What is your risk tolerance when it comes to investing?

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Before deciding on an investment strategy and portfolio mix, there’s a crucial piece of information you need: Your risk tolerance profile.

Simply put, risk tolerance is defined as the amount of risk that an investor is willing to put up with given the volatility in the value of an asset or investment.

While everyone’s risk tolerance is different, several factors will help determine your individual risk tolerance — and the amount of risk you’re willing to take in your investment strategy.

  • Time horizon: How old, or young, you are and when you will need or want to use the money is a primary factor in your risk tolerance. Generally, the younger you are, the more time you may have to recover from losses in higher-risk investments. The older you are, the more risk averse you may be, worried that you won’t have time to recover from stock market losses.
  • Impact on lifestyle: The amount of money you are comfortable allocating to investments will contribute to decisions regarding your personal risk factor. If your lifestyle depends on the money you invest, your risk tolerance will be different from another investor whose money, if lost, won’t alter his or her day-to-day living.
  • Knowledge of investing: Some riskier investments require an in-depth knowledge of investing and may not be appropriate for someone who has limited knowledge. The more investing knowledge you have, the more comfortable you might be with a more aggressive portfolio.
  • Personal comfort level: Your natural inclination may be to be more aggressive, or more prudent, which can have an effect on your investment decisions.

Online investment calculators can help assess your risk tolerance and provide a hypothetical asset allocation mix for you to consider. Generally, these asset allocation models may vary depending on which calculator you use.

Here are three of the most common types based on a risk profile quiz, that you can take yourself:

  • Conservative: 70 percent cash/bonds, 30 percent stocks
  • Moderate: 40 percent cash/bonds, 60 percent stocks
  • Aggressive: 15 percent cash/bonds, 85 percent stocks

Additionally, there can be two extreme models, although either is unlikely in actual practice:

  • Short-term/No risk: 100 percent cash/bonds
  • Ultra-aggressive: 100 percent stocks

Your risk tolerance profile can help to appropriately diversify your portfolio for the level of risk you are willing to accept. Being diversified means combining a variety of assets to offset potential risks or volatility in any one particular asset. This strategy often works because different classes or categories of investments may not move in the same direction at the same time. One may go down in value, while another goes up. But while diversification can help mitigate risk, it won’t eliminate the chance of a market loss completely. Nor will it guarantee a profit.

By doing a little research, through reputable investment research firms or information provided by your employer-based 401(k) plan, you can fine-tune your investment portfolio. Your risk tolerance profile will help you select the right mutual funds, stocks, and bonds from the multitude available. And in the end, you’ll likely have a portfolio that meets your unique needs.

 

Provided by Matthew Clayson, courtesy of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual). CA Insurance License # 0I01304
©2024 Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Springfield, MA 01111-0001 MM202708-310101

 

Physical Activity And Exercise

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showing woman running for physical activity

Adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity weekly. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that only 1 in 4 adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week.

Why is exercise important?

Research shows that those who are physically active are likely to live longer, healthier lives.

Physical activity can lead to many benefits:

  • Weight maintenance
  • Reduced blood pressure
  • Improved blood sugar regulation
  • Improved mental health
  • Reduced stress
  • Stronger bone density

In addition, a person who has hypertension, diabetes or a history of smoking can greatly benefit from including regular physical activity in their daily routine.

What should be included in an exercise program?

There are three main components to a well-balanced program of physical activity:

  • Aerobic activity—Get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (e.g., briskly walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (e.g., running) every week.
  • Muscle strengthening—Incorporate muscle-strengthening exercises at least two days a week. For the purposes of general training, focus on two to three upper body and lower body exercises. Abdominal exercises are an important part of strength training as well.
  • Flexibility training—Flexibility training is important too, but it is frequently neglected, resulting in increased tightness as you age and become less active.

As with any change to your health and wellness regime, it’s important to talk to your doctor before you start exercising.

How can I get started?

Commitment to a regular physical activity program is more important than the intensity of your workouts. Choose exercises you are likely to pursue and enjoy, such as these activities:

  • Walking
  • Running
  • Stair climbing
  • Biking
  • Rowing
  • Swimming

Life is full of responsibilities that can pull you in multiple directions, and sometimes exercise takes a back seat to other obligations. But letting your fitness slip can create serious health risks down the road and make bad fitness habits even harder to break later on.

Where can I learn more?

For more information about exercise programs, please contact your doctor.

 

April Marks Distracted Driving Awareness Month

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The National Safety Council designates April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. This annual campaign is intended to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and encourage drivers to minimize potential distractions behind the wheel.

Distracted driving contributes to nearly 400,000 injuries and 3,000 fatalities each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Distracted Driving Overview

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines distracted driving as any activity that may divert a motorist’s attention from the road. There are three main types of distractions that can interfere with drivers’ attentiveness:

  • Visual distractions involve motorists taking their eyes off the road. Some examples include reading emails or text messages, looking at maps or navigation systems, and observing nearby accidents or roadside attractions while driving.
  • Manual distractions entail motorists removing their hands from the steering wheel. Key examples include texting, adjusting the radio, programming navigation systems, eating, drinking and performing personal grooming tasks while driving.
  • Cognitive distractions stem from motorists taking their minds off driving. Primary examples include talking on the phone, conversing with vehicle passengers and daydreaming while driving.

Regardless of distraction type, distracted driving is a serious safety hazard that causes a significant number of accidents on the road. As such, it’s crucial to take steps to prevent distracted driving.

Prevention Measures

During this annual event and beyond, it’s imperative for businesses to educate their employees about distracted driving hazards and related prevention measures. Specifically, businesses should share the following guidance with their drivers:

  • Put phones away. Drivers should silence their phones and store them out of reach to avoid checking them behind the wheel.
  • Plan every trip. Before hitting the road, drivers should program their navigation systems and familiarize themselves with their journeys.
  • Utilize in-vehicle technology. Drivers should leverage any technology within company vehicles that promotes safe driving, including hands-free communication devices, voice-activated controls and telematics solutions.
  • Avoid multitasking. While driving, it’s best for drivers to refrain from completing additional tasks, such as eating or adjusting the radio.
  • Stay focused. By keeping distracting conversations to a minimum and looking straight ahead, drivers can fully concentrate on the road.
  • Maintain compliance. Drivers should comply with all company policies and applicable laws regarding distracted driving.

Contact us today for additional risk management resources.

The content of this News Brief is of general interest and is not intended to apply to specific circumstances. It should not be regarded as legal advice and not be relied upon as such. In relation to any particular problem which they may have, readers are advised to seek specific advice. © 2025 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

(AI) Artificial Intelligence in Cyber

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Over the past year, all eyes have been on the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on cyber insurance. First, the rise of generative AI will likely increase the frequency of cyber attacks. For example, there is a major concern that phishing attacks will become far easier and more effective for determined hackers.

Generative AI has the capability to craft cunning messages without the grammatical flaws that characterize many current phishing attempts. Moreover, generative AI’s data mining capabilities will further amplify these attacks, as the gathering of company-related information will become even easier to mine. Thus, expect more phishing attempts in the future, as generative AI’s ability to produce convincing deepfakes could lead to a rise in social engineering attacks.

For instance, a realistic deepfake of a company’s CEO could be used to deceive an employee into initiating a fraudulent wire transfer. It’s important to note that many of the safeguards that have been effective in the past may no longer be sufficient to counter AI-driven cyber attacks. This underscores the need for updated and robust security measures.

Hackers didn’t want to be left out of all the AI-related hysteria. So, they created a generative AI called WormGPT.

It was a first attempt, and most reports tend to believe that it has been a failure. However, there have been advertisements in hacker forums for machine learning experts to develop better large language models for nefarious purposes, but there could be a constraint on hackers creating AI models, as high-power computing and specialized Nvidia chips are required. Even companies like Google and Facebook are struggling to obtain these chips. So, it may be a while before these malicious models take off.

Ultimately, the most significant impact of generative AI may be a surge in cyber attacks. In light of this uncertain future, it’s imperative for companies to reevaluate their current insurance limits, and this reassessment will help determine whether the existing coverage will be sufficient in the face of a potential increase in claims.

AI Coverages?

Does AI pose any unique coverage-related risks under a cyber policy beyond an increase in claims? At present, most insurers do not appear to believe that there are any specific coverage issues caused by AI. In The Betterley Report’s “Cyber/Privacy Market Survey 2024,” the top cyber insurers were asked the following questions.

  • Any specific coverages related to AI?
  • Any definitions that relate to AI?
  • Any exclusions related to AI?
  • Any risk management services provided to insureds that are related to AI exposures?

Except for one insurer, all either answered these questions “No” or provided no response. Thus, the majority of insurers are simply keeping an eye on AI rather than directly modifying coverage under their policies.

An insurer in the survey, Coalition, took a significant step: It added affirmative AI language to its cyber policy. Specifically, Coalition included an AI security event in its definition of “Security Failure.” It also incorporated fraudulent instructions using deepfakes into its definition of funds transfer fraud.

Not to be outdone, another insurer, Districts Mutual Insurance, filed an endorsement titled Amend Definition of Fraudulent Instruction (Artificial Intelligence). That endorsement states:

The definition of Fraudulent Instruction is deleted in the entirety and replaced with the following:

Fraudulent Instruction means the transfer, payment or delivery of Money or Securities by an Insured as a result of fraudulent written, electronic, telegraphic, cable, teletype or telephone instructions provided by a third party, including any fraudulent instructions resulting from the use of deep fake technology, synthetic media, or any other technology enabled by the use of artificial intelligence, that are intended to mislead an Insured through the misrepresentation of a material fact which is relied upon in good faith by such Insured.

Fraudulent Instruction will not include loss arising out of:

  1. any actual or alleged use of credit, debit, charge, access, convenience, customer identification or other cards;
  2. any transfer involving a third party who is not a natural person Insured, but had authorized access to the Insured’s authentication mechanism;
  3. the processing of, or the failure to process, credit, check, debit, personal identification number debit, electronic benefit transfers or mobile payments for merchant accounts;
  4. accounting or arithmetical errors or omissions, or the failure, malfunction, inadequacy or illegitimacy of any product or service;
  5. any liability to any third party, or any indirect or consequential loss of any kind;
  6. any legal costs or legal expenses; or
  7. proving or establishing the existence of Fraudulent Instruction.

Source: Districts Mutual Insurance, Amend Definition of Fraudulent Instruction (Artificial Intelligence) (DMI—BR E16416 5-24).

It will be interesting to see whether other insurers add similar language to their cyber forms.