Not Gone With the Wind: Protecting Your Belongings in Tornado-Prone Areas
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…
Lyft your limits?
Lyft your limits?

People who live in neighborhoods where it’s been hard to get a cab are cheering the era of Uber and the rise of Lyft (pardon the pun). Getting stood up by a cab that was supposed to drive you to the airport? Hauling yourself out…
2014 Car Insurance by Credit Score Report
2014 Car Insurance by Credit Score Report

Everyone knows that auto insurance is mandatory (except in New Hampshire). Furthermore, we know that our credit scores dictate the types of loans and credit cards for which we can garner approval. But when it comes to the connection between credit scores and car insurance,…
Look for loopholes in insurance policies before bad luck strikes
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…
Protecting Your Home From Disasters
Protecting Your Home From Disasters
Double Check UP
Double Check UP

The recent wildfires in San Diego and Arizona are a chilling reminder of how long wildfire season has gotten in the west and with hurricane season fast approaching in the East and South, we encourage everyone to take a moment and do a quick insurance…
Want to fire your insurance agent?
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…
Pay fees to help insure workers? ‘OK,’ say most
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the law kept in place, compared to just 41 percent of younger adults. 78 percent of Republicans say the law should be repealed, versus just 14 percent of Democrats and 52 percent of those who…
Pesky Gaps and Caps
Pesky Gaps and Caps

(No) thanks to past wildfires, many Scripps Ranch residents have as much insurance expertise as professional agents or brokers. During the vacation months when empty homes are a target for burglars, it’s worth checking your homeowner’s policy for those pesky “internal limits” that apply to…
Premiums Rise for Long-Term Care Insurance. Keep It or Drop It?
Premiums Rise for Long-Term Care Insurance. Keep It or Drop It?

By ANN CARRNSThe New York Times, MARCH 21, 2014Every day, Jesse Slome says, about a half-dozen people contact his office at the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, a group for industry professionals, to complain about premium increases on their policies.Financial planners, too, are hearing…
5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big One
5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big One

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2014 Notice to Consumers5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big OneEarthquake insurance can help residents repair, rebuild, or replaceLOS ANGELES, Calif. – The 5.1 La Habra earthquake was significantly more powerful than the 4.4 magnitude…
ConsumerWatch: Is Earthquake Insurance Worth It?
ConsumerWatch: Is Earthquake Insurance Worth It?

Despite the risk of earthquakes, an estimated 10 percent of California homeowners have earthquake insurance. KPIX 5 ConsumerWatch asks if the state’s earthquake insurance fund is healthy. Julie Watts reports.
Guidance for businesses on buying Cyber Liability insurance
Guidance for businesses on buying Cyber Liability insurance

ISO’s 2014 Data Breach Exclusion EndorsementsPerhaps a large majority of all businesses are subject to data breach liability whereby someone steals or makes unauthorized use of personal or confidential information, often of customers. Such data breaches have resulted in lawsuits and government sanctions. While most…
Getting UP to business: Read ’em and leak
Getting UP to business: Read ’em and leak

UP helps home and business owners and the two sectors have a lot in common when it comes to insurance. Both pay quite a bit of money for the insurance protection they count on as a financial safety net. And though some businesses are experienced in nuances of policy…
How Much Health Insurance Should You Have?
How Much Health Insurance Should You Have?

The short answer: enough to help you and your family weather an unexpected illness or injury and/or manage chronic health conditions without undue financial hemorrhaging. “You know you’ll likely need something, even if you’re a totally healthy person,” says Amy Bach, executive director of United…
How Much Life Insurance Should You Buy?
How Much Life Insurance Should You Buy?

How much life insurance do you need? The answer depends on several factors, including your age, the ages of your spouse and children, your income, your mortgage and other debts, college expenses for your children and/or spouse, and the size of the last bill you’ll…
Need life insurance? Consider these options for financial protection
Need life insurance? Consider these options for financial protection

When you die, will your family be financially protected? That question remains unanswered by about 95 million Americans living without life insurance, says Marvin Feldman, president and CEO of the LIFE Foundation, a nonprofit based in Arlington, Va., that provides insurance resources for consumers. It’s…
Roof insurance: ACV versus replacement cost
Roof insurance: ACV versus replacement cost

If you live in one of the states hardest hit by wind and hail damage these past few years, you may have a gaping hole in your roof insurance coverage without even knowing it. A string of unusually costly years for roof damage claims in…