Let’s Talk Personal Strategy : Are you one of those people who won’t go to the doctor unless someone makes you? And when you go to the doctor you don’t tell them everything? Is one of your favorite slogans, “Doctors don’t know everything.” ? If something hurts, you ignore it, or Google it. Why go to the doctor? They’re just going to find something wrong with you, right?
Lots of people have this health strategy. And it works out great. Until it doesn’t. Eventually, something serious will get your attention and you’ll be too scared to use your, “Let your body heal itself” strategy. Then you engage with your doctor and do the best with what you’ve got.
Unfortunately, this same type of strategy is commonly used for insurance on homes, autos, and businesses. When you talk to your insurance agent and tell them what’s going on in your world, do you expect they will find a way to make you pay more for insurance? You don’t understand half of what they’re saying, and it’s confusing. Just pay the bill and stay away from those guys, right? The odds are you won’t have a claim anyway!
You may be overestimating your “insurance health.” Unlike your body that can heal itself, the insurance policy is a static contract that wasn’t meant to stand the test of time. It was meant to be periodically reviewed, talked about, and adjusted.
There are things that happen in everyday life that could have a big impact on how your insurance works: changes in who drives your vehicles, who lives in your household; involvement with UBER or LYFT; delivering goods for money; participating in AIR BNB, VRBO; changes to your home such as renovations or adding a heat source; doing side jobs for cash or starting a business (getting paid for a hobby); signing a deed other than on your own home, or co-signing for a loan. These events are just a few reasons to contact your insurance agent. You might need to make some changes to how you’re insuring your personal world, or you might just get some good advice from someone who cares about you and your financial security. An *annual* conversation with your insurance agent is a very good thing to do!