August 4, 2014 Too Young for Disability Insurance? Yeah, Right If you are in your 20s or early 30s, you may live like you’re “Young, Wild and Free,” to borrow a song title from the recent past. But you’re not immune from injury or illness. Unless you’re wealthy, making ends meet could be difficult if…
July 28, 2014 12 Words Never to Say to Your Insurance Company When you file a claim with your insurance company for a car accident or home damage, think before you speak. Saying the wrong words during that first phone call can turn what should be a quick, painless settlement into a prolonged nightmare. Insurance adjusters zero…
July 20, 2014 Homeowners: How to understand a wind/hail deductible If you live in a part of the United States that experiences frequent severe weather, tornadoes and hurricanes may not be your only concern. Your finances may also take a hit, as you may be expected to pick up more of the tab for wind…
July 18, 2014 Renter’s Insurance 101: What Does Renter’s Insurance Cover? If you’re a renter and you assume your personal property is protected by your landlord’s insurance, you could be making a huge mistake. Without renters insurance, you’re at risk of losing all your personal possessions. Many people don’t realize that the owners of rental units…
July 15, 2014 Can Technology Disrupt The Consumer Insurance Market? In the late 1980s – before there was a Web – I had the privilege of working for the late great attorney Gene Anderson, hero of corporate policyholders, scourge of insurance companies. I was his ghostwriter – on legal briefs, articles, and the occasional speech…
July 10, 2014 Health insurance claim is denied. What now? Few things are scarier than racking up medical bills and then learning that your health insurance company won’t pay. It’s a nightmare that could panic any policyholder. But before you worry about sinking into a black hole of medical debt, know that federal law offers…
June 30, 2014 It’s worth boning up on homeowner insurance Mention the word insurance, even to people who pay attention to other consumer topics, and you’re likely to draw yawns. Trust me on that – it’s just the nature of the beast. After more than a dozen years of writing about everything from airfares to…
June 30, 2014 Not Gone With the Wind: Protecting Your Belongings in Tornado-Prone Areas Think your belongings will be protected during a tornado just because they’re locked up in a self-storage unit? Few buildings can withstand the 200 mph winds of an F4 tornado, but even lower-category tornado blasts can twist off roofs and blow your stuff around in…
June 16, 2014 Look for loopholes in insurance policies before bad luck strikes Hurricane season is starting slowly, and weather forecasters predict that El Niño may help spare us this year. But as Hurricane Sandy reminded our region, you never can predict when you’ll be in bad luck’s bull’s-eye. So it’s a good time to consider how to…
May 20, 2014 Karen Reimus speaking UP for San Diego fire victims Fire Victims’ Insurance Policy May Not Cover Everything
May 15, 2014 San Diego fires prompt UP Special Alert UP Special Alert: Returning to your home after a wildfire If your home is close to a wildfire area and you’re returning to it after an evacuation order has been lifted, here is a checklist of things to consider: Visit the UP Claim Help library…
May 8, 2014 Flood insurance: Make sure you are covered After devastating the East Coast and causing an estimated $20 billion in property damage, a storm like Sandy should serve as a reminder to homeowners everywhere — and especially those near the coasts — to make sure they have the right kind of coverage in…
May 7, 2014 United Policyholders has been with us through three disasters: Lean on me Leigh Candelas was one of the lucky ones. When the Black Forest Fire consumed much of her neighborhood last summer, her house survived. But the situation wasn’t as rosy as it appeared. There was significant damage to her home, and after her insurance company paid…
May 6, 2014 Want to fire your insurance agent? Is it time to fire your insurance agent or broker? “If they’re not serving you, helping you and giving you good guidance, you should break up with them,” says Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a San Francisco-based insurance consumer advocacy group. But while…
May 6, 2014 Want to fire your insurance agent? Here’s how Is it time to fire your insurance agent or broker? “If they’re not serving you, helping you and giving you good guidance, you should break up with them,” says Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a San Francisco-based insurance consumer advocacy group. But while…
April 29, 2014 Catastrophe insurance Protections are available for local consumers in wake of floods, fires One draw of Colorado living, some would say, is the endless variety. The suburbs, the city, the country, the mountains and the plains; living here means there’s something for nearly everybody. But living in…
April 29, 2014 Pay fees to help insure workers? ‘OK,’ say most Highlights: 51 percent of Americans ages 50-64 want to see the law kept in place, compared to just 41 percent of younger adults. 78 percent of Republicans say the law should be repealed, versus just 14 percent of Democrats and 52 percent of those who…
