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People who’ve negotiated their way through an insurance claim can be an excellent source of success strategies. Many members of UP’s staff and volunteer corps fit that bill.

If you find yourself underinsured after a loss or need help getting your lender to release an insurance check, you can access the wisdom of Karen Reimus and Ken Klein in our Claim Help Library and Roadmap to Recovery workshop videos. If you want to repair or rebuild green after a loss Jacques Lord will answer your questions on our “Ask an Expert” forum. If you need ideas on organizing events after a disaster, watch Renee VanHeel’s “Lemons from Lemonade” presentation.

Passing years don’t seem to dull people’s memories of how they got their insurer to pay up or their enthusiasm for helping others. Sue Piper recently joined UP’s Board of Directors after using our resources to recover from the loss of her family’s home over twenty years ago in the Oakland/Berkeley firestorm. “Accepting a preliminary settlement is fine”, said Sue last week when reviewing a publication to be added to our Survivors Speak library; “…just don’t be in a rush for a final…it takes much longer than you realize to tally up all you’ve lost.”

Disaster survivors are powerful advocates for financial preparedness and legislative reforms. Boulder resident Bruce Honeyman shared his hard-won personal expertise on those subjects while representing UP in negotiations with the Colorado Insurance Division on a home insurance disclosure form.

Here’s to those who take the time and energy to share lessons learned. They’re the heart of United Policyholders and we’re grateful.