Is Anywhere Totally Safe from Disasters?

This is a question worth answering no matter where you live. People in some parts of the country are highly susceptible to hurricanes, while others face virtually no risk from them. Some live with the risk of earthquakes, others do not.

Recent flooding that swamped parts of the Midwest, including Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa, caught many property owners unprotected. Only 1 percent of all Indiana homeowners have flood insurance. Wisconsin reports even less than that. People generally pass on federally backed flood coverage because they don't realize it falls outside standard home insurance or they underestimate the risk.

Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg expects damages from flooding that passed through his state to top $100 million. But of the 2 million households statewide, only about 13,600 had flood insurance policies.

A lack of flood insurance isn't limited to the Midwest. The National Flood Insurance Program estimates that only half the property owners were insured when hurricanes Katrina and Rita tore up the Gulf Coast in 2005. The program paid $15 billion to those who did have coverage during what it deems the costliest storm season on record.

Being in the early stages of the 2008 Hurricane Season, and in the aftermath of the unusual flooding in the midwest, NOW might be a great time for EVERYONE to check their homeowner's coverage. After disaster strikes is too late.

Leave us any comment you might have about this subject by clicking on the "comment" link below. As always, your email address will never be published on this blog, even though you need it to post your comment. We'd love to hear from you.

Homeowner's Insurance: Ways to Save Money

Insurance may be necessary, but it doesn't have to be expensive. Our money reporter Stacy Johnson is constantly giving us ways to save money. Today he explores how to do it when it comes to your homeowner's insurance. (Video runs 1:18)

If you have a comment or question about this video, or any other post you've read here at our blog, send us your comment by using the convenient "comment" link below. We'd love to hear from you.

Hurricane Season: Make Sure You're Covered

Hurricane season is upon us once more, which means greater potential for flooding and/or flood damage to your home.  It doesn’t matter where you live, flooding can occur almost anywhere.  If you live along the coast or near a body of water, particularly, protection against and preparation for this type of disaster is necessary to ensure your finances are protected.  Have you purchased flood insurance?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports that flooding is America’s #1 natural disaster.  From snow melts and flash flooding to tropical storms and dams that have reached capacity, the potential for flooding should always be considered, regardless of where your home is located.

With hurricane season here again, it's prime time to be considering flood insurance. 

Why should you purchase flood coverage?  Well, the important fact to be aware of is that homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover flood damage or ground water damage from heavy rain.  So, even if you’ve purchased a significant amount of homeowner’s insurance and your area experiences heavy flash flooding, damage to your dwelling will not be covered unless you have purchased flood insurance.

Check with your insurance agent now, don't wait for a storm to be approaching.  Most insurance companies will not amend or add to insurance policies once a named system is alive, and Federal flood insurance takes several weeks to process.

Homeowner's Insurance: When NOT to File a Claim

In some cases, filing a claim against your homeowner's insurance is just not worth it. In addition to getting socked with higher premiums, you could find it harder to get coverage later.

The big question is, when should make an insurance claim, and when is best not to?

Unfortunately, there is no cut and dry simple answer to that question, as individual circumstances vary.  Things such as; how long have you had your home insured without a claim?  How many claims have you had?  What (specifically) were the claims for?

Different answers to those questions present a different answer as to whether you are better off filing a claim, or handling the situation yourself and NOT filing the claim.

Insurers increasingly are using a huge industry database, called the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, or CLUE, to drop or deny coverage based on a home's history of claims or damage reports. Insurance companies are terrified of rising losses from water and mold damage. So a single report of water-related problems may be enough for insurers to shun your home.

So far, insurers' increased use of the CLUE database has not caused any serious problems those looking to sell.

Think twice about those water-related claims. This is especially true if you plan to sell within a few years. You might be better off paying to repair the problem yourself rather having your home be branded as high risk.

There are more tips for when to file and when not to online, so our advice is, do your homework.

Renter's Insurance: Why You Need It

So you're renting a house or condominium, and think the owner of the property has insurance, why would you need any?

The homeowner's property insurance policy that covers the physical dwelling you live in does not cover your possessions inside of the building.  A renter's insurance policy (also known as a tenant's policy) provides protection for your personal property, such as furniture or electronic equipment, in case of perils like fire, theft or wind damage from a hurricane.

Renter's insurance provides liability protection.  Unintentional bodily injury or property damage that you cause to others could be as financially damaging to you as a fire in your apartment.  Liability protection against accidental occurrences (such as a visitor slipping on your wet kitchen floor and breaking an arm) comes standard with renter's insurance policies.  Some renter's insurance policies will even include legal defense costs, should you need legal representation to defend you due to a liability claim.

Renter's insurance will also cover medical payments, including medical expenses for non-residents.

Compared to what you could stand to lose in the event of a serious loss, renter's insurance is cheap.  Check online, or check your Yellow Pages.  Most insurance companies offer renter's insurance, and you'd be playing Russian Roulette with your finances by NOT having it.