CURRENT INTEREST RATE AVAILABLE
ON A TAX-DEFERRED FIXED ANNUITY!
Insuring The Wedding,
Not The Marriage
Call Dan Barish al (810) 948-2902 for more
information on fixed or variable annuities. mutual
funds. and other securities.
JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER
T
of Comerica Securities. Dan
will personally assist you in
repositioning your hard-
earned assets in the most
DAN I. BARISH
efficient and tax-advantaged
VICE PRESIDENT
RE( ;IONA!. SALES MANAGER
manner possible.
Com enc asec ur i t ies
WE LISTEN.WE UNDERSTAND.
WE MAKE ITWORIC
Fixed annuities el fens] l>y C emuricn Insuranc., Services. Inc:. Mutual
Securities. a hiller-
veiritikle annuities and ether securities effered
dealer and mem her
NASD/SIPC.
Comerica Inswance Services. Inc. and
Cernerica Securities are affiliates el Curl-la:rico Bank.
Annual Percentage Yiulc is
(APY)
without nett., Interest
cernpeunds
This fixed annuity pro< I UCI is underwritten ky
Lift,
Insurance Cernpany
of
the SOLIII1WOSI (Dallas. TX) and is pelicy lerrn rte. 7b72.
NOT FDIC
INSURED
May lose value
No bank guarantee
STOCKS TAX-FREE BONDS MUTUAL FUNDS
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First of Michigan
Corporation
Members New York Stock Exchange, Inc
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INVESTMENTS
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Herman Schwartz
Senior Vice President - Investments
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wo days before Marilyn
Chernoff was to be mar-
ried, the dress she ordered
and paid for was nowhere
to be found. Panicked, the bride-
to-be walked around downtown
Detroit's shopping district look-
ing for something to wear to her
own wedding.
A $40 wedding dress dis-
played in a store-front window
caught her eye, and she was
saved from disaster. Still, Ms.
Chernoff didn't get her original
dress and, even worse, she nev-
er got her money back. "I would
have been real happy to have in-
surance to cover the cost of my
lost dress," said Ms. Chernoff.
"It was a $300 dress, but at the
time, it was considered expen-
sive."
Now, 40 years later, Ms. Cher-
noff's insurance company, Kel-
ter-Thorner Inc. of Michigan, is
offering wedding insurance to
cover anything that could go
wrong — before, after or during
a wedding.
The list of possible coverage
scenarios is almost endless. If a
wedding is postponed or canceled
due to sickness, death or injury,
a claim can be made. If pho-
tographs don't turn out, the in-
surance pays to restage the
wedding for another photo shoot.
If there is destruction of proper-
ty at the wedding or reception
site or damage to a bridal gown
or other wedding attire, the in-
sured can make a claim. Poor
weather conditions that prevent
the wedding party or a majority
of the guests from participating
are included, too.
"We do not, however, cover a
change of heart," Ms. Chernoff
said.
As far as Ms. Chernoffknows,
her company is the only one in
Michigan to offer wedding in-
surance. The package is under-
written by Fireman's Fund
Insurance Co.
"We do not,
however, cover a
change of heart."
— Marilyn Chernoff
John Kozero, the public-rela-
tions director of Fireman's Fund,
said his company has seen a high
frequency of claims since it in-
troduced wedding insurance
three years ago in other states.
He would not discuss the num-
ber of policies sold, but he esti-
mates that each week the
company receives hundreds of
calls from interested customers.
Premiums are based on the
overall cost of the wedding, range
from approximately $129 to $603
and are subject to a $100 de-
ductible.
"We've invested a tremendous
amount of money in this," Ms.
Chernoff said. "For us to break
even, we will have to sell over
2,000 policies a year. This is cost-
ly to do when you consider that
normal insurance commissions
6230 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 230
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
U
N
S
(810) 855-2100
T
G
S
1-800-654-1443
TAX DEFERRED ANNUITIES IRA's MONEY MANAGEMENT
Mercedes - Benz
Door-To-Door Convenience...
Wood Motors pick-up and delivery
service for your Mercedes.
Call for a service appointment.
We're Giving it
are 10 percent. It's neat to do
things the public has a need for."
Policies can be purchased two
weeks to two years prior to the
wedding.
Kelter-Thorner will begin pro-
moting its wedding insurance lat-
er this month and hopefully, sales
will follow. In the meantime, the
company has received several in-
quiry calls, many of them from
people who have felt the need to
share wedding horror stories
with the insurance company.
For example, one woman's cats
gave birth to kittens on her wed-
ding gown, and the dress had to
be replaced, said Ms. Chernoff.
Another wedding went on in spite
of the death of a grandmother be-
cause the family didn't want to
lose money by canceling.
Some Detroit-area business
owners who provide services at
weddings say a majority of the
ceremonies and parties they've
seen are problem free. But they
do say the relatively nominal
charge for wedding insurance is
worth it if it provides the bride
and groom with peace of mind.
Photographer Buz Holzman,
party planner Dee Dee Hoffinan
and Arthur Gluzman, of Arthur
Gluzman Entertainment, said
most of the called-off weddings
they see are canceled because a
couple decide to break up their
relationship. Each receives one
or two cancellations or post-
ponements a year.
"It happens, but it doesn't
happen often," Mr. Gluzman
said. ❑
PHOTO BY DAN I EL LIPPI TT
As a dedicated professional
00%
Wood Motors,
Inc.
Honda • Mercedes-Benz
15351 Gratiot Ave. (at 8 Mile Rd.)
(313) 372-2600 • (800) WOOD-229
Marilyn Chernoff and Jeffrey Swarbrick sell "peace of mind."