Hi everybody, I'm Olga Villaverde.
Good morning, I'm Amber Milt, welcome to the
Balancing Act.
And today, customizable insurance that can
be tailored to your lifestyle now and as your life changes.
And our eyes change over time.
We're gonna help you learn about your cataract IQ.
And are you feeling blue this morning?
No, I'm happy to be here.
Good, don't be blue, because we're in
the kitchen with Chef Ralph Pagano, who's serving up
delicious, healthy blueberries, get it?
Mmmhmm.
Sounds good.
Plus we've got ways to help solve your credit problems and
it all starts right now.
(music).
You can't wear it, drive it, or even eat it, but
it's just as important as clothes, a car, and food.
I'm talking about insurance.
While most of us don't necessarily
want to spend money on it, it's an investment we all need to
make.
So what's right for you, your car, and your family?
It takes some knowhow.
Here to help better understand insurance is
the Senior Vice President of personal lines from Selective
Insurance, Mr. Allen Anderson.
Good morning.
Thanks for being here.
Thanks for having me.
So let's talk about insurance, again, you say
it and people go (sigh).
Bottom line, all policies are not
created equal, why?
Well so often the consumer thinks that
the main thing they want to focus on is price, because they
assume all the policies are the same, but the fact is they
aren't all created the same, and quite often with low prices
policies come less coverage, lower options, and higher
deductibles, and those are things you don't want to find
out about at the time that you submit a claim.
You want to know about them in advance.
So auto insurance, let's talk about that
specifically the car.
What should I consider when I need
that?
Well you do need to start out with your budget, you need
to understand what is it that you really can expect to pay,
what is it you can afford to pay, but then you need to sit
down and talk to an independent agent about what your options
are and what your choices are and what your needs are.
Let's face it, the average consumer
doesn't want to or need to understand the difference
between liability insurance, personal injury protection,
comprehensive coverage- It just gets so convoluted.
Absolutely.
So you want to have a trusted advisor that you can talk to to
answer those questions.
Discounts, when it comes to auto insurance that I can consider
and do?
There are some standard ones, driver safety courses,
good student discount for those of you that have good students
in your household, that can save you a lot of money.
At Selective we have some discounts also if
you choose to pay your premium in one payment or two as opposed
to monthly installments, that can save you some money.
We also have a discount if you get your
quote in advance of your effective date, that can save
you some money.
Those are things that you can do to save money
without reducing coverage.
Home owners insurance, let's talk
about that now, that's a big one.
Yes it is.
And here in Florida it's huge and expensive.
What should I consider there?
So let's look at an example, lets'
say you have a pool or an aluminum fence around your yard
or a patio for example.
Okay.
And a tree falls on that.
You need to think about is your
insurance company going to pay to fully replace and repair
those items, or are they gonna give you some depreciated
amount?
So a company like ours, we have options for you to
choose from if you have those items that will pay the full
replacement cost.
Again those are things you want to talk
about up front, but sit down with your agent because on
homeowners there's so many options to choose from.
Water back up, large lost deductible
waivers, those are all things you need to try to consider in
your coverage choices.
What about discounts when I'm looking
into a homeowners policy?
Many of the discounts that you get on
auto also apply to your homeowners policy.
You can save a fair amount of money on your
homeowners policy by choosing a higher deductible, but you want
to make sure that that's something that you're ready to
handle at the time that the claim comes.
Okay.
But one of the big discounts that people
miss out on is putting those policies together with one
company.
So we offer a discount of up to 20% on both the auto
and the home if you put the policies together with one
company.
We also have discounts for medical professionals,
education professionals, so again, talk to your agent about
everything that goes on in your life so they can help you.
What about if you have a smoke alarm
which I have or a burglar alarm?
Absolutely.
Those kind of things.
Absolutely, if you have something that reports,
certainly, to a central station that where somebody's going to
call the police automatically, that'll have significant savings
as well.
So it's little things- It all adds up.
That's exactly right.
All right, and if you rent, because a lot of people
rent today, sometimes I think it's not worth it to have
insurance, but I have a feeling it is.
It absolutely is.
Really?
Why?
I tell my friends who rent, 'go home and take a look around
your apartment.'
And look at everything that you love, that's
yours.
And imagine replacing it all tomorrow.
Your TV, your furniture, your clothes, your
shoes, area rugs, everything.
That's all gonna add up.
And renters insurance is actually
pretty affordable.
And it's not maybe your home- in other words
you don't own it, but everything inside of it- Right, you're
covering all your personal belongings.
Okay, flood insurance.
That's a big one, here in Florida it's necessary.
We have hurricanes as well, you know what we went through after
Andrew, but I think flood insurance applies to everyone
now in the country.
It is the #1 disaster in America today.
Really?
In all 50 states.
Look at the news after the last few
years.
It's flooded all across the country and not just coastal
areas.
It's inland- Did you see the house that was floating in
the water that was on fire?
That was horrible.
Imagine watching your home on television float
down the river.
That's exactly right.
And people don't often think that they need flood
insurance until it's too late.
But it's affordable, it can help you rebuild your home and your
life after a devastating event.
The other thing that people often don't understand is that
it often doesn't go into effect until 30 days after you purchase
it.
So you need to make sure you get it now.
So Allen, for someone, let's say myself,
looking into car insurance, home insurance, do I go to a company
directly, or do you recommend I go to an independent agent?
I would recommend that you talk to
an independent agent.
Why so?
Because they can sit down with you, talk to you about what's
going in your life, the coverage needs that you have, the options
you have to choose from, and have a conversation with you
about your needs.
And the best thing about an independent agent
is that they represent multiple companies.
They can provide you information for multiple
companies- So you don't feel like they're out for just one.
Absolutely, there's not just one choice.
Little bit more trust there, one on one.
Personal time and they can help me understand
it.
That's exactly right.
The options for that balance between
price and coverage.
And what's good for you.
I love that.
For more information on this where can
our viewers go?
They can find out more about auto, home,
renters, and flood insurance at Selective.com.
Selective.com.
That's right.
Thank you so much for your time, appreciate it.
And of course you can always check out our website, and it's
thebalancingact.com to learn more about insurance.
(music).
All right, so listen to this.
New gorgeous designed furniture, the
latest electronic devices, state of the art appliances, what is
not to love here?
Right?
Unless of course our credit score is
prohibiting our ability to purchase all of this.
Joining me this morning is Henry Chionuma,
director at Acceptance Now.
Here to talk all about new ways to
shop at our favorite retailers to beautify our homes.
Good morning.
I love this so far.
So let's talk about, maybe, what someone is
dealing with today, and I'm sure a lot of people out there can
relate, y'know?
There are financing options, they take
advantage of it, right?
Yup, yup.
They go for it, they want to acquire some stuff, and then
what happens?
People end up getting turned down.
They get turned down, it's frustrating,
what's happening?
Our system today is built off of credit
worthiness, right?
And industry analysts have estimated there's
roughly 100 million consumers over the age of 18.
They currently have little to no
credit.
Right.
So that leaves them with very little options
for them to shop at the retailers that they would like
to shop at.
So where does that leave the rest of America who
still has needs?
So it leaves them with having to find
alternatives.
Leaves them with having to settle, and not get
the product that they want.
It also leaves them with saying
'listen, if I can't go to where I want to go to, I'm going to go
try to find an alternative retailer.
Maybe like a Craigslist or somewhere else.'
Or one of the new solutions that a lot of retailers are picking
up today is our solution, Acceptance Now.
So Henry, how does Acceptance Now help address
the challenge of, let's say the 18 year old that got rejected
and kind of help bridge the gap, and help that person move
forward.
Yeah, so instead of the turn down being the end all, now
that 18 year old has a solution with Acceptance Now, where they
don't need credit, we will lease that product on behalf of that
customer and allow them to make payments over a period of time
of their choosing.
That's fascinating, so tell me more
about this shopping experience and how that person applies.
It's very simple.
Okay.
With some of our retailers we
actually have a solution where their application from the
original credit actually comes over.
If not, what they'll easily be able to do is fill out
our simple application to be able to get approval within 2 to
3 minutes, on exactly how much they're approved for and the
length of the term of the agreement, then it's sign and
enjoy.
How low of a credit score will Acceptance Now accept?
Credit is not required, it's not needed.
If you're fresh out of high school, college, looking to
establish credit, this is a great solution for you.
If you're a customer who has run
into some hardships in the past, this is another option for you
to help you to reestablish your credit, but more importantly get
the item that you want at the place that you want to shop.
So Henry, what leading retail
brands carry this program?
So some of our larger partners
you'll be able to find us in, Rooms to Go.
Oh.
Ashley Furniture, HHGreg, Kann's, and
even actually some regional- Brandsmart?
Brandsmart, yup, they're one of our largest
partners.
That's a big one.
Value City Furniture.
Oh wow.
Nebraska Furniture Mart.
Quite a few.
We have actually roughly 3,000 touch points with over 250
retailers that we're in today.
It's a win win here.
This helps basically a third of America who
would normally be turned down from traditional financing.
They're allowed to get what they want to get, shop where they
want to shop, and more importantly either build or
reestablish credit, and ultimately move forward.
Absolutely, which is so important because they'll feel
better about it as well.
Absolutely.
So Henry, for our viewers out there who'd like
more information on this program, where can they go?
One of the first places you can go
is to AcceptanceNow.com.
There you'll be able to go to our
partner page and be able to see all the different retailers that
carry Acceptance Now solution inside their retail locations.
I like it, I like when there's
options out there.
Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you for having me.
I appreciate it very much, and of course you can
also visit our website, and that's theBalancingAct.com or
also join us on Facebook/thebalancingactfans, we
always want to hear from you.
(music).
And up next, cataract develop as part of
the aging process and we're all at risk of
getting them, but they don't have to interfere with our
lifestyle.
We'll explain, stay with us.
(music).
At some point in our life, we can all get them,
cataracts, they're a natural part of aging that will
ultimately impair our vision and can affect our quality of life.
Today's guest will help us see more clearly, pun intended, meet
eye surgeon Dr. Kathleen McCabe and Sharon Ulysses, a cataract
surgery patient.
Welcome to the show ladies.
Thanks for having us.
Thank you.
It's so great to have you here today, let's start
with what is a cataract and what causes them?
So the cataract is your natural lens in the eye and
it sits right behind the iris, the colored part, and when we're
born, it's nice and clear like this, and light can come through
and focus on the retina, and you see clearly.
But as time passes, it becomes more and more like
this, which is cloudy and yellow, and light has a hard
time getting through, and you don't see clearly.
And there are many things that cause cataracts
too, like trauma, certain disease processes like diabetes
or drugs like steroids can make them happen earlier in your
life, but everyone develops a cataract because it is the
natural aging process of the lens in your eye.
What are some early signs that you might be
getting a cataract?
If I were looking for something.
Cataracts cause you to have fuzzy vision,
and so a lot of time patients just think they need new
glasses, but it will also cause glare and halos, so if you're
driving at night and you see those big lights around
headlights and have a difficult time seeing street signs for
instance, that often times is cataracts.
It changes your color perception, blues and blacks are
harder to tell apart, and it can make it harder for you to see
things.
And that's when we need to see a doctor, right?
Exactly.
That's the first step actually is to see your doctor for a
comprehensive eye exam.
Now Sharon, you had cataracts in
both eyes, right?
Correct.
When did you notice- first notice
that something was off with your vision.
I can't really say you can first notice it, it's
silent, and it's very slow growing.
The lights are very hard on your eyes, depth
perception was bad, and so if I was going down steps I would
hang on and slow everybody up because I wasn't sure the step
was there.
And driving at night, I just literally stopped driving
at night.
The glare of the lights hurt too bad and as Dr.
McCabe explained there are halos around the oncoming traffic and
it was like if something came out in front of you, you
wouldn't be able to see it.
Because your vision is that bad.
And then you had surgery?
Oh yes.
And?
I had surgery and I could not believe- you have to
go to the office very early the next day, and we were about an
hour and a half from the office, so when we left it was dark.
As we were going down, the sun
started to come up, and I just started to cry.
Aw.
It's very hard to talk about, and my
husband said 'What's the matter?'
and I said 'I can see!'
It's just- it was absolutely a miracle.
You thank god, you thank everybody, and it's just
amazing because I can see like I was 6 years old.
I mean the clarity, I said there are
colors.
You know, definition to things, it's just amazing.
The difference is mind blowing.
And how rewarding for you to hear
that.
I truly have the best job in the world, really.
It's a pleasure that we can do
something for- it impacts peoples lives in a way that
sneaks up on them.
But when we fix cataracts, when we take
cataracts out surgically, which is the only way to treat a
cataract- And I'm gonna stop you there, because some people think
their eye drops or medications- Yeah there really isn't anything
else that will make them go away except for taking them out.
Now luckily that's curative.
Once we've removed a cataract it
never comes back again, and we can often make you see better
than you've ever seen before without glasses, which is really
what a privilege for me to be able to do that.
Absolutely.
Doctor, can you explain astigmatism and if you have it
can you still undergo cataract surgery?
What astigmatism is is it's the curvature of the
cornea.
So the cornea is this clear window on the front of the
eye, and it has a curvature.
And if the curvature in every
direction matches you don't have any astigmatism, but in most
patients, the curvature is different, it's steeper in one
direction than another, and that will make a fuzzy image unless
it's corrected, and it's corrected with glasses.
But at the time of cataract surgery, we
can actually do that correction in the eye with a special kind
of an implant.
Doctor, where can we go for more information?
You can go to the website,
myeyes.com/cataracts, sponsored by Alcon.
Fantastic, and you can also visit our website
thebalancingact.com.
Thank you ladies for joining us.
Great show today.
Thank you.
(music).
I've got a question for you?
What's low in calories but high in
nutrients?
The answer, blueberries.
Welcome to my kitchen, this is QuickBytes with
me Chef Ralph Pagano.
Today I'm gonna talk to you about plump,
juicy, sweet, Georgie blueberries.
Proving that good things really do come in small
packages.
So many different applications you can use for the
blueberry.
You want to start off your day with a little blueberry
pie?
Why not!
How about a great salad with nappa cabbage,
broccoli, some ham, cheeses, and blueberries to set it off?
Have you ever had a blueberry muffin?
I have.
How about a blueberry tart oozing with love?
Blueberry smoothie to start your day?
And over here, my favorite way to
kick off the morning, a blueberry granola parfait.
It's so simple, so easy, and so
delicious.
First things first, you want to start it with some
beautiful Georgia blueberries.
To this I'm gonna add a little bit of yogurt, it's plain
yogurt, and I like to run my spoon around in it a little bit
to loosen it up, make it nice and creamy and airy.
Over here I've got some fresh granola that
we made.
You can go to the grocery store and grab some.
Start it off with the glass like this.
Gonna add a fistful of blueberries to the glass.
Take a big loving spoonful of yogurt.
Plop it right in there.
See that?
Gimme another plop of yogurt.
To this?
I'm gonna add a little bit of granola.
There's the granola, it's got almond
flavor in there, raisins, little bit of nuts.
I'm gonna add a little more yogurt on top.
How about some more of the star of
the show.
You know the great thing about the science of the
blueberry is it's only 80 calories per cup.
You know that Georgia is the leading producer
of all the blueberries?
That's cause the weather is so perfect
for it.
Acidic soil helping to sweeten the blueberry.
I'm a chef, I eat everyday I bet you
do too.
You know one of the greatest things you can do is
eat every color of the rainbow everyday.
Look the red, the orange, the yellow, they're
pretty easy.
Have a tomato, have an orange, have a banana, but
the blue?
Only one thing comes to mind, the blueberry.
You're gonna love it, your mouth is
gonna love it.
Your skin is gonna love it.
You're gonna see better, everything in your life
is gonna change when you eat Georgia blueberries.
You want to know more about Georgia
blueberries and these terrific recipes?
Check out Georgieblueberries.org or
theblueberrycouncil.org, or visit our website,
thebalancingact.com.
Remember, this has been a QuickByte- I'm
gonna get it.
But chew slowly.
Gosh that looks so good.
I love blueberries, that's my favorite.
Oh I love blueberries, a little whipped cream though on mine.
We can do it in a smoothie too.
It's probably healthier for you.
There you go.
And that's our show everyone, so head over to
our Facebook page and our website, and of course you can
always follow us on Twitter.
We've got lots more.
As always, thanks for watching everybody,
we'll see you next time.
Have a great day.
(music).