Do You Have All The Personal Insurance You Need? Are You Sure?
Everyone knows they need insurance, but most of us could use a little help figuring out exactly what kind of insurance to buy for our specific needs and lifestyle. Insurance agents can talk your head off about conditions and comparisons, which is why so many people are walking around underinsured. They don’t want to deal with figuring it all out!
It might not be the most exhilarating thing you do all day, but taking the time to understand the most common types of personal insurance can really go a long way toward putting your mind at ease. When you know you’re covered, you can enjoy life here on the New Jersey coast. Let Professor Insurance tell you what you need to know.
First and Foremost, Your Home
Let’s talk first about your most prized asset: your home. Living near the beach is beautiful, but it makes having homeowners insurance all the more important. Unfortunately, NJ is in a path that Atlantic hurricanes like to follow. We don’t take a direct hit often, but Hurricane Sandy was a reminder of how vulnerable our coastal areas can be.
If you own a rental property, you should have rental property insurance in addition to your homeowners policy. There are also special policies for secondary homes and condominiums. Anderson Insurance Agency specializes in coastal property insurance, and can offer broad coverage with competitive rates for non-coastal properties as well. Since coastal insurance poses more challenges, we actually find writing inland property coverage to be pretty easy! Every home – whether on the ocean, off the Turnpike or along the countryside – deserves equal attention when it comes to insurance.
On the Road and Water
Motorists in New Jersey need to have enough personal auto insurance to cover an accident, especially one that might involve an uninsured motorist. Even if you are in a fender bender, the repairs can be surprisingly expensive, and you might even have minor injuries. If the other person happens to be uninsured, you want your coverage to kick in and cover the costs. With so many auto insurance commercials and companies out there, it’s best to work with a local insurance agent like Anderson who can find you the best rates.
Own a boat? Guess what, you need insurance for your vessel, too! As blissful as boating can be, accidents do happen on the water. You can sail more freely with boat insurance. You might see this on your homeowners policy, but trust us when we say the boat coverage in homeowners insurance usually only covers minor dents and dings. If something serious happens – like a fire or storm surge – you will definitely need more coverage.
What if it Floods?
Flood coverage is not included in the standard homeowners insurance policy. It’s also one of the most complicated types of insurance out there, because there are different stipulations as to what different flood policies cover. We won’t go into the weeds for the sake of this article. For now, we just want you to know that you should definitely have it, mainly because of the hurricane and storm surge risk. You can learn more about flood insurance here.
Is There a Catch-All?
We have only scraped the surface of personal insurance. There is so much more to consider, from special events policies to umbrella insurance (that’s a blanket liability policy, not insurance for your umbrella) and more. It begs the question, “Is there a policy I can buy to cover everything?” And luckily, the answer is yes! Anderson Insurance Agency is actually able to provide a single plan to cover all of your personal insurance needs. Only a handful of premier providers offer these combo policies, and while they may be a little more expensive, they are worth every penny in peace of mind.
At Anderson, we pride ourselves on building a longstanding relationship with every client we serve. Our average agent tenure is more than 12 years, which shows how tight-knit of a team we are. Remember, you have a dedicated representative you can speak to every time you call, plus 24/7 support for any emergencies. Contact your Anderson representative today at 800-444-8507 or email info@aiainsure.com to learn more about bringing all of your personal insurance under one roof and one policy.