crowds jamming the streets and shopping areas. In stark contrast, the following week's temperatures dipped to 10 degrees below zero when a frigid Arctic blast whipped through the area with winds gusting up to 70 mph. read more

On New Year's Eve, twenty-five local merchants provided prizes for the First Baby of 1963 Contest and at the stroke of midnight ABC affiliate WTEV-6 first lit up the local television airwaves. As 1962 drew to a close it was a time for reflection on an eventful year of change. Both internationally and nationally initiatives were set in motion that continue to impact our daily lives. Decisions taken by Newporters in 1962 literally changed the face and character of our City by the Sea as we know it today.

Thank you for sharing our 50th Anniversary retrospective, we hope that you have enjoyed it as much as we have. At D.F. Dwyer Agency, we look forward serving you and your families for the next 50 years in Newport & Beyond...

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Be ready for the next super storm
     

Events such as Hurricane Sandy are a terrible reminder of how devastating natural disasters can be for both businesses and individuals. In the days and weeks that followed the storm, with the loss of power and phone systems, we encountered many of the same challenges as our clients' businesses and homes. Here are some key lessons we learned from this natural catastrophe:

Your Home: 

• Keep your insurance policy and agent contact info handy
• Back-up your electronic data in the event of a power failure
• Don't underestimate your risk of flood. According to FEMA 90% of all natural disasters nationwide involve flooding. Your property does not need to be on the coast to be at risk, flash floods can be attributed to many factors.
• Flood Insurance goes into effect 30 days after purchase

• Maintain a contact list of employees, vendors, local authorities and your insurance agent
• Secure critical electronic files in the event of a power failure
• Contact your clients and suppliers to develop back-up plans
• Today's businesses are interconnected, be aware of catastrophic risks to your critical suppliers and business partners 
• Call us at 401/846-9629 for Business Interruption Coverage

We value all of our clients, but we're always happy to promote the businesses of our commercial clients.We've added a new 'Featured Client' section to our website and e-newsletter, where each month, we'll showcase one of our commercial clients. If you're one of our valued commercial clients, email us a photo, a brief description of your business (150 words max.) and the link to your website and we'll contact you shortly about your submission. Hey, who couldn't use a little free advertising?