Articles & Advice

Plain-English guides to auto, home, health and life insurance: what coverages do, how deductibles and limits work, which discounts exist, and how insurers set your rate.

March 26, 2026

Captive Agents, Independent Agents and Buying Direct

Who an agent represents and how they are paid shapes what you are shown. Here are the four distribution channels and what each is good for.

How to Shop for Insurance: What to Gather First

Requesting quotes is quick once you have the right information in front of you. Here is what to collect and the one mistake that makes the exercise useless.

Short-Term Rentals and Your Home Insurance Policy

Renting your home to paying guests is generally a business use. Here is how the exclusion works, what endorsements exist, and why platform coverage is not enough.

Vacant and Unoccupied Homes: Where Coverage Stops

Most home policies limit or suspend coverage once a property has been empty for a set period. Here is how vacancy clauses work and how to keep coverage.

Home Liability: Pools, Dogs, Trampolines and Guests

Liability is the part of a home policy people think about least and need most. Here is how it works and which features raise the exposure.

Scheduling Valuables: Floaters for Jewelry, Art and More

Standard policies cap certain categories far below your overall limit. Scheduling raises the limit and, more usefully, broadens what counts as a loss.

Mobile and Manufactured Home Insurance Explained

Manufactured home coverage varies more than site-built housing, starting with valuation and wind. Here is what to check before you rely on a policy.

Earthquake Insurance: Separate Policy, Separate Deductible

Earthquake damage is excluded from standard home policies. Separate coverage works differently, starting with a percentage deductible and a 72-hour clause.

Landlord Insurance: Dwelling Fire Forms and Loss of Rents

A homeowners policy is written for owner-occupants. Renting a property out generally needs a dwelling fire form, and the differences are substantial.

Safety Technology, Repair Costs and Your Auto Rate

Driver assistance systems reduce how often crashes happen while raising what each one costs to repair. Here is how that tension shows up in your policy.

Non-Owner Car Insurance: Liability Without a Vehicle

A non-owner policy provides liability coverage that follows you as a driver rather than attaching to a car. Here is who it fits and what it leaves out.

Leasing a Car: What Your Lease Requires You to Carry

Lease insurance requirements are contractual, not statutory. Here is what lessors typically demand, and what happens when a leased car is totaled.

What Changes When You Insure an Electric or Hybrid Car

Electric vehicles are insured under the same coverages as any other car, but the battery, the repair network and claim severity all behave differently.

Gap Insurance: When You Owe More Than the Car Is Worth

How negative equity arises, where gap coverage is sold and how those products differ, and the refund most people forget to claim when a loan ends early.

When to Drop Collision and Comprehensive on an Older Car

Physical damage coverage can never pay more than your car is worth. Here is how to think about when that ceiling stops justifying the coverage.

This content is for general informational purposes only and is not insurance, legal, or financial advice. Coverage, exclusions, eligibility, and pricing vary by insurer, by policy, and by state, and only the policy documents control what is covered. Always confirm the details of any coverage with a licensed insurance agent or the issuing carrier before you buy.