October 18, 2016 Oakland hills My Word: Preventing repeat of 1991 fire begins with you This month — Thursday of this week to be exact — is the 25th anniversary of the Oakland/Berkeley hills firestorm. Many of you were here that day. Some of you — like my husband and me — escaped the flames with just the clothes on…
October 17, 2016 What might be lurking inside your next homeowner’s policy Hurricane Matthew wreaked a lot of damage in a rather short time, but property insurers have long memories — and clever lawyers. So keep an eye on the changes that will almost certainly be part of your next homeowner’s policy. If hurricane history is any…
October 11, 2016 Black Forest Fire victim advises Beulah Hill Fire victims Sherri Bertrand shares experience of losing home. A previous wildfire victim in El Paso County is offering advice to victims of a recent fire in Pueblo County. Sherri Bertrand of Black Forest said she was out of town the first week of the Beulah Hill…
October 4, 2016 What Is Umbrella Insurance – and Do I Need It? Like an umbrella that protects you from the elements on a rainy day, an umbrella insurance policy can shield your personal assets from large liability claims. Umbrella excess liability protection can help you avoid financial ruin if you’re found to be responsible for legal damages…
September 27, 2016 Go Short Or Long? How To Pick Your Life Insurance Term Among the decisions you must make when buying life insurance, one of the most important is: How long should the policy last? Choose wrong and it could cost you or your survivors. You can buy term life insurance that will cover you for five, 10,…
September 26, 2016 Auto insurance discounts to ask for: complete guide You don’t have to wait until your auto insurance policy is up for renewal to ask about discounts. Your carrier or agent may not take the time to alert you to all discounts for which you are eligible. Be your own advocate by reviewing this…
September 21, 2016 State Insurance Websites Ranked From Most to Least Helpful to Consumers Analysis shows agency sites vary widely when it comes to providing people with useful, timely information. Insurance is a complex purchase — policies are hard to understand, the reputations of insurance companies can be difficult to determine, and what exactly you’re paying for isn’t always…
September 16, 2016 As fire danger grows, some homeowners are seeing coverage dropped As California’s five-year drought continues, and with fire danger an ongoing threat to many homeowners, it comes as no surprise that insurance companies are feeling increasingly antsy about the risk of policyholders’ property going up in flames. But that doesn’t mitigate the kick in the…
September 11, 2016 Hope and heartache in the year of fire Cobb Mountain – Maya Leonard sighed deeply as she stood between her parents on a sun-dappled morning in late spring, her freckled face somber. Her mother, Cindy, and father, David, each draped an arm around her shoulders. Maya watched as one of six men in…
September 7, 2016 Thanks To Fracking, Earthquake Hazards In Parts Of Oklahoma Now Comparable To California A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook Oklahoma on Saturday, tied for the strongest quake ever recorded in the state. Odds are it was triggered by fracking operations, specifically the subsurface injection of fracking wastewater. There is a direct connection between fracking and earthquakes in the central…
August 30, 2016 Family finances: Don’t get caught ‘undercovered’ One-half to two-thirds of homeowners who experience a total loss don’t have enough insurance to rebuild their home and replace their belongings, according to post-disaster surveys of homeowners by United Policyholders, a consumer advocacy group. Here’s how to be sure you’re covered. 1. Check the…
August 30, 2016 Six Years After Fourmile Canyon Fire, Cold Springs Fire Brings Up Insurance Claims Recovery continues for folks impacted by the Cold Springs fire last month, which destroyed eight properties and led to evacuations of nearly 2000 others in the Nederland area. With the six year anniversary of the Fourmile Canyon fire on the horizon in September, experts from…
August 27, 2016 Closer look at flood insurance, FEMA’s reforms, lessons learned after Sandy missteps If the Federal Emergency Management Agency dealt itself a black eye with the poor job it did responding to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the horror stories that came out of the flood insurance claims process after Superstorm Sandy gave the agency another nasty shiner seven…
August 24, 2016 Document Flood and Fire Damage to Ease Insurance Claims Victims of the recent flooding in Louisiana and wildfires in California should all do one thing: Document the damage to their property. Taking photos is crucial to help bolster an insurance claim, said Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a nonprofit consumer advisory group,…
August 22, 2016 Day 10: Clayton Fire Hits 95% Containment Community rebuilding efforts underway include an assistance center in Lower Lake and a public meeting on Wednesday. Containment on the Clayton Fire, now in its 10th day in Lake County south of Lower Lake, has hit 95 percent with 3,920 acres consumed, according to this…
August 19, 2016 Disputing a Denied Life Insurance Claim in Pennsylvania Losing a loved-one can be devastating. The situation can be even more devastating when the future that was supposed to be secured by a life insurance policy is denied. It doesn’t make sense. The policy was purchased by your loved-one so they could ensure you…
August 18, 2016 This is how a California wildfire can change your homeowners insurance rate Some Southern California residents have seen their insurance rates skyrocket as a result of wildfires. The latest round of fires is fueling concerns that rates may eventually be boosted again. Scores of Southern California residents living in or near the path of the latest wildfires…
July 29, 2016 Are insurance rates going up for people on the fire line? and other FAQ about fire insurance) As of midday Friday, the Soberanes Fire in Monterey County had destroyed at least 41 homes and put at least 2,000 homes and other buildings at risk. Meanwhile, the Sand Fire, which has burned more than 38,800 acres in the Santa Clarita hillsides, is 85…
