In Parts One and Two of this series, we focused on liability coverages which cover you if you cause injuries to others or damage to their property.  Part One highlighted Bodily Injury liability and Part Two explained Property Damage liability.  This week we are going to discuss Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist coverage.   These coverages protect you and your passengers if the at-fault person in an accident injures you (or your passengers) and does not have insurance (or enough insurance) to cover your injury claim and associated expenses.   While your personal health ..read more

  On May 27, 2023, State Farm General Insurance Company became the second major insurer in the past year to stop accepting new applications for property insurance, including personal and business lines. Allstate made the same decision to stop selling new home insurance policies last November, which the company publicly announced just last week. With two of the nation’s largest insurers no longer writing new home policies, many California consumers are left with questions about why this has happened and what their next steps should be. In this article, we’ll discuss a few reasons behind th ..read more

  On the list of things the average person knows a lot about – their field of study, their city’s best restaurants, or their family’s pet peeves – auto insurance probably ranks pretty low. Most people know they want to be protected if they get in an accident, but they’re not sure how their insurance works, or how much coverage they actually need. Liability insurance is one area that many people have questions about. In this article, we’ll discuss two major parts of your auto liability insurance: bodily injury liability and property damage liability. You’ll learn what these coverages are ..read more

After our recent series of articles on changes in the Homeowner Insurance market (see below), we received several questions that we wanted to address. Homeowner Insurance- What’s up…Besides Your Rates? Homeowner Insurance Rates Increase – What Now? California Fair Plan – What is it? Can I just have a California Fair Plan policy?  The short answer is Yes.  California Fair Plan does not require that you carry a Difference in Conditions (D.I.C.) policy.  However, this should also be checked with your mortgage company as they may have their own requirements.  We recomme ..read more

In continuing our series about homeowner insurance and the recent market challenges, we are going to discuss the California Fair Plan.  Our last two articles focused on changes in the home insurance market, and actions you can take to mitigate the premium increases.  Unfortunately, beyond the rate increases most homeowners are receiving, many are being canceled on their renewal for their proximity to “brush areas” or “fire zones”.  What happens after you call several companies and are told they can’t insure your home on standard home insurance policy and your only option is ..read more

As part of our series on homeowner insurance, last week we discussed the reasons for the rate increases and recent difficulties in the home insurance market.  Click here for a review of that article.  This week, we address the steps you can take to ensure you are getting the best policy for your premium.     Consider raising your deductible- Just a few years ago, most home policies had a $500 deductible.  The deductible is the portion of the claim you would be responsible for.  While you do not have pay this amount upfront, the settlement you receive w ..read more

Funny Things that People Say After an Accident Over the last several weeks, we have posted several articles about Auto Insurance, including key coverages and how to evaluate your own coverage.  Copies of those articles can be found by clicking here.  Each can be read in less than 2-3 minutes and gives you enough knowledge to help you better understand if you have the coverage you need.  Today, we wanted to have a little more fun and take a lighter approach to the topic.  Over the years, as people have accidents or get pulled over for tickets, they say some very funny thin ..read more

To wrap up our “Assessing your Own Auto Insurance” series, we are asking all your answered questions. Our hope is that you now feel confident in understanding your auto policy! If you feel like we have missed some, please drop your questions in the comments section below!  In case you missed it or want to refer back, here are all the parts to the series! Part 1: Bodily Injury Liability Part 2: Property Damage Liability Part 3: Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Part 4: Vehicle Protection Coverages If I rent a car, should I purchase the insurance offered by the rental company? This ..read more

In the prior parts of this series, we focused on: Part One – Bodily Injury liability Part Two – Property Damage liability Part Three – Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist This week we are going to address the coverages that protect your vehicle.   The first coverage is Collision. This coverage pays for the damage to your vehicle if it was damaged when colliding with another vehicle or object.  Damages to your vehicle could result from colliding with another vehicle, with a fence or post, or hitting an object on the freeway.  Collison also pays if your car is parked and ..read more