When I grew up and went off in world to seek my fortune, such as it was, I ran across more exotic foods in different countries I visited. Its been so long I’ve forgotten most of them, but I remember from Panama stopping in at a little “lunch counter buffet” out in wilds, a place where only locals usually stopped. I learned that Yucca, a flowering plant native to American southwest and most of Central America, in various types, is edible. At least root – of some varieties – is edible. And I learned that deep fried Yucca root is not only tastier than French fries, it’s a whole lot better for you, too.

Some people may consider Yucca an herb, others a flower, and others a food. I’m with both flower and food groups. There are many different varieties of Yucca and several different varieties of Yucca Flowers. Not all Yucca is edible, but some of them are. And they provide nutritional values for us that we can’t get from other food sources.

What I’m going to be doing in this series of articles is examining some of these alternate food sources, some legitimately labeled herbs and some just foods, and explaining just what their essential food values are, how we use them as “food supplements”, and why we should use them thusly.

My references for this series of articles on alternative and herbally based foods are personal experience plus resources available through your local herbalist, at your local library, and on internet.

Let me close this introductory article with a statement I have made at least a couple of times in other health-related articles of recent vintage. We are all different, so what works one way for me may work differently for you or may not work at all for you. The strong probability, if its herbs or other alternative foods, is that it won’t hurt you, either, so keep on trying until you find that combination of everything that does work for you. Then stick to it – and share your findings with rest of us. That’s where knowledge comes from.

Buying insurance from commercial companies means you are subject to vicissitudes of market place. Your rates are affected by both man made and natural disasters. Owning your own company means you have a reliable place to insure yourself each year.

Control is a central issue. Captive owners control their companies. They control how claims are handled, how investments are made and they control rates and underwriting so long as company comports itself in a financially responsible manner.

Asset protection has become an increasingly important factor in establishment of captive insurance companies in recent years. To learn just how captives are used for asset protection, you should talk to a captive consultant.

THE ROLE OF THE CAPTIVE CONSULTANT:

The captive consultant is an adviser, who after understanding your requirements will draft a Plan of Business offering a practical solution designed to save you money by undertaking development of a captive. The captive consultant will help you decide on a jurisdiction for your captive. He will assist you in locating a reliable third party administrator who will provide an office and staff to perform routine business matters for your company. He will draft all necessary documents for application of you company charter. He will provide support services and be your eyes and ears after your captive is operational. The captive consultant works on a fee for services basis.

THE REAL BENEFITS OF OWNING A CAPTIVE INSURANCE COMPANY FOR YOUR OWN PRACTICE!

As a form of “self-insurance", captive approach may provide following benefits to its shareholders and owners:

SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY EXPENDITURES (Typically 30% below standard rates) Stable assurance of CONTINUOUS COVERAGE EFFECTIVE RISK SHARING through re-insurance or wholesale arrangements EQUITY ACCUMULATION on captives capital and reserve accounts REDUCED EXPOSURE i.e. captives claim records vs. industry and regional averages FULL ACCESS to competitive, worldwide, wholesale re-insurance markets BENEFICIAL SELF-DIRECTION of captive's corporate resources Enhanced capital investment LATITUDE MINIMAL INVOLVEMENT in day-to-day operations of captive All accounting, reporting and actuarial requirements FULLY AND PROFESSIONALLY OUTSOURCED

To sign up for an online seminar, or to request that a consultant call you or visit your practice and carry out a presentation to you and/or your colleagues, visit us at http://captivatinginsurance.exceptiona.com