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If driving at night feels more stressful than it used to, you are not imagining it.

Headlight glare has become one of the most common complaints among motorists, and safety groups say it is a real and growing issue. The main culprit is whiter, harsher LED lighting, which risks blinding oncoming drivers. This glare can reduce contrast, slow reaction times and make it harder to spot pedestrians, cyclists or road hazards — especially for older drivers.

Those who drive vehicles with LED headlights can take steps to reduce the danger for oncoming motorists. Drivers can also take steps to protect themselves when they encounter oncoming cars with these lights.

The dangers of LED lights

The biggest change is the shift from traditional halogen bulbs to LED headlights. While older halogen bulbs typically produced about 500 to 1,000 lumens, many factory-installed LED headlights now produce 3,000 to 4,000 lumens. Some aftermarket bulbs can exceed 10,000 lumens.

LEDs also emit a whiter, bluer light. That color temperature can feel harsher on the eyes than the warmer yellow glow of halogen lights, especially at night when pupils are more dilated.

According to AAA, the color of headlights is largely a design choice, not a safety requirement. Researchers are studying whether less blue lighting could reduce discomfort without sacrificing visibility.

Vehicle height also plays a role. Trucks and SUVs dominate U.S. sales, and their higher-mounted headlights often shine directly into the eyes of those driving sedans or smaller vehicles.

Regulations have not kept up

Federal headlight standards were written long before modern LED systems existed.

While limits technically exist, experts say loopholes allow manufacturers to increase overall brightness as long as certain test zones are met. Aftermarket LED bulbs are an even bigger concern, since many are not approved for on-road use but are widely sold online.

Some states, including Maine, report frequent inspection failures due to unapproved or excessively bright replacement headlights.

What drivers with LED headlights should do

• Have them properly aligned. Misaligned headlights are a major cause of glare.
• Avoid aftermarket bulbs unless they are approved by the Department of Transportation for your vehicle.
• Don’t assume brighter is better. Excessive brightness can reduce safety for everyone on the road.
• Use high-beam assist features correctly and avoid using high beams manually in traffic.

What to do when facing blinding headlights

• Do not stare into oncoming headlights. Focus your eyes toward the right edge of the road or the lane line.
• Keep your windshield clean. Dirt and film can dramatically amplify glare.
• Use your rearview mirror’s night setting to reduce glare from vehicles behind you.
• Slow down slightly if visibility feels compromised and increase your following distance.

Middle-class families with incomes of between roughly $50,000 and $180,000 per year (depending on where they live) are becoming increasingly reliant on workplace benefits to ensure their financial well-being in case of a disability or critical illness.

Simple health insurance is insufficient to carry the load. The loss of a breadwinner’s or caregiver’s financial contribution through death or disability is often devastating.

A recent survey by benefits provider Guardian indicates that families in this category are struggling when it comes to achieving their financial goals. Of those workers surveyed only half believe they would be able to manage if the household lost an income due to death or illness.

Caught in the middle

Families with incomes significantly above $100,000 per year are generally able to create at least some financial cushion against the possibility of death or disability. They also receive a good deal of advice from financial advisors, accountants and insurance agents in managing their financial affairs.

Working class families – those with incomes below about $50,000 – are often able to access various parts of the social safety net in times of crisis.

The “middle market,” in contrast, must make do without the advantages of the more affluent, with fewer privately owned insurance products and services, and without the same access to the social safety net afforded to working-class families.

Workplace benefits are critical

According to Guardian’s researchers, the middle-market population is overwhelmingly reliant on the quality and breadth of the benefits they receive at work, over and above cash compensation.

Over 80% of middle-market respondents report that they got their health insurance, disability insurance and retirement plan all through their employer.

Meanwhile, six in 10 have no life insurance in place outside of the workplace. This means that most working families are relying entirely on workplace benefits to see them through the death of a family breadwinner.

And in the event of disability ending a breadwinner’s income, the situation is even more dire: Only 7% of the middle market owns any kind of disability insurance protection, outside of what they can access via their employer.

Are life insurance benefits adequate? 

For young families, the primary role of life insurance is to replace the income of a deceased breadwinner. But many employers cap life insurance benefits at $50,000 — the maximum figure that allows employers to deduct premiums as a workplace benefit under IRC 7702.

The actual need for many of these families is several hundred thousand to a million dollars, and occasionally more. That’s what it takes to replace the income of a worker who earns $50,000 to $100,000 per year until the children are out of college and a surviving spouse is taken care of.
The cap on group life insurance is often not enough to help a family who loses their breadwinner, and the coverage should be considered a stopgap for a more robust life insurance policy purchased in the private market.

What employers can do

One solution is to offer voluntary benefits to workers. These include a menu of benefits, such as:

• Group life insurance
• Group disability insurance
• Long-term care insurance
• Critical illness coverage

Often, many of these benefits can be offered at little or no cost to the employer.

Premium costs are simply deducted from the worker’s wages and forwarded to the insurance company via payroll deduction. In this way, workers can purchase much more coverage and provide protection for their families – and it doesn’t cost the employer a dime.

In some instances, it can even save on payroll taxes.

Cyber criminals are increasingly stealing companies’ data to bolster their ransomware extortion demands, according to a new report by cyber insurer Resilience.

As part of these tactics, hackers are infiltrating company databases before launching attacks to better understand their defenses and the value of their data and maximize ransom demands. They are also searching for companies’ cyber insurance policies to tailor demands to coverage and maximize payouts.

The results emphasize the importance of employers adapting their defenses to evolving cyberattacks that, if large enough, can cripple an organization’s ability to recover.

A more calculated form of extortion

This shift toward a focus on data has been rapid. Data theft-only attacks rose from 49% of extortion claims in the first half of 2025 to 65% in the second half, according to the “Resilience 2025 Cyber Risk Report.”

Criminals now infiltrate networks, quietly move through databases and assess which data has the highest regulatory, legal or competitive value — then structure ransom demands accordingly.

In some cases, threat groups have gone further by searching stolen files for cyber insurance policies. Groups such as Interlock reviewed policy details to calibrate ransom demands within coverage limits and increase the odds of payment.

Extortion has also become layered. Attackers may:

• Demand payment to decrypt systems
• Demand additional payment to suppress stolen data
• Threaten customers or business partners directly

Even when organizations pay for data suppression, there is no guarantee that the data will not be sold or leaked later. According to the Resilience report, this dynamic contributes to rising litigation and long-tail losses.

Points of failure: Where attackers are getting in

The report emphasizes that hackers are primarily focused on gaining access by stealing or abusing employees’ login credentials.

According to the Resilience report, key points of failure include:

Phishing: The resurgence of phishing in 2025 suggests AI is making campaigns more believable and scalable. AI-generated phishing campaigns are achieving success rates as high as 54% compared with 12% for traditional methods.

New tools allow attackers to craft highly personalized messages, impersonate executives and bypass language barriers. Deepfake audio and video are expected to raise the risk of executive impersonation and fraudulent wire transfers next year.

Vendor compromise: When critical vendors are breached, losses can cascade across entire industries. Vendor-related incidents carried an average severity of $1.36 million.
These events generally fall into three categories:

• Vendor ransomware that spreads business interruption to clients
• Vendor data breaches that expose customer information
• Non-malicious vendor outages that disrupt operations

Even when internal controls are strong, companies remain exposed to failures across their supply chain.

Credential theft via infostealers: More than 2 billion credentials were harvested in 2025, often serving as an early warning sign of a larger ransomware attack.

How firms can protect themselves
As threats evolve and cyber attackers use new tactics, employers will need to react accordingly.  Organizations may consider:

• Investing in data loss prevention and zero-trust software.
• Deploying multifactor authentication and e-mail authentication protocols.
• Monitoring for stolen credentials on the dark web and rotating session tokens immediately when compromise is detected. This will often require contracting with vendors that specialize in this area.
• Developing vendor incident contingency plans that address supply chain failures.
• Conducting tabletop exercises to rehearse coordinated legal, technical and communications responses.
• Reviewing cyber insurance policy limits to ensure coverage reflects current severity levels rather than historical averages.

If you have concerns about potential cyber risks, contact us..

Retirement planning is one of the most important financial steps individuals and families can take, yet many people delay preparing until retirement is close at hand. For residents of Long Island and the New York City metro area, where living costs are higher than the national average, early planning is especially important to maintain lifestyle and financial security in retirement.

A strong retirement plan begins with estimating future expenses, including housing, healthcare, travel, and everyday living costs. Many retirees underestimate healthcare expenses, so reviewing Medicare options and supplemental insurance plans ahead of time is essential. Helpful information on Medicare coverage and enrollment can be found at https://www.medicare.gov.

Next, review retirement savings accounts such as 401(k)s, IRAs, and pensions to understand expected income. Financial advisors often recommend gradually increasing contributions and reviewing investment allocations as retirement approaches. Social Security benefits also play a major role in retirement income, and tools to estimate benefits are available through the Social Security Administration at https://www.ssa.gov.

Long Island and NYC residents should also consider housing decisions well before retirement. Downsizing, relocating, or modifying homes to support aging in place can significantly impact retirement finances. Guidance and services for older adults in New York State are available through the New York State Office for the Aging at https://aging.ny.gov.

Insurance planning is another critical component. Reviewing life insurance, long-term care options, and personal asset protection ensures unexpected events do not derail retirement savings.

Finally, developing a retirement timeline and reviewing plans regularly helps adjust for market changes and life events. Advisors at Bradley & Parker work with individuals and families to coordinate insurance and risk management strategies alongside financial planning goals.

With thoughtful preparation and professional guidance, Long Island and NYC residents can approach retirement with greater confidence and long-term peace of mind.

Please contact Joe Sellitto if you have any questions. We are here to help.

For homeowners and families across Long Island and the New York City metro area, protecting personal assets requires more than simply renewing insurance policies each year.

Rising property values, extreme weather risks, and evolving liability exposures make regular insurance reviews essential to safeguarding long-term financial security.

One of the most important steps is ensuring your homeowners or renters insurance reflects current replacement costs. Construction expenses have risen significantly in recent years, and outdated coverage limits can leave homeowners underinsured after a major loss. An annual review with your advisor can help confirm your home, renovations, and personal property are adequately protected.

Flood risk is another key consideration for residents near coastal or low-lying areas. Standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, making separate flood insurance critical in many Long Island communities. Homeowners can check their local flood risk using FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center at https://msc.fema.gov and explore flood coverage options before storm season arrives.

Liability protection is equally important. An affordable personal umbrella policy can provide additional protection above home and auto insurance limits, helping shield assets from lawsuits resulting from accidents or injuries on your property or involving your vehicles.

Families should also review auto insurance regularly, especially when adding drivers, purchasing vehicles, or adjusting commuting patterns. Defensive driving courses and telematics programs can sometimes help reduce premiums while improving safety.

Finally, documenting personal belongings through photos or inventory apps can speed claims processing after a loss. Guidance on emergency preparedness and home protection is also available through New York State’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services at https://www.dhses.ny.gov.

A conversation with a Bradley & Parker advisor can help ensure coverage keeps pace with life changes, giving families throughout Long Island and the New York metro area confidence that their homes, vehicles, and personal assets remain properly protected.