What does renters insurance cover?

More than you’d think. In the simplest form, the following and much more:

• Your belongings
• Your place & your guests from mishaps
• Hotel expenses (if you need a place to stay)

Maintain belongings that matter most

Your landlord’s insurance likely only covers the property and not your stuff. But renters insurance covers it all from clothes and furniture to electronics and more. You're reimbursed for what they cost to buy new, not their depreciated value.

Make things better after a mishap

The people who are hurt, if an accident happens, get the care they need; damage you cause is repaired. You pay a portion of the repair and medical bills, and your renters insurance policy covers the rest.

Have a place to stay if you need it

Spend a few nights in a local hotel if you can’t stay home while covered damage is repaired. You’re reimbursed for your stay and any meals.

• Coverage: An auto insurance policy typically covers you and your spouse, relatives who live in your home and other licensed drivers to whom you give permission to drive your car. The policy is "package protection", which provides coverage for both bodily injury and property damage liability as well as physical damage to your vehicle. This damage can include both that caused by the collision and damage cause by things "other than collision", such as flood, fire, wind, hail, etc.
• Common Types of Coverage: Auto insurance typically covers personal injury (PIP), medical payments, uninsured motorist, underinsured motorist, auto rental, emergency road assistance and other damages to your car not caused by a collision such as flood, fire and vandalism. Other coverage is available, too.
• Deductible: The deductible is the amount that you will pay out of pocket when you file a claim. Typically, the higher the deductible, the lower your premiums.
• Insurance Rates: How much you pay will depends on many factors, including your driving record, the value of your vehicle, where you drive, how much you drive, your marital status, your desired coverage, your age, sex and even your credit history

No business can afford to be unprepared for a lawsuit.

Liability insurance protects your business assets when the business is sued for something the business did (or failed to do) that contributed to injury or property damage to someone else.

Liability coverage extends not only to paying damages but also to the attorneys' fees and other costs involved in defending against the lawsuit, whether valid or not.

The standard business owners policy provides liability coverage, as does a separate policy known as a commercial general liability (CGL) insurance policy.

Generally, commercial liability insurance, whether purchased in a separate policy, or as part of a standard business owners policy, will cover bodily injury, property damage, personal injury or advertising injury. The medical expenses of a person (other than an employee) injured at the business or as a direct result of the operations of the business are also covered.

Usually excluded from both types of liability insurance policies are suits by customers against a business for nonperformance of a contract and by employees charging wrongful termination or racial or gender discrimination or harassment.

Flood insurance is becoming more and more popular as places that normally would not experience floods are suddenly finding themselves suffering losses as a result of extreme weather. To the surprise of many of these homeowners, their regular homeowners insurance policy did not cover against flood. This is a separate type of coverage that you will have to purchase if you consider flood to be a risk for your business or property.

If you live in a flood-prone area and you have a mortgage, the lender will require you to purchase adequate coverage to insure the property. If you own the property, you can elect to self-insure and not buy insurance, but you have to remember that any damage caused as a result of flooding will be your financial responsibility. The cost of this kind of damage can run from the hundreds to thousands of dollars, so it's worth considering purchasing the insurance to transfer this risk, especially, if you live in a flood zone. If you don't live in a flood-prone area, you may qualify for a discounted rate, which means a lower premium for you.

Like flood insurance, windstorm insurance is a separate type of coverage that protects your home or business against wind damage.

Wind damage may result from items flying and destroying your property as a result of a hurricane, hail, snow, sand or dust.

Coverage for windstorm may be limited in states prone to hurricane and tornadoes.

If you live in a state like Florida, Louisiana, Texas or the Carolinas, which are frequently barraged by tropical storms or hurricanes, this should be an integral part of your asset protection planning.

Consult with your agent or broker for more details on this type of coverage.

Umbrella insurance helps you protect your assets if you are sued. If you are worried that the liability insurance coverage you have through your auto or property policies is still not enough, you can consider adding an umbrella policy.

An umbrella policy is basically an additional policy that kicks in when your other insurance policies have reached their limits. The amount of coverage and types of coverage offered by these policies varies, as will their premiums.

You can tag on an umbrella policy to your homeowners or auto insurance policy to protect your assets against liability or lawsuits.

Certain exclusions apply, including:

• Owned or leased aircraft or watercraft
• Business pursuits
• Professional services
• Any act committed by the insured with the intent to cause personal injury or property damage