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,…
Consumer advocates raise the roof over Allstate’s new home insurance rule
Consumer advocates raise the roof over Allstate’s new home insurance rule

Some homeowners soon may see their insurance-related costs go through the roof. Eventually, Allstate customers with roofs more than 10 years old won’t have the full cost of new roofs covered under their home insurance policies. Allstate’s House & Home program will pay the “actual…
Flood disaster made worse by some insurers
Flood disaster made worse by some insurers

Any kind of disaster insurance can be very tricky. Fine print in a policy can mean the difference between having the money to rebuild – and having nothing. But, reports Julie Watts, of CBS station KPIX in San Francisco, a dispute over what caused a…
After the disaster: Uninsured homeowners have little to fall back on
After the disaster: Uninsured homeowners have little to fall back on

The images of the tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires of 2011 remain seared in our memories. You might live in one of the areas battered by weather tragedies. Or you might have frantically checked on friends and relatives who were affected by natural disasters.…
New rules help CA homeowners with insurance
New rules help CA homeowners with insurance

SACRAMENTO, Calif. KGO) — If a disaster strikes, is your home fully insured? New rules are now in effect to make sure you’re covered. 7 On Your Side’s Michael Finney explains. You pay for insurance for years, hoping to never need it. Then, there’s a…
Is your independent insurance agent truly an independent agent?
Is your independent insurance agent truly an independent agent?

It’s no secret that independent insurance agents — who sell auto, home and other types of coverage from more than one insurer — earn their keep through a commission each time a customer signs up for a policy. After all, they need to be compensated…
How to Do a “Needs Analysis” Before you Buy Life Insurance
How to Do a “Needs Analysis” Before you Buy Life Insurance

When buying life insurance, don’t choose a policy before you understand the financial needs of your beneficiaries. Damon Bates, a vice president at Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., says most people’s thinking is backwards when it comes to life insurance. They decide on the product…
David Baria celebrates victory after grueling campaign season
David Baria celebrates victory after grueling campaign season

I am happy to be a resident of one of the best communities in the entire world,” a jubilant David Baria said last night at his victory party at Bay St. Louis’ 100 Men Hall after his successful bid to succeed long-time state legislator J.P.…
A Home-Insurance Trap?
A Home-Insurance Trap?

Home-insurance policies are pretty much the same, and carriers compete on the basis of price and service—right? Believe those two myths and you might wind up paying dearly. Homeowner policies have important differences that can affect whether claims are paid, according to a study scheduled…
Understanding endorsements and riders for home insurance policies
Understanding endorsements and riders for home insurance policies

In the insurance world, endorsements have nothing to do with celebrities promoting products, and riders have nothing to do with cowboys. “Endorsement” and “rider” are two interchangeable — and often misunderstood — terms referring to additions to a home insurance policy that alter the policy’s…