Personal Liability Insurance - Oakland, CA
Raising a family in Oakland is challenging. Often when consumers think about insurance they merely consider “buying” insurance, but what you really should be thinking about is protecting your family. It is hard to miss the bombardment of ads about getting the best price on
auto insurance, but none of those ads ever mention the importance of your decision. Here is why you should not treat your personal insurance like a commodity.
Your choice of where you buy your insurance should be considered one of the biggest decisions you make, but often people shop only by price. It’s certainly alluring to get the best price on anything and everything you buy,
but when it comes to insurance the best price does not result in the best protection for your family.
Your personal insurance should be there to protect you from catastrophic events which you otherwise couldn’t afford. Most people think about
homeowner insurance to cover them for a fire that destroys their home and belongings. While that is a painful experience for anyone, most insurance you purchase will cover the cost to rebuild your home only subject to your deductible which is likely no more than $2,500. But did you know that there are much greater claims that you may have no control over and could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars?
Real World Examples
Your personal liability is an exposure that is out there with you in your everyday life. You can get sued for many reasons, from seemingly benign events that happen every day. Riding a bike. A child away at school. A party at your home.
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Riding your bike can be an enjoyable activity for many. Some may do it
every day. Occasionally, it can result in a liability claim against you.
If you were to run into a pedestrian, you could be sued for negligence
resulting in his injuries. Injured parties with legal representation can
easily demand a million dollars or more for head, neck and back
injuries. Even claims of brain injuries. Do you think this can’t happen
to you? I’ve seen it.
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Sending your child off to college is both an exciting time, and one of
many concerns as well. While most parents will be concerned for their
own child’s well being, the temptations and pressures of being a college
student away from home can lead to significant exposure to you. Imagine
your child purchases alcohol for a party and at that party another
child dies from drinking too much. The parents grieving the loss of
their child will undoubtedly sue everyone involved for millions of
dollars. Do you think this can’t happen to you? I’ve seen it.
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A holiday get together, cheering on your favorite sports event, or a
birthday party. We love having guests over at our homes. Joyous times
can easily expose you to many liability claims. A partygoer drives away
after having too much to drink. A minor being served alcohol. A balcony
collapsing, injuring all who were on it. An accidental drowning in a
backyard pool. Each of these occurrences is hard to think about, but
easy to imagine a lawsuit into the millions of dollars. Do you think
this can’t happen to you? I’ve seen it.
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All of these examples can result in a $1,000,000 claim against you. Your homeowner policy can respond and provide you and your family with protection, but how much liability coverage does your homeowner policy provide? Most homeowner policies only provide a maximum of $500,000. You can get much more coverage. Keep reading and I’ll get to that.
All those TV, radio and internet ads sure suggest that auto insurance is just a commodity. The reality is, driving your car down the street is the easiest way for the normal person to get into serious financial trouble. Most times when you think about an accident you think about getting your car repaired, and maybe even how much this incident will cause your rates to go up. When making your decision about which auto insurance you should buy, you should be thinking about a much bigger picture. Liability claims against you can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Liability claims against you can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. |
If you’re the cause of a 4-car accident, not only do you have to consider if you have enough coverage to repair all of those cars, but what if there are injuries to each of the occupants?
If you are unfortunate enough to hit a pedestrian or a cyclist, their medical bills alone can exceed $100,000. And how about if they don’t survive? How much coverage will you need then?
If a young or elderly driver living with you mistakes the gas for the brake and crashes through a store front, will you have enough coverage to repair a building? And what if the patrons or employees inside are hurt?
Would it surprise you to know that most adults only carry $50,000 in property damage coverage on their auto insurance? Many sources say this is enough, but you’ve chosen to live in Northern California, one of the most litigious places in the nation. You’ve chosen to live in the best school district in Oakland. You and your spouse have careers with incomes to support this lifestyle.
Why wouldn’t you protect this life you’ve created for your family with the best personal insurance available to you?
Umbrella Insurance
You can often buy a $1,000,000
umbrella insurance policy which provides a second layer of protection on top of your home and auto insurance for less than $200 per year. You still must maintain adequate limits of insurance on your individual home and auto insurance policies, and that will give you a combined total liability limit of $1,500,000 in most cases. Do you have a net worth greater than $1,500,000? An umbrella policy is sold in increments of $1,000,000. The option to purchase up to $5,000,000 is available to most.
I know it’s not easy to think about severe claims like I’ve detailed above, but I have seen them all happen during my career. By carefully considering these exposures, and working with a
trusted independent insurance agent, you can easily see the value in having your auto, home and umbrella insurance all together in one place, with one advisor who oversees it all. While it will be possible to purchase cheaper insurance elsewhere, it will come at the cost of lower limits and greater exposure to your assets. Protect yourself. Protect your family.
Contact us to get a customized insurance quote for Oakland residents.
7567 Amador Valley Blvd Suite 211 | Dublin, CA 94568 | Phone: 925.737.1560 | Fax: 925.737.1567