Are your valuables insured?

Helpful tips for insuring your priceless jewelry, art, and other valuables

Take a wander around your house. Or, if you’re not at home, take a mental tour of your home. Chances are there are a lot of expensive things that you’ve forgotten are there – they’re just a part of your home, so you don’t really think about them anymore. It’s not like you dwell on how fancy the décor at your home is, or how expensive the silverware was. Your valuables are just, you know. There.

But the thing is that these valuables might not have enough insurance coverage through your home insurance policy. For example, the limit of coverage for jewelry is often $1,000, and the limit is often $2,500 for silverware. Plus, a home insurance policy might not cover the loss of these valuables due to theft, accident, or natural disaster – it really depends on your policy. Would that be enough to protect all the jewelry and silverware that you own? What about your artwork? Heirlooms?

You know you need to make sure to protect your jewelry and valuables from theft, but to make sure that your valuables are protected from anything that life could throw at you, we’ll go over your options for insuring your belongings.

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Have you read through your insurance policy lately?

Understanding the nitty-gritty of your insurance policy in 6 steps

Yep, trudging through the entirety of your home, auto, or life insurance policy is probably not exactly your idea of a good time. Big words, stuffy language, long sentences…oodles of fun, right? Oh, yeah. Insurance policies. Good stuff.

As daunting as the task may seem, reading through your policy is actually very important when it comes to making sure that you have the coverage you need for your family. Your policy spells out the agreement between you (the insured) and your insurance company (the insurer) and explains who’s responsible for what if you’re faced with a catastrophe.

Whether it’s your home insurance policy or your auto insurance policy, you need to make sure that you know what’s going on in that very important legal document. You never know when it’s going to come in handy. To help you out with that little bit of homework, we’ll take a piece-by-piece look at each section of your insurance policy so that you’re in the know when it comes to your insurance.

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Flash floods happen very quickly.

Don’t get on the wrong side of a flash flood this summer

Flash floods, like the name implies, happen very quickly and with little warning. Usually the summer months have the highest risk of flash flooding because they happen when areas prone to flooding get a lot of rain in a short period of time – like during a summer rainstorm. Summer storms can turn into deluges that make it hard to see your hand in front of your face.

Since summer storms can create conditions that are ideal for flash floods, we’ve got some summer severe weather tips so that you can stay safe when the sky opens up and dumps buckets of rain, cats, and dogs upon you.

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Protect your kids from accidental poisonings.

How to prevent accidental poisonings around the house

Kids are naturally curious. They love to explore, and, consequently, they tend to get into everything. Some things that look bright and shiny to a little one, like a laundry detergent pod, are really dangerous if eaten. The number of things around the house that are poisonous is kind of scary when you think of the mischief a kiddo might find. There’s a lot involved with figuring out how to childproof a home, but keep the following tips in mind to protect your kids from accidental poisonings.

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You might be thinking of using pesticide if you have a bug problem.

11 tips to use pesticide safely (and win the battle against bugs)

Summer’s officially here. And with summer comes bugs. Big bugs, little bugs, all sorts of bugs, all of which are most likely not welcome in your home. If you’re facing an insect invasion and are at your wit’s end with squishing your new friends, you might be thinking about using a pesticide. But pesticides are designed to kill things, so they can be dangerous if not used properly. To keep your family safe from accidental poisonings, keep the following tips in mind.

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If you ever have to evacuate your home, it helps to be prepared.

What to do if you have to evacuate your home in an emergency

There are a variety of reasons that you and your family might be forced to evacuate your home and head to a safe area. Wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and transportation accidents might leave your family with no option but to skedaddle. It might be your choice if your feel unsafe due to an impending natural disaster, or you might be required to leave by local officials.

You might not have lots of time to get out and go, so it’s crucial that you be prepared for the possibility of an evacuation, especially if you live on the coast or in another area that has a high risk of natural disaster. You need to have a plan so that you know exactly what to do and you can move out quickly and safely. We’ve got some preparation tips that will help make your emergency evacuation as smooth as possible.  

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Summer’s here: 8 tips to conserve water (and help the environment)

Summer can get brutal. The sweltering heat from our friend the sun makes it extremely important to be conscious of our water consumption. The heat causes water to evaporate, and fast. There are a few things you can do that will help you reduce your water use. Conserving water isn’t just good for the environment—it’s good for your wallet! By following these super easy tips, you can do your part to help save the planet.

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10 pool safety tips to make sure your pool is ready for summer fun

Swimming is a staple of summertime. Hanging out around the pool is a fantastic way to stay cool when the temperature starts climbing. If you have a pool in your backyard, you need to be aware of the risks that come along with it. As the homeowner, you’re responsible for the safety of the swimmers. Even though the shining blue water might look completely harmless, there are a lot of dangers that are associated with swimming pools, and you need to know how to manage them.

We’ve come up with some pool safety advice to help you keep everyone safe as they’re having their summer fun.

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How to keep your family safe from the summer sun

When you were growing up, your parents may have hounded you about putting on sunscreen. At the time, sunscreen might have seemed like an annoying, greasy nuisance, but now that you’re grown up with kids of your own you understand the importance of sun safety. Sunburns and overexposure to the sun could cause skin cancer, which is the most common type of cancer in the United States. And make no mistake—skin cancer is serious stuff. It can be fatal. The CDC says that ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes.

With summer rapidly approaching, it’s crucial that your family makes sun safety a priority. Running around outside, swimming, playing sports, and working outside leave you vulnerable to those invisible (but very scary) UV rays, which, as we said, can cause some serious damage to your skin. To help you keep everyone sun-safe this summer, we’ll go over some tips for sun protection.

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Generally home insurance covers falling trees.

What you need to know if a tree falls on your house, car, or fence

Trees are beautiful. Tall. Majestic. Green. And also very, very heavy. Which is why if a tree falls in the direction of your house it’s terrifying. Trees have the power to cause some pretty serious damage to your home—they’re not picky about which way they fall if a sudden storm or wind gust pops up. They’ll take your house down with them.

This is exactly why home insurance was invented—for situations involving toppling trees. Well, that and some other reasons. Anyways, the good news is that your homeowner’s insurance generally covers damage done to your house by your formerly very pretty tree depending on what caused the tree to fall. Storms and lightning strikes are covered in most plans, so you’re good. You can file a claim and get your house fixed up good as new.

However, things are usually a bit more complicated than that. It’s one thing if it’s your tree and your house—that’s straightforward. But sometimes it doesn’t work out that way, so we’ve put together some information about some of the thornier situations you might encounter.

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