Yippee-Ki-Yay...2020!

I was gonna drop an F-Bomb there, buuuuut figured that was a little too far for the day after Christmas even for me. Seriously though, you're reading this Christmas weekend? You're indeed one of my Die Hard fans. I LOVE IT. Sorry Hallmark Channel. Die Hard is my preferred genre of Christmas movies. Although, it is a family love story, and the guy gets the girl in the end after triumphing over the meddling sick bad guy.

Of course, I totally see myself as the action hero of the IPTV industry because I'm out here as the fly in the ointment, monkey in the wrench, pain in the ass to the cable companies that cringe every time I pull back the curtain. This week's post is no different. We're talking about cutting-the-cord. And there is no villain in this story. I'm a fan of cable options and think it's a needed player in your channel line up. Listen and watch on for the pros and cons of cord-cutting, and don't say I never walked on broken glass for you. I'm being dramatic, cuz you know I love stickin' it to the big boxes.

To wrap up the holiday marketing jingles, read this week's blog about a 'few of my favorite things' about Quality Stream TV (QSTV) like our trials, number of live TV channels, cutting-the-cable, and not to mention the savings. Ho ho ho Santa Baby, that's sexy IPTV stuff!

Time for the real thing. All you gotta do is pull the trigger with QSTV.

Doug

http://www.QSTVPlus.com 

Email: sales@QSTVPlus.com 

Call or text: 941.979.1101

Felony Streaming Bill

Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, released text of bipartisan legislation that would punish large-scale criminal streaming services that willfully and for commercial advantage or private financial gain offer to the public illicit services dedicated to illegally streaming copyrighted material.

The Protecting Lawful Streaming Act would apply only to commercial, for-profit streaming piracy services. The law will not sweep in normal practices by online service providers, good faith business disputes, noncommercial activities, or in any way impact individuals who access pirated streams or unwittingly stream unauthorized copies of copyrighted works. Individuals who might use pirate streaming services will not be affected.

“The shift toward streaming content online has resulted in criminal streaming services illegally distributing copyrighted material that costs the U.S. economy nearly $30 billion every year, and discourages the production of creative content that Americans enjoy,” said Senator Tillis. “This commonsense legislation was drafted with the input of creators, user groups, and technology companies and is narrowly targeted so that only criminal organizations are punished and that no individual streamer has to worry about the fear of prosecution. That’s why groups as diverse as CCIA and Public Knowledge are neutral on this proposal.”

The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), John Cornyn (R-TX), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), and David Perdue (R-GA).

Read the text here.

Background:

Streaming has become the primary way that audiences consume entertainment. It has also become a major form of piracy. Last year, one study reported that digital video piracy costs the U.S. economy $29.2 billion a year. Streaming piracy touches numerous creative sectors, including major motion pictures, television programs, music, audiobooks, live sports, and pay-per-view programming.

Under current law, only violations of the reproduction and distribution rights of copyright owners can be charged as felonies, while criminal infringement via streaming (or “publicly performing”) can only be charged as a misdemeanor. This is known as the streaming loophole – and it is particularly harmful to the U.S. economy because streaming has become the most common form of criminal copyright infringement.

This bipartisan, consensus legislation will provide the Department of Justice with the authority to bring felony charges against a digital transmission service that:

1. is primarily designed or provided for the purpose of streaming copyrighted works without the authority of the copyright owner or the law; or
2. has no commercially significant purpose or use other than to stream copyrighted works without the authority of the copyright owner or the law; or
3. is intentionally marketed by or at the direction of that person to promote its use in streaming copyrighted works without the authority of the copyright owner or the law.

This press release was originally published on December 10th on Senator Tom Tillis’ website at tillis.senate.gov.

This bill has been attached to the Covid Relief Bill that hasn’t been signed yet by President Trump as of this article.

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State Minimum Limits, are they worth it?

Long and short, no. States have to legally set limits on auto insurance. In Illinois they are 25/50/20.  Meaning $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 bodily injury per occurrence, $20,000 property damage.  What do all these numbers mean?  

The numbers above mean if you are in at fault accident that is the amount of money your insurance will cover for injuries and damages sustained. What happens if those limits don't cut it, well then YOU are responsible for paying the difference. Also, depending on how bad the accident is you could possibly have a lifetime of payments ahead of you.

Some people we talk to say that they are willing to risk it. Why? Well it's simple, the lower the limits the less expensive your premiums are. All be it, it may be less expensive on paper but is it worth it in the long run if you get into an accident that seriously hurts someone and their medical costs are more than the coverage you have in force, since you opted for state minimum.

You do the math and tell me...

You're in an at fault accident with 4 people in the other car. Person A has minor injuries that cost $5,000. Person B has injuries that cost $15,000. Person C has injuries that cost $15,000. Person D got hurt the worst and had a hospital stay that cost $40,000. Their car was totaled and 2 parked cars also got damaged- all those totaled $40,000. 

Here are the totals: Medical expenses: $75,000 (your limits are $25,000/$50,000) you will owe: $25,000. Property damage (your limit $20,000) you will owe $20,000.  In total for this accident you would owe: $45,000 out of pocket for expenses not covered by your insurance limits.

The numbers keep increasing. Is it worth it to have large out of pocket costs to have cheap insurance?

Want to make sure you have proper coverage, let us know, we are here to help make sure you and your assets are protected.

December: Wrap Up Loose Ends

This month’s Insurance Policy Centres Calendar action item is “Wrap Up Loose Ends”.  Here are some items to keep in mind at the end of the year: 

• Keep an eye on your holiday budget. While using credit cards is a great way to earn cash back or rewards, you’ll need to be sure that you can pay off the balance with your next statement so you can avoid high interest charges. 
• Use your gift cards. Consider gifting any that you won’t be using to your family and friends. Or you can sell them, though you’ll get less than face value, you’ll have something. 
• Individual health care enrollment deadline for the Federal Health Insurance Exchange is usually December 15th (visit healthcare.gov to confirm). States with their own exchanges may have longer open enrollment periods, so check your state website as well. If you experience a major life event (or meet other specific criteria), you may also be able to apply for health insurance during special enrollment periods. 
• Review Your Spending Account Balances. Dependent Care Spending Accounts (DCSA’s) and many Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA’s) have a “use it or lose it” policy. If you will have money left over, here are some applicable expenses for FSA’s: Vision (new glasses or contacts), Chiropractic Care, Acupuncture, Prescription Medications, Mental Health Treatment (Therapy) and more (see this round-up of Health Care FSA Eligible Expenses or visit the IRS site). 
• Charitable donations. Make any year-end donations to support your favorite nonprofits to make a positive difference and to be able to claim your tax deduction. Be sure to check to see if your donation is tax deductible (see: Charitable Contributions You Think You Can Claim but Can’t). The CARES Act created new opportunities for certain charitable gifts and expanded the ability to take a charitable deduction (here’s How the CARES Act changes deducting charitable contributions). 
• Complete any gifts to people or trusts to take advantage of the annual gift tax exclusion. The annual gift tax exclusion limits increase each year. 
• Review your IRA and 401(k) contributions and distributions. If you had to take a first RMD by April 1, you must take your second RMD by December 31. 

Doug Myrick | Insurance Policy Centres LLC | 305.741.3684 | www.dougmyrick.com

The Importance of Health Insurance During COVID

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to change the way we view our lives and plan for the future. While I would argue that health insurance has always been important, having this in place more important now than ever. According to a July MetLife survey of 1,000 full-time workers, 48% said that open enrollment is more important this year than last, with 67% of them citing a pandemic-related reason. This year in particular, workers fear for their financial security, worrying about the cost of missing work in anticipation of potentially getting sick, the rising cost of health care, and the chance of losing their job altogether. 

Our supplemental plans provide incredible value and keep you protected at an affordable price by allowing you to reap the benefits of your coverage without needing to meet your deductible, whereas other government-sponsored plans require you to do so first.

Bottom line: COVID has created enough emotional, financial, and physical stress for us all. Make sure you are protected and prepared. Call me, Doug Myrick, to discuss a customized health care plan, and save yourself not only money, but peace of mind in knowing that you are set.