August 26, 2014 Should Insurance Companies Be Able to Consider Your Credit History? Most people know that their credit score impacts their ability to get a loan and even a job in some states – but what about their ability to get insurance? While insurance companies don’t use your credit score, many – 85% to 95% in most…
August 26, 2014 Should you buy earthquake insurance? Last weekend’s magnitude 6.0 earthquake in Napa, Calif., may be easy to dismiss if you live outside the West Coast, but it should prompt homeowners coast-to-coast to check their risk to determine whether earthquake insurance is warranted, because the threat may be greater than you…
August 26, 2014 Insurance Coverage Likely to Get More Respect After the California Earthquake One of the most predictable aftereffects of a hurricane or earthquake, such as the weekend’s California earthquake, is a spike in interest by homeowners in getting, or improving, their existing insurance coverage. And there is a lot of room for improvement in California, when it…
August 21, 2014 6 Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Insurance Agent Whether you’re in the market for insurance to cover your home, your car or your life, it can be a confusing process filled with jargon and exclusions. Perhaps that’s why many consumers enlist the help of an insurance agent to help them compare options and…
August 20, 2014 Finding the best car insurance for teens When parents of a teen first watch their baby take the wheel, they may be too busy seeing the years flash before their eyes to focus on insurance for the family’s newest driver. Putting a new teen driver on the road can be scary —…
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…
