What does homeowners insurance cover? What typical policies cover and how to adjust premiums and deductibles to get the right coverage for you. Homeowners insurance can shield families from devastating losses if they have the right amount of coverage but it turns out many are unclear what that looks like for their home. Nearly half [...]
How to insure a house in a living trust. This reader wants to know how insurance coverage works if policies are titled in the name of a living trust. Q: My insurance agent said the insurance company wants my policies (fire, wind and umbrella) titled in the name of my living trust. While doing some [...]
HOA insurance: What coverage do you need to insure your unit? This is what homeowners association insurance covers and why you need insurance for your unit. Q: Our homeowner’s association (HOA) is requiring that each owner buy insurance to insure that owner against damage caused by their unit to the common areas of the association [...]
What is the purpose of a home inventory? A home inventory list can make filing an insurance claim in the event of a major loss much easier. Seventy percent of Americans have gone through a natural disaster at some point in their lives, according to research by Farmers Insurance. With that in mind, it’s surprising [...]
An experienced insurance agent’s take on home insurance coverage raises questions on how much insurance companies raise rates and how often you should shop for coverage. We recently wrote a column on home insurance and how much coverage an insurance company may require a homeowner to have. We received several comments from readers that we’ll [...]
Life insurance and disability insurance are both important types of insurance to consider, especially if you have family members who depend on your earnings. Consumers might want to consider weighing these two different forms of insurance to determine if they want to purchase just one or if the benefits to getting both outweigh the costs. [...]
A few weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana in 2005, I received a call from an elderly woman who was confused about her insurance policy. She said that she had paid a significant sum of money for homeowner’s insurance coverage to a person who claimed to be an insurance agent. This supposed agent insisted the [...]
Let’s face it: few people like to talk about life insurance, let alone buy it. Benjamin Franklin, who was instrumental in creating the first life insurance company, the Presbyterian Ministers’ Fund, subsequently found that various religious authorities were outraged at the practice of putting a value on human life. Criticism cooled, however, when it was [...]
If you want to throw your hard-earned money into a hole, then buy permanent life insurance. While life insurance is a key component of your financial planning, it shouldn't be an expensive investment vehicle. Your policy should cover enough to replace the lost income if you die, or your spouse dies, so that the remaining [...]
Insurance ads are everywhere you look. They promise low rates, helpful service, and quality coverage. With so many options available, it can be difficult choose the right policy or even to know where to start looking. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. Many Americans don’t understand the basics of auto insurance, which makes it difficult to [...]
