Are You Liable if Your Employee is in a Car Accident with the Company Car?

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Articles |Auto Insurance|Are You Liable if Your Employee is in a Car Accident with the Company Car?Perhaps. It depends on what the employee was doing at the time of the accident and where your business is located. This information is from the office of a car accident lawyer in Norristown, PA.

No-Fault Auto Insurance

If your business is located in Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Utah, you have no-fault auto insurance. Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and New Jersey give drivers a choice between no-fault and at-fault.

No-fault auto insurance was created to reduce the auto accident lawsuit overload on the court system and to eliminate the need for those injured in auto accidents to prove they were not at fault or were not at fault as much as the other driver.

In no-fault states, each driver’s insurance pays that driver’s minor injuries regardless of fault. In many no-fault states, one driver may still sue the other if they suffered damages in excess of a threshold set by state law.

If you are located in a no-fault state and your driver gets into an accident, your insurance will cover the minor injuries of the other driver. Your workers’ compensation insurance may well cover your driver. But if the accident is serious and injuries exceed the threshold in your state, you may be sued and have to establish that your driver was not at fault. You can click website here to learn more.

At-Fault Auto Insurance

If you do business in any state except the states listed above, in an accident involving your company vehicle, each drivers’ insurance company will pay for the damages sustained according to the degree of fault of each driver.

The driver who caused the accident will be responsible for the damages to other parties involved. That driver’s insurance company will pay the victims up to the policy limits on the policy. If there are damages in excess of those limits, the victims can sue.

If your business is located in Arkansas, Delaware, or Maryland, you have the option of purchasing add-on insurance that provides the same type of protection that would be available in no-fault states. If you have this additional coverage, your insurance will pay injured parties without determining who was or was not at fault. However, those injured parties can still sue or be sued for injuries and pain and suffering.

Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ compensation will cover the medical expense and lost wages of the driver of a company vehicle in a car accident if:

  • The driver is an employee of your company;
  • The driver was driving the company vehicle in the course of their regular work duties;
  • The driver was driving the company vehicle in your direction.

Your workers’ compensation insurance may not cover the driver if:

  • The driver is not an employee, but is an independent contractor;
  • The driver took the vehicle without your permission;
  • The driver was doing something illegal when the accident occurred (speeding, running a red light, etc);
  • The driver was using the vehicle as part of regular work duties, but ran a personal errand without your knowledge or permission;
  • The driver was impaired due to drugs or alcohol.

Keep in mind that victims of an accident with your company vehicle, when they have the right to sue, can sue the driver, you, your company, your vehicle mechanic, and the vehicle manufacturers and retailers under various theories of legal liability. Do not skimp on your commercial auto insurance coverage, and be sure to retain the service records of all company vehicles in case they are needed to prove that you maintained your vehicles responsibly.

Additional Resources

StrategyDriven Contributors recommend the following resource that elaborate and compliment this article:

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor |Veronica BaxterVeronica Baxter is a blogger and legal assistant living and working in the great city of Philadelphia, she frequently works with Craig Altman, Esq., a car accident lawyer in Media, PA.

Mac Performance- Reasons Why Your Mac May Be Running Slow

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StrategyDriven Tools for Professionals Articles |Mac Performance|Mac Performance- Reasons Why Your Mac May Be Running SlowMac owners often find themselves being thankful for choosing the device they own because of the premium look and feel and amazing features that the brand offers. But you cannot expect perfection even from the best brand and model. There are chances you may experience a slowdown with the system once in a while. Most probably, it happens because of something you do (or don’t), rather than a glitch with the device. It makes sense to know the exact reason why your device may be running slow before addressing the concern. Here are the possibilities you can explore with Mac.

You keep putting off updates

Users often end up putting off system updates even though the computer consistently alerts you about installing them. If you have been doing so, you can expect the Mac to lose performance sooner rather than later. Ideally, you should install the update on the first alert. If you have postponed one for long, make sure that you check the recent one from the App Store and install it right away.

The hard drive is too full

Tons of files and photos in your hard drive can clutter it and result in a slowdown for your Mac. Slow performance is an indication that you are reaching the limit with the storage capacity and must take quick action to clear it up. Assess the files and photos in the storage drive periodically and purge the ones you no longer require. You may consider backing them up on an external storage device in case you may need them in the future.

You are running too many apps simultaneously

In a perfect world, users would want to multi-task, working on files while browsing the internet and listening to their favorite music on Spotify. But if you want to find more about taking your Mac ahead on the performance front, this habit would emerge as a killer. Steer clear of doing too much at once as it will eventually take a toll on the system’s speed. Close all the tabs and apps that are not in use and avoid running ones that are resource-intensive. You can check the facts by accessing the Activity Monitor and seeing the apps that are using up maximum memory.

The cache is overloaded

Besides loading your Mac with too many files and apps, running it with an overloaded cache is another factor that can affect its performance. Over time, the cache fills up with temporary files picked from the websites you visit while browsing the internet. Although this is meant to speed up the browsing experience, cache files end up slowing down the system. It is advisable to clear Mac’s cache regularly to keep it at an optimal level of performance.

More often than not, you end up doing these things with your Mac without even realizing how far they can go in causing a slowdown. It is advisable to follow the best practices for Mac usage so that you get only the best from your device and never have to struggle with performance issues.

The Best Laptop for Court Reporters

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StrategyDriven Tools for Professionals Article | The Best Laptop for Court ReportersBecoming a Jupiter court reporter is no easy feat. Court reporters or stenographers usually have to study and train for years before they develop the skills necessary to succeed in this line of work. Even then, there is still no guarantee that they will be able to pass the difficult licensing examinations.

Aspiring court reporters need to invest fully in their careers if they want to make it. They must also be willing to invest in the tools of the trade. More specifically, they will need a laptop that can handle the demands of their job.

Here in this article, we’ll cover the factors that matter most when choosing the best laptop for court reporting. We’ll highlight the specific qualities that make a laptop more suitable for that specialized task. We will also take some time to pinpoint some specific laptops you can check out while shopping.

CAT Software Compatibility and Its Importance to the Jupiter Court Reporter

CAT or computer-aided translation software is an essential tool for court stenographers. The aforementioned program takes the notes typed by the stenographer and then translates those into English.

To use CAT software, a court reporter will first input words into the program’s dictionary. While in the process of reporting, the program will then match the notes typed by the stenographer to entries present in the dictionary.

The idea behind using CAT software is that it helps court reporters work faster and more accurately. Court reporters need to be both quick and accurate because they must keep up with everything going on inside the courtroom. The documents they produce are also hugely important to proceedings.

Before you even look for a laptop, check with the vendor of the CAT software you want to purchase first. Ask about which operating system should be used together with the CAT program. Make sure that the laptop you’re buying utilizes that operating system.

Apart from telling you about the CAT software’s OS requirements, the vendor can also share the spec requirements. We’ve also listed the spec requirements for laptops that are suitable for court reporters.

The Specs a Jupiter Court Reporter Needs to Consider

Laptops that can be reliably used by a Jupiter court reporter need to be beefy and highly capable. Hitting the list of required specs listed below will help you find that ideal laptop.

Processor

The computer’s processor affects how quickly the whole thing works. You need a processor that can keep up with your commands as you’re working. A processor that is prone to lagging and freezing is unsuitable for a court reporter’s laptop.

At a minimum, you will need a laptop equipped with an Intel i5 processor. If possible though, aim for an i7 processor or something higher. That kind of processor will allow you to work at your desired pace.

Memory Capacity

Another component of the laptop that affects working speed is its memory. You specifically want to focus on the RAM.

Don’t go for any laptop with less than 8GB of RAM. Anything with less than 8GB of RAM can slow you down.

Hard Drive Capacity

Hard drive capacity will not have as much of an impact on your laptop’s performance as the processor and RAM. However, it can still slow you down somewhat if you’re using too much space.

Avoid that issue altogether by finding a sizable hard drive. Look for a hard drive with at least 256GB of space, but you should really aim for double or quadruple that.

Hardware Ports

Hardware ports are needed for connecting peripheral devices to your laptop. At least one USB port will be required to accommodate your mouse.

A serial port may also be needed to connect some older equipment. If your laptop lacks a serial port, you can go ahead and purchase an adapter.

Programs Needed

The CAT software compatibility is obviously your priority when looking for a laptop. Beyond that, you don’t need a lot of special programs on your laptop.

You’ll want your preferred browser installed on the laptop. Add to that your Microsoft Office suite. A PDF reader would also be welcome.

To protect your equipment, consider purchasing some anti-virus software as well.

The Top Laptop Choices

Now, let’s talk about some of the best laptop options for a Jupiter court reporter. We’ll be naming three of the top options in this section of the article. The listings and specs come courtesy of Amazon.

Acer Swift 3 SF314-54-56L8

We start with the Swift 3 SF314-54-56L8 laptop from Acer. This is a good purchase if you’re looking for something more affordable.

You’re pretty much meeting the minimum requirements with this laptop. It features an i5-8250U processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of available storage space.

The form factor is also a nice plus because it allows you to carry this laptop everywhere you go easily. It also features a longer battery life of 12 hours.

This Acer laptop works as a suitable starter option, although you may want to upgrade in the future.

2019 HP Pavilion

Do you want something with a bit more juice than the Acer Swift 3? In that case, the 2019 HP Pavilion could be what you’re looking for.

It comes loaded with an i7-8565U processor and 16GB of RAM. You likely won’t need external hard drives as well given that this laptop offers 1TB of space.

This HP laptop is quite bulky. It also weighs over four pounds. Still, if you’re fine with using a bigger laptop, you’ll be happy with this purchase.

Dell XPS 13 7390

For the Jupiter court reporter who wants nothing less than superior laptop performance, the Dell XPS 13 7390 is a worthy option to consider.

It features the same RAM and hard drive specs as the HP laptop above, but its processor is different. The i7-10510U processor added to this laptop enables it to run faster when pushed to its limits.

The fact that this laptop is very compact makes it ideal for regular commutes. The addition of the Windows 10 Professional OS is also a nice touch.

Hopefully, the information and laptop recommendations above have helped you figure out which product to buy. Court reporting is a difficult undertaking, but having the right equipment on hand can make it significantly more manageable.

3 Wall Street Terms You Need To Know To Play the Stock Market

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | 3 Wall Street Terms You Need To Know To Play the Stock MarketUnderstanding financial news is a key part of participating in the stock market. Unfortunately, Wall Street often describes business activities in less-than-clear terminology. Read on to learn more about three common business terms that will help you make sense of your investments.

What Are Advisory Firms?

Consulting and advisory firms provide various professional services to corporate clients. They help companies communicate better with customers and shareholders, conduct the research that businesses use to make decisions about their investments and provide clients with expert advice on improving their management and strategy decisions.

Many of these firms also work with nonprofits; for instance, Teneo’s Declan Kelly has a longstanding relationship with advocacy network Global Citizen. Declan Kelly, who founded the company, has years of expertise in international business, allowing Teneo to meet the needs of clients all over the world, a capacity essential for any advisory firm’s success.

What is Private Equity?

You’ve probably heard of several private equity firms like Blackstone or Bain Capital. These firms use investor funds to buy out publicly traded companies and take them off public exchanges or to make capital investments in private businesses. The “private” in private equity simply means that the capital isn’t listed on any public exchanges. Although there are many types of private equity, such as venture capital, you’ll encounter this term most often when it’s used to describe buyouts of struggling companies by larger firms that may be able to return them to profitability.

What is Venture Capital?

Private equity and venture capital both involve third-party investments, but venture capital is spread over several newer companies that demonstrate growth potential, and venture capitalists usually hold less than 50% equity in those companies, allowing the founders of those companies to retain some control. Private equity usually involves a complete takeover of a single company. Venture capital is also concentrated in tech startups, whereas private equity portfolios span broader industries.

Wall Street terminology might have a steep learning curve, but there’s no reason you can’t learn what you need to know to keep up with stock market trends and achieve your financial goals.

Why Should You Start Your Collaboration with an Agency Through an SEO Quote?

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, Why Should You Start Your Collaboration with an Agency Through an SEO Quote?

An SEO Quote Must Offer You Free Information About Your Website’s Future!

An SEO quote is a free service offered by an SEO agency. Most agencies are using this method to attract and qualify their potential customers. It is an opportunity for the agency to showcase their capabilities and gain the trust of their potential customers. Of course, there are differences between the quotes provided by different agencies. And you can find a reliable of the agency based on the quality of their quote.

Another use for a quote is to make the potential clients of the agency to subscribe. And get e-mails that contain SEO-related information from the agency. So, it is a method to convert visitors into leads. But not only the agency will benefit from the quote. You, as a potential customer, will benefit as well. Not only will you get free knowledge about SEO. But you can also find out a lot of essential information about your website’s SEO. And you can also use this method to find the best agency for your website.

Advantages of a quote!

The first thing that you need to know is what advantages you can get from a SEO quote. Depending on the agency, you will be able to get a different amount of information about the SEO state of your website. Sometimes, you may even get some solution that you can implement yourself. If you have enough SEO knowledge, then you can do it yourself. If you don’t, then you can let the agency implement the solutions for you. There are several types of information that you can expect to get.

  • Rank Checking. One of the most common benefits that you will get is a complete rank checking of your website on search engine result pages. Most agencies will use paid tools to gain this information and provide you with free. So, this will save you from buying the tools yourself. But you can’t choose what type of information you will get. It depends on the agency that it wants to offer. You can also search for more agencies that provide this type of information to get the results from different agencies and compare them.
  • Keyword Analysis. You can also get a full keywords analysis from a quote. The agency will find out all the keywords for which your site ranks in Google. And what the potential of these keywords is. This means that you will find out what expectations you can have from your SEO efforts in the future. Some agencies will also make recommendations based on the level of your company to change or introduce some keywords that will produce better results for you.
  • Technical Audit. SEO can be separated into three parts. The technical part is only one of them. A technical audit will only offer you information about a third of your website’s SEO. A reliable agency will compensate this fact by doing a thorough audit for you. This means that you will find out all the technical errors and problems that drag the ranks your website down.
  • Full General Audit. Some agencies will even perform a full audit for you in their quote. Of course, it will not be complete but will touch the essential points without giving you a detailed report. But this should be enough to understand the SEO state of your website. If you have enough SEO knowledge, then you will know what your site will need in the future. And you will also have an idea about the abilities of the agency.
  • SEO Plan. Most of the time, this information comes with the results of the audit. The agency will create a personalized SEO plan for your website. It may not be a detailed plan, but it will give you an idea about what you need to do in the future. The agency will also make you an offer to collaborate together. And you can let it take care of the task for you.

The Best SEO Quote on the Market Is Similar to Low-Level an Audit!

From all the alternatives, the best SEO quote is the one that offers the general SEO audit together with the SEO strategy. There are three pieces of information about the agency that you can infer from their quote. And this information should be enough to convince you that the agency is the best alternative for your website. The pieces of information are:

  • Generous. The first information that you can infer is the generosity of the agency. The more value you get from the quote, the more generous the agency is. This means that if you collaborate with it in the future, then you can expect the same generosity. So, the agency truly values its customers, and it is not focused on profits. It places its clients before the money. You should try your best and find this type of agency because the biggest winner will be you.
  • Trustworthy. From the quote, you can also infer if the agency is trustworthy. To do that, you can check if the information that you got contains everything promised by the agency. You can also see if the agency explained the results obtained from the quote to help you better understand the SEO state of your website. By doing this, you will be able to find out if the agency kept its promise and how much it wants to help its clients.
  • Skilled. Even if you do not know anything about SEO, it is an easy task to find out from the SEO quote if the agency is good enough or if it isn’t. All you need to do is a little research to be able to understand as much information as possible from the reports. And then, you can check the credibility of the results using free tools from the internet. Doing this will help you find the perfect agency for your website needs.

Other Methods to Test the Agency Besides the SEO Quote!

The SEO quote is not the only method through which you can test an SEO agency. There several other strategies that will reveal a lot of information about the agency. Information that you can use to decide if the agency is good enough for your website. Keep in mind that the more time you spend finding the best agency, the better the results of your website will be in the future.

  • Money-back Guarantee. One of the safest methods that you can use to test an agency is to see if it provides a money-back guarantee. This means that if you do not get the results promised in the guarantee, then you will get your money back. Not every SEO agency can provide one. Why? Because it must be sure that it is good enough to always produce the results promised. If the SEO experts of the agency are not skilled enough, then it will be too risky for the agency to make such a promise. So, you will always be able to trust an agency that offers a guarantee, more than you could trust another agency that does not do the same.
  • Recent Results. Another method through which you can get a glimpse at the abilities of the agency is through the results that it was able to produce in the recent period. Some agencies post them on the website where you can check them. All you need to do is to check the results and ensure that they are not older than six months. Why? Because you will not be able to check their credibility anymore. And because the SEO evolves too much in that period. And the skills needed to produce the results must improve at the same pace. But if these conditions are met, then you can form your expectations from the agency based on the results posted on their website.
  • On-page Content. Most agencies also have blogs of specific sections where they post articles on the SEO topic. You can read these articles and find out the quality of the content produced by the agency. If the quality of the content is high, then you can expect to get content as good as the one posted on the agency’s website. Otherwise, you should consider another agency because the content quality is an essential factor in SEO. Never use an agency that is not able to create high-quality content.
  • Reviews. The last method that you can use to test an agency is through its reviews. Most agencies have reviews from their past clients posted on their website. But you should also try and contact these clients personally. The reviews on the website may not be real, or they may not be made earnestly. So, by speaking with the agency’s clients personally, you will be able to get a first-hand review of the agency. Doing this will give you an idea about how the collaboration between you and the agency will be. If most of the clients are happy with the results, then you will most likely be the same.