It doesn’t seem possible, but hurricane season is upon us. June is the beginning of the hurricane season, and experts are predicting a significantly above average year for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.

On top of that, we have yet to see a substantial earthquake resulting in major structural damage and loss in recent years. In California, where inevitably “the big one” will occur at some point — only 13% of homeowners even have earthquake insurance! A single event could be incredibly devastating.

All of that combines to make right now an important time to ensure you and your family are properly protected.

So, I’d like to use this blog to discuss some issues I hope you’re all thinking about…and if you’re not, let’s be sure to talk.

First…a few questions you should ask when reviewing your personal insurance programs:

• Are you properly covered if a catastrophic event happened today?
• Are you willing to tap into your savings, investment accounts, etc. to cover your out-of-pocket costs in the event of a substantial or catastrophic loss?
• Is the carrier you’ve selected financially sound and able to commit to providing coverage through these unprecedented levels of catastrophic weather patterns?

Our industry in Personal Risk Management/Personal Lines Insurance has been completely shaken up over the last few years, with no slowing down in sight. Coast-to-coast, there are record damages from flood, hurricanes, and wildfires. Because standard insurance carriers often have exclusions and limitations within their contract language on these types of events, it’s important to know what you have before a loss occurs and it’s too late.

Our process takes this into account. We don’t want to frighten you, but rather to educate you on what you’re currently paying for, whether your current program is adequate or not, and what is available to you in the marketplace with a reputable and financially stable carrier. The beauty of an independent agent is we work for our clients and have access to many carriers as opposed to the mass market/direct carriers that only sell a single product.

Speaking of carriers, we’re committed to partnering with carriers:

1. who provide the broadest levels of coverage available in the marketplace today
2. whose balance sheets are sound and can commit to paying claims
3. commit to offering renewal terms for years to come

We’re also committed to our annual review process to be sure we’ve aligned with you on any updates or concerns/exposures that could change year over year.

In the end, we just want to make sure you’re protected. We don’t know when or where the next catastrophic event will happen…but, it will. Please reach out to us to ensure you have what you need should you be impacted.