Save big on homeowners insurance
Save big on homeowners insurance

Reviewing your homeowners policy may not rank high on our annual home-maintenance checklist. Yet following the five steps below will save you big bucks now and a lot of grief own the road. After the recent slew of natural disasters, average annual premiums are expected…
Wildfire Relief Donations Distributed
Wildfire Relief Donations Distributed

Today the Austin Community Foundation is awarding more than $830,000 in grant money from the Central Texas Wildfire Fund. The money was donated by people from across the country and raised through the “Fire Relief” concert held last October. Nine organizations are receiving between $2,000…
Roofing Regulation Causes Last Minute Controversy
Roofing Regulation Causes Last Minute Controversy

A bill designed to protect homeowners when hiring a roofing company is on its way to Governor Hickenlooper’s office, but critics are spearheading an effort to get the measure vetoed. Their concern with the bill is the way it could be interpreted. Colorado’s historic hail…
RentSafe: Is it a safe choice for renter’s insurance?
RentSafe: Is it a safe choice for renter’s insurance?

About half of American renters don’t have insurance. Some of them probably don’t realize that it’s fairly cheap to buy coverage that’ll protect them if their place catches fire, their stuff gets stolen or even if the dog bites a neighbor. “Renter’s insurance is very…
Fracked! Are you covered for manmade earthquakes?
Fracked! Are you covered for manmade earthquakes?

If a man-made earthquake damages your home, would your home insurance cover your losses? The answer lies in the details of your policy. Standard homeowners and renters policies exclude damage from earthquakes, but you can typically purchase either an endorsement or a separate earthquake policy…
Insurer witholds payment for child’s stolen walking braces
Insurer witholds payment for child’s stolen walking braces

A Roseville single mom says someone stole her daughter’s walking braces out of her car. When she couldn’t get her insurance company to pay up, she called Kurtis. She’s got medical insurance, car and homeowner’s insurance and thought someone should cover it and help her…
NAIC P/C Committee Sets New Disaster Charge, Draws Fire on Transparency
NAIC P/C Committee Sets New Disaster Charge, Draws Fire on Transparency

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners’Property and Casualty Insurance Committee voted at its spring meeting to hold a public hearing on whether the organization should create model guidelines for processing claims in the wake of a natural disaster. But in the process, the committee drew…
The 10 Biggest Insurance Mistakes Americans Make
The 10 Biggest Insurance Mistakes Americans Make

Insurance is the last thing most people want to think about. Your eyes are probably already glazed over just from reading this title. Who in their right mind wants to mull over their finances, sift through unfamiliar jargon, and face piles of insurance-related paperwork? This…
Here’s the scoop: Bat poop leads to legal fight over home insurance claim
Here’s the scoop: Bat poop leads to legal fight over home insurance claim

Homeowners worried about problems that their insurance policies might not cover can add one more item to the list: bat scat. That’s right, bat poop. In a case so strange that many insurance experts say they’ve never heard of a similar one, the Wisconsin Supreme…
10 signs that your insurance coverage is a turkey
10 signs that your insurance coverage is a turkey

Every Thanksgiving, Americans carve up and savor millions of pounds of turkey. When it comes to insurance, however, a turkey – coverage that doesn’t fit your needs – may leave a bad taste in your mouth. Here are 10 indicators that your current coverage can’t…
Storage woes: Do you need insurance for stuff in storage?
Storage woes: Do you need insurance for stuff in storage?

Whether you need a place to safeguard valuable artwork, stash your stuff while living with Mom and Dad or store unneeded items when you move into a smaller home, obtaining the proper amount of insurance for belongings in storage is a necessity. If an item…
Role of Producers Spurs Agreement Between Commissioner, Industry Advocate
Role of Producers Spurs Agreement Between Commissioner, Industry Advocate

In what marked an unusual moment of agreement between an insurance regulator and an insurance representative during a National Association of Insurance Commissioners meeting, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak and Dave Snyder of the American Insurance Association both said producers play a valuable role in…
Allstate policy raises roof on prices in Oklahoma
Allstate policy raises roof on prices in Oklahoma

Insurance costs: Oklahoma homeowners could pay more under terms of a new Allstate policy, which no longer pays the full cost of repairing or replacing older roofs. A new type of homeowners’ insurance launched in Oklahoma by Allstate Corp. no longer pays for the full…
The 102 best money websites
The 102 best money websites

Need information or help with a money matter? Chances are good you’ll find what you need at one of these sites, which rank among the best on the Web. This is an incredibly personal list. There are many other worthy sites out there, sites that,…
Insurers rethink homeowners policies in the wake of major disasters
Insurers rethink homeowners policies in the wake of major disasters

Phillip Berger insured his Maryland home through Allstate for 23 years. But a home disaster forced him to take his business elsewhere, he said. Berger, 58, is not new to property damage or insurer conflict. Years ago, a tornado swept over his home and damaged…
How much would it cost to replace your home? We test two online estimator services
How much would it cost to replace your home? We test two online estimator services

When considering how much home insurance to buy, the main issue isn’t how much your house is worth on the real estate market. More important is how much it will cost to rebuild the dwelling if it is destroyed. Your home’s reconstruction cost may be…
Too young for life insurance? The debate over policies for children
Too young for life insurance? The debate over policies for children

Deciding whether to buy a life insurance policy for a child can be difficult, and there is strong disagreement over the benefits of such policies. Advocates assure you that life insurance policies for children are great financial tools as part of larger portfolios of savings…
What Type of Life Insurance Do I Need?
What Type of Life Insurance Do I Need?

About 11 million U.S. households with children under age 18 had no life insurance coverage as of 2010, according to LIMRA, a worldwide research and consulting organization for the insurance and financial services industry. Overall, less than half of U.S. households had individual life insurance,…