 Every March, fans across the country dive into NCAA March Madness, studying matchups and building brackets they hope will come out on top.
While you're watching the action unfold, there’s a surprisingly practical takeaway: the same mindset that helps build a winning bracket can help you make smarter decisions about your home and auto insurance. Here are three lessons worth applying:  Most people think of spring cleaning as decluttering closets and washing windows. But it can also protect your home — and help you avoid costly homeowners insurance claims.
A few simple maintenance steps now can prevent thousands of dollars in damage later. Here are three smart ways to reduce risk this spring:  Are you part of an HOA? If so, there’s a coverage gap many Georgia and South Carolina homeowners don’t realize they have—until after a disaster hits.
With the increase in infrastructure and weather-related losses, subdivisions and condo communities are seeing more damage to shared foundations, roofs, buildings, fences, and common areas. Those areas are insured under the HOA’s master policy—but that coverage has limits. When a major loss exceeds the HOA’s insurance limits, the HOA can issue a special assessment to homeowners to make up the difference. That bill lands directly on you. Loss assessment coverage is a homeowner’s insurance endorsement designed to help pay your share of those unexpected HOA assessments. Without it, you’re typically paying out of pocket. Whether this coverage makes sense depends on a few key factors:  Valentine’s Day is all about the heart and can include an expensive jewelry gift— a diamond ring, bracelet, necklace, or luxury watch—which can carry both financial and sentimental value.
Jewelry can be lost, stolen, or damaged more easily than many people realize. The good news is there are insurance options available to help safeguard your special gift long-term and give you peace of mind. When it comes to insuring fine jewelry, you typically have these options:  If you drive in Georgia, there’s a higher-than-average chance the person next to you on the road has little to no car insurance at all. That’s not speculation—it’s backed by data.
Current estimates show 12%–19% of Georgia drivers are completely uninsured, putting our state consistently in the top 10 nationwide for uninsured motorists. That means roughly 1 out of every 6 drivers may have no insurance coverage if they cause an accident. Even more concerning: when you factor in underinsured drivers—people who carry only minimum limits--about 1 in 3 drivers nationally (33.4%) are uninsured or underinsured based on recent 2023–2025 trends. This is where Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage becomes critical. UM/UIM coverage can help pay for:  Planning a winter road trip? Cold weather and changing conditions can turn a routine drive into an expensive insurance claim fast. A little prep now can help reduce accidents, breakdowns, and out-of-pocket costs later.
Before you hit the road, take a few minutes to protect yourself, your passengers, and your wallet by taking these important preventive steps:  Important changes have been implemented for homeowners in Georgia and South Carolina.
Effective January 1, 2026, new laws affect how insurers handle policies, how homeowners prepare for disasters, and even how contractors can market roofing work. Here’s a quick breakdown of key changes:  Being mindful of your surroundings is one of the best ways to prevent theft. Thieves often rely on distraction and inattention to take advantage of their victims.
Here are 5 detailed strategies to ensure you remain vigilant and stay safe while shopping:  What Is Diminished Value And When Should You Request It? Even after a vehicle is properly repaired following a collision, it typicaly doesn’t retain the full market value it had before the accident. That drop in value — simply because the vehicle was in a wreck and now has an accident-history — is called diminished value (DV).
Why is this important to know? If you were in an accident through no fault of your own, you may be entitled to recover that loss in value via the at-fault party’s insurer (or your own in certain states, including Georgia, under very specific circumstances). Many vehicle owners have never heard of this and overlook it when filing an auto claim. What are the eligibility criteria for filing a diminished value claim?  In today’s world, you can buy just about anything with a click so it’s no surprise that insurance companies have jumped on the “buy online now” trend. The idea sounds great: fast, easy, and cheap. But when it comes to protecting your home, car, or business, “fast and easy” often translates to “expensive regrets later.”
Here’s why you should not buy insurance online:  Most people don’t find out what’s missing in their insurance until after a claim. And by then—it’s too late.
The number one issue is ...  Are you among the many side hustlers renting out your backyard, pool, or other property by the hour?
In addition to bringing in some extra money, it can also create additional liability issues for you.  When people think about what affects their homeowner’s insurance premium, they usually think of things like the age of their roof, condition of their home, and where it’s located.
But does your credit score also play a role?  Throughout my career, I've had more clients than I'd like who declined certain insurance coverage only to then experience some tragedy in which that coverage would have provided much needed protection.
While you don't want to over insure your assets, you DO want to make sure your insurance is adequate. Here are three real-life examples that drive this point home: Severe Storm Season Is Back: Are You Sure Your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy Covers Wind Damage?6/3/2025
 Last year’s hurricane season provided some hard lessons for thousands living in their direct paths. Torrential rains, followed by hurricane-force winds, wreaked devastation on areas with heavy tree densities. This combination created the perfect storm for trees, especially pines, to uproot and fall.
Given our country’s increase in wind-related weather disasters, insurance companies are changing coverage details in some geographic areas. What does this mean for those living in Georgia and South Carolina?  Do your outdoor recreational hobbies include ownership of non-auto motorized vehicles like golf carts, boats, motorcycles, ATVs, or RVs?
Insuring these can be very different from protecting conventional autos. Here are 4 points you should be aware of if you own a recreational vehicle like these:  With insurance rates rising over the past several years, many policyholders are looking to reduce coverage to offset those increases.
While this is understandable, by doing this they are taking on sizable financial risk that they likely can’t cover if the unexpected were to happen. Here are 3 examples:  If you've tried renewing or shopping for homeowners insurance lately, you might've noticed fewer options—or worse, gotten a non-renewal notice. You're not alone.
A growing number of insurance carriers are either pulling out of southeastern states or tightening their guidelines. But why is this happening? Here are 4 major factors:  Most people know their credit score matters when buying a car or getting a mortgage—but did you know it also affects your auto insurance premiums?
Many insurers use something called a credit-based insurance score, something a little different from your regular credit score. Here’s what goes into this score and how it affects your insurance premiums.  In the past, homeowners who occasionally rented their properties for local events often relied on their standard homeowners insurance.
But with the rise of short-term vacation rentals, insurance policies have changed - making it essential to reassess your coverage. Here are five critical areas to review:  Did you know that investing in home security not only provides peace of mind but can also reduce your homeowners insurance premiums?
There are a number of great home security options thanks to technology, but here are three upgrades that may result in the best return on your investment on your insurance premiums while also enhancing the safety of your home.  Insurance shopping can be frustrating. You submit the same information to multiple companies only to receive veryy different quotes.
There are numbers of reasons why these differences occur, and being aware of them can help you make more informed decisions about your coverage. Here are five:  Insurance is designed to safeguard your assets against unexpected events. There are times when an insurer decides not to renew an insurance policy. This can be stressful to insureds, especially if they're unsure why it happened or what steps to take next.
Here's what you need to know about why insurers make the decision to non-renew an insurance policy and how you can respond effectively.  Homeowners insurance covers against many misfortunes, but it does have gaps. Some exclusions, like damage from earthquakes and floods, are more widely known.
There are other typical gaps in coverage in standard homeowners insurance, but may not be as well understood. Here are 7 to be familiar with:  After flying to a far-off destination and back, the last thing you want to experience is to find your vehicle missing from the parking lot of the airport where it was parked.
Recent reports reveal that crime rings are now targeting airport parking lots to steal vehicles. Thefts have spiked in this past year at airports from Anchorage to Atlanta and everywhere in between. Just this year, over 300 vehicles have been stolen from Atlanta's Hartsfield. Which vehicles are targeted? |
AuthorDennis Lam Archives
July 2024
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