Excalibur Insurance Group www.eigroup.ca

Clinton 800-361-072 Exeter –226-423-3015 Mitchell 800-561-0183 Wingham 866-

Inside This Issue:

• Teach Your Teens

About Money Pg #2

• Yoga In The

Office Pg #3

• Insurance 101

Pg #4 • Happy

St. Patrick’s Day Pg #5

• WIN FREE

tickets to Cirque Du Soleil Pg#7

The performance of the Canadian hockey and curling teams, at the Sochi Olympics, helped warm many Canadians during record cold weather in February. Both the men’s and women’s Gold medal hockey games were amazing to watch and made many of us proud to be Canadians. The men dominating the final game against Sweden with a 3-0 win, and the women coming back from being 2 goals down with 3:26 left in the game to win dramatically in overtime, are now great moments in Canadian hockey history. On February 24, Excalibur’s Jeff Roy finished his 13th year operating the BCH goalie school with a fun skills competition. Excalibur Insurance Group is a big supporter of youth hockey and minor sports. Jeff enjoys helping the younger goalies get better and takes pride in watching them improve from year to year. Below is a picture of Jeff with some of his Novice and Tyke goalies.

Excalibur Insurance Group, along with the Gore Mutual Insurance Company Foundation, were pleased to make a donation to the Huron County Food Bank Distribution Centre . The distribution centre supplies 66 agencies in Huron county and beyond. There are approximately 60,000 people in Huron County and last year there were over 18,000 visits from people in need of the food bank. Since 2009 they have distributed over 1.5 million pounds of food. Excalibur is proud to work with

the Food Bank Distribution Centre on their mission to make hunger non-existent in our communities.

Presenting the cheque to Anne Donohoe and Marion McCarter are Ken Colquhoun and Jeff Roy. If you would like to make a donation or get involved with the food Bank, you can find more details about this great cause at http://huroncountyfoodbank.org/ As St.Patricks’ Day approaches we will leave you with a few final Irish thoughts

• May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone too far.

• Here's to a long life and a merry one. A quick death and an easy one. A pretty girl and an honest one. A cold pint and another one!

• May you live as long as you want, And never want as long as you live.

May the luck of the Irish be with you and your family.

March 2014

News and Tips to Make Your Life Easier, Safer and Happier

Excalibur Insurance Group www.eigroup.ca

Clinton 800-361-072 Exeter –226-423-3015 Mitchell 800-561-0183 Wingham 866-

Page 2

Congratulations To Our February Referral Winner

Lindsay Nicholson

Teach Your Teens About Money!!

Your teenage kids may be old enough to get a part-time job and start taking college prep exams, but do they know how to manage their money? Parents can get their teens started on the road to financial literacy by taking advantage of ways to teach them concepts like making a budget, balancing a chequing account or saving for a rainy day. Here are 3 ways to instill your teens with money management skills for college and beyond: 1. Start Early With The Basics Personal finance education should ideally begin when children are in elementary school. This is a good time to establish an allowance, say for doing chores around the house. One strategy is to get kids to regularly save some of their allowance, and donate another portion to church or a charity of their choosing. When a child is between 5 and 10 years old, it's an ideal time to set them up with a child savings account. That can help children begin to learn the value of saving and compounding interest.

2. Teach Teens Financial Responsibilities It's important to hold teenagers accountable for their financial choices. This could take several forms, like requiring them to pay for their own monthly mobile phone subscription or the online account on their Itunes. Money management lessons can be found by giving teenagers a clothing allowance to buy their school clothes on their own, and even if they elect not to spend wisely allowing them to make mistakes. It’s a hard but good lesson to learn early. In this spirit, parents might also consider giving teens an ATM card to access an account with a limited balance and no overdraft protection. 3. Show Them The Household Expenses Another way to get teens on track to manage their finances as adults is to give them a closer view of household financial decisions. Walk them through the monthly bills and let them see how much is spent to keep the heat and the cable TV on, as well as funding retirement accounts and debt payments. To help frame the money management conversa-tion, the National Endowment for Financial Education has a booklet that can be downloaded free at www.hsfpp.org . For teens nearing graduation or headed for college, check out www.cashcourse.org/prep . The site explains a lot of financial issues, from budgeting and financial planning, to setting financial goals and planning for retirement.

March 2014

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March 2014 Page 3

Yoga in the office? Here are 3 stretches you can do at your desk!

Many of us spend lots of time hunched over a computer keyboard at work. This can cause tight, sore muscles that lead to tension headaches and neck pain. Here are a few stretches, based on yoga poses, that can all be done at work so you don't miss an e-mail or phone call. Begin with a basic seated posture. Sit at the front edge of your chair with spine lengthened, chest lifted, shoulders relaxed down and away from your ears, feet flat on the floor and knees directly over ankles. Neck rolls: Gently drop your head forward and roll from side to side. Let the weight of your head gently stretch your neck. Small popping noises are OK but there should be no pain. (Avoid letting your head drop back, to protect your cervical spine.) Shoulder rolls: Gently lift your shoulders and rotate them backwards in slow circular motions. Repeat a few times then reverse the motion. This loosens and lubricates joints and helps open the chest for better breathing. Fan pose: Sitting forward in your chair, gently move arms behind you until you can hold onto the back of your chair. Keep elbows straight; adjust the

height of your hands until you feel a good stretch in chest, arms and shoulders. This is a great pose to open the chest and improve posture and breathing.

Congratulations to last month’s

referral winner Fanny Geleynse!!

Congratulations to Juanita Belfour for winning the London Lightening Tickets!!

Insurance 101: Don’t Bet On The Luck of The Irish For Car Insurance

We're often asked when is a car’s value low enough that I should drop comprehensive and collision insurance. Well the short answer is it depends. It’s all going to be based around your personal financial situation. So that’s the short answer, here is the longer version, with a few more items to think about before you make such a huge decision. First, what's the true value of the car? Any repair or replacement costs following a collision will be based on the value of the vehicle at the time of the claim. Also consider your deductible amount. For example, if your car is now worth $2,000 and your deductible for collision claims is $500, insurance will pay no more than $1,500 for your loss. Once you've estimated the maximum that your policy is likely to pay for a collision, ask yourself whether the value of the car

would create a significant financial hardship if it were totaled in an accident without insurance. Basically you are answering the question, is the cost of collision coverage reasonable, considering the maximum you can receive at the time of a claim? Then don't forget the value, peace of mind can bring -- if dropping collision will make you lose sleep at night over a possible loss, it's better to keep your coverage and get some rest. If you're still unsure and considering whether it's still worth insuring your older car for collision, feel free to call our office. We'll be happy to review your current coverage, discuss the value of your vehicle, and estimate the sav-ings in cost of your insurance if you make any changes.

Excalibur Insurance Group www.eigroup.ca

Clinton 800-361-072 Exeter –226-423-3015 Mitchell 800-561-0183 Wingham 866-

Protecting Your Auto, Home, Farm & Business with these fine companies since 1957!

March 2014 Page 4

March 2014 Page 5

Irish History

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated each year on March 17th. This day marks the accepted date in 493 CE of St. Patrick's death.

As St. Patrick is the figure most prominently associated with bringing Christianity to Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland as a solemnity and holy day of obligation. The holiday is also officially celebrated by the Church of Ireland, the Irish branch of the Anglican Communion. The day is marked with special liturgical programs and a breaking of Lenten fasts.

Few historical details are known about St. Patrick's mission to Ireland, although innumerable popular legends are associated with his work and play a major role in Irish culture. The shamrock’s association with St. Patrick's Day comes from the popular myth that says St. Patrick used the three leaves of the plant to explain Catholicism's holy trinity to the Irish.

Traditional Irish Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients: • 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 lb ground beef or 1 lb lamb

• 1 large onion, finely diced

• 3-4 large carrots, finely diced

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons flour

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 glass of red wine

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1 cup stock

• 1 large quantity mashed potatoes (6 cups)

• 1 egg, beaten

• Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions: 1. Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F

2. Saute carrots in the olive oil until starting to get tender

3. Add in the onions and sauté for a minute or two then add the meat

4. Season with black pepper and thyme

5. Cook until browned then drain fat

6. Add the butter and peas

7. Sprinkle with flour and stir through

8. Add tomato paste, wine and Worcestershire sauce

9. Let this reduce slightly then add the chicken stock. Al-low to reduce down until you have a thick meaty gravy. Season to your taste.

10. Remove from heat. Grease an oven proof dish (9x13) with butter and add the sauce.

11. Spoor or pipe the mashed potatoes over top. Brush with egg and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if using.

12. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the potato is nice and browned on top.

13. Serve as is or with some crusty bread to mop up the yummy sauce.

Excalibur Insurance Group www.eigroup.ca

Clinton 800-361-072 Exeter –226-423-3015 Mitchell 800-561-0183 Wingham 866-

Complete this Word Search and fax or bring it into the office. Excalibur Insurance Group will choose

Two Winners at the end of the Month!

Betty Doherty & Gordon Gross

Name:___________________________ Number: ______________________

March 2014 Page 6

March 2014 Page 7

March Promotion

WIN 2 FREE tickets to this AMAZING Show!!!

This is your chance to WIN 2 FREE tickets to an absolutely amazing show. You will be amazed by the talents these people have. This show will be something you have never seen before. Enter our draw today.

Date: Saturday May 31, 2014 Time: 7:30 pm Where: Budweiser Gardens Section: 106 Row: D

Seats: 1-2

Trivia Question: Where did Cirque Du Soleil originate?

How to WIN these awesome tickets:

To enter this draw call 800-361-1072 , fax your answer with name and phone number to 519-482-9474 or email carmstrong@eigroup.ca with your name, phone number and correct answer.

2014 New and Improved Excalibur Referral Rewards Program

Win a FREE iPad Mini

For every Referral you send us we will give you a FREE Large New Orleans Pepperoni Pizza or a gift certificate from Tim

Horton's. Each month your name will be entered into a draw for a chance to WIN an Apple iPad Mini.

GRAND PRIZE ENTERTAINMENT PACKAGE – Big Screen TV and an

Xbox One $1,500 Dollar Value!! Draw made December 31, 2014.

CALL 1-800-361-1072 NOW!

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Excalibur Insurance Group www.eigroup.ca

Clinton 800-361-072 Exeter –226-423-3015 Mitchell 800-561-0183 Wingham 866-