Will Americans pay attention to earthquake insurance now?
Will Americans pay attention to earthquake insurance now?

The advice can’t get any simpler than this: “People who live near fault lines should have earthquake insurance,” says Amy Bach, executive director of the United Policyholders consumer organization. Will the disaster in Japan be the crisis that compels Americans in quake-prone areas to pay…
San Bruno victims get tax breaks on donations
San Bruno victims get tax breaks on donations

San Bruno victims get tax breaks on donationsSurvivors of the San Bruno gas line explosion won’t have to pay state taxes on donations received, state leaders decided this week.Gov. Jerry Brown late Wednesday signed a bill from Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, previously approved by…
Apps for Taking Inventory at Home
Apps for Taking Inventory at Home

By FARHAD MANJOO, The New York TimesHONESTLY, I didn’t set out to be a hoarder. It’s just that I’m a tech reviewer, and sometimes that amounts to the same thing. Technology companies are always sending me gadgets to evaluate; it’s my job to catalog everything…
Are you insured for the Big One?
Are you insured for the Big One?

Just 12% of homes in the state with fire insurance also have earthquake coverage, according to the California Earthquake Authority. Here’s what consumers shopping for coverage need to know. Reporting from Sacramento— The massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan will cost insurance companies billions…
Forged MetLife “Checks” Show Retained-Asset Account Risks
Forged MetLife “Checks” Show Retained-Asset Account Risks

After her mother died, Jasmine Williams was assured by MetLife Inc. that her $101,819 in life insurance benefits were safe and was sent what the company called a guaranteed money market “checkbook” in 2002. The next year, Williams, then 19, told New York-based MetLife that…
Accidental Death Becomes Suicide When Insurers Dodge Payouts
Accidental Death Becomes Suicide When Insurers Dodge Payouts

Jane Pierce spent nine years struggling alongside her husband, Todd, as he fought cancer in his sinus cavity. The treatments were working. Then, in July 2009, Todd died in a fiery car crash. He was 46. That was the beginning of a whole new battle…
Determining the Right Coverage
Determining the Right Coverage

Patrick Rodgers, the Philadelphia homeowner with the “foreclosure” case against Wells Fargo Home Mortgage that made him a national celebrity, declared victory last week. To settle his claim under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, he says, Wells Fargo WFC) agreed to reverse thousands of…
A Health Insurance Insider Offers Words of Advice
A Health Insurance Insider Offers Words of Advice

WENDELL POTTER is a 20-year health insurance veteran who served in top public relations jobs at such firms as Cigna and Humana. Now a senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity, Mr. Potter has written “Deadly Spin,” a tell-all about practices of the health…
Officials, Advocates Tout Open-Enrollment Period for Children’s Coverage
Officials, Advocates Tout Open-Enrollment Period for Children’s Coverage
Neighborhood Watch Meeting Draws Dozens Of Residents
Neighborhood Watch Meeting Draws Dozens Of Residents

The Hemingway Avenue Neighborhood Watch in San Carlos is well organized and motivated. Mission Times Courier, San Diego, CA) – The brightly colored Neighborhood Watch signs are conveniently placed on streetlight poles informing everyone driving into the area that Neighborhood Watch is up and running.…
ConsumerWatch: Is Water Pipeline Insurance Worth It?
ConsumerWatch: Is Water Pipeline Insurance Worth It?

LOS ALTOS CBS 5) — Vivian Barry never thought much about the water pipes under her Los Altos home, until she started getting official-looking letters from a company called Home Emergency Insurance Solutions. They were trying to sell her insurance for the underground water pipes…
Guest Speaker Shares Insurance Buying Tips with RB Community Council
Guest Speaker Shares Insurance Buying Tips with RB Community Council

The topic of insurance may prompt some people to nod off. However, in a community familiar with the ugly side of Mother Nature, the discussion couldn’t be more welcome. The Rancho Bernardo Community Council hosted guest speaker Kaye Coates of United Policyholders on Thursday at…
When Life Insurance Is Suddenly Canceled
When Life Insurance Is Suddenly Canceled

Earlier this year, an elderly man went to the hospital for stomach pains. The doctors advised him that he had gallstones. Days after the emergency room visit, the man and his wife purchased some life insurance. Only later did they learn that the “gallstones” were…
Roadside assistance may affect auto insurance rates
Roadside assistance may affect auto insurance rates

Since auto insurance companies typically offer less expensive roadside assistance plans than their competitors, for the many drivers who experience a flat tire or cracked windshield every year, these companies are often the first place they turn when in a rut. As a result, many…
Majority of Calif. Insurers Agree to More-Responsive Claims Handling Practices
Majority of Calif. Insurers Agree to More-Responsive Claims Handling Practices

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner said a group of insurers, that represent 72.1 percent of the homeowners’ multi-peril insurance market, have agreed to comply with voluntary reforms to the claims handling process — the effect of which means consumers will have more-responsive claims handling practices.…
Questions and Answers on Enrollment of Children Under 19 Under the New Policy that Prohibits Pre-Existing Condition Exclusions
Questions and Answers on Enrollment of Children Under 19 Under the New Policy that Prohibits Pre-Existing Condition Exclusions
Commissioner Poizner Warns Santa Barbara Homeowners To Prepare For Wildfires
Commissioner Poizner Warns Santa Barbara Homeowners To Prepare For Wildfires
Do you have enough homeowner’s insurance?
Do you have enough homeowner’s insurance?

As a public service to residents, the Financial Planning Association of San Diego is answering financial questions for readers of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Today’s question is answered by Lynn Buchholz, CFP, president of Buchholz Financial Planning who teaches the “Fundamentals of Insurance” class in…