Why Is Insurance Important?

Summary: There are different types of insurance. Home, automobile, and life are just three of the various kinds of insurance policies that are available for consumers. Insurance, of all kinds, is used to help protect consumers when certain things happen. For the most part, this protection comes in the form of money. It can also provide protection from liability, damages, and financial loss, but in the end, it usually comes down to money. Most consumers know that there are certain t...

There are different types of insurance. Home, automobile, and life are just three of the various kinds of insurance policies that are available for consumers. Insurance, of all kinds, is used to help protect consumers when certain things happen. For the most part, this protection comes in the form of money. It can also provide protection from liability, damages, and financial loss, but in the end, it usually comes down to money. Most consumers know that there are certain types of insurance that are mandatory. Many states require that automobile owners carry a minimum amount of insurance for each vehicle the person or business owns. As with some other types of insurance, automobile insurance can be somewhat broad in nature. In other words, you can buy a simple liability policy that will pay a certain amount of money to someone that you have an accident with, but will pay nothing towards your own damages. Moving up the scale, you could purchase a more comprehensive policy that pays for damages to both you and the other person, including medical awards and property damages. There are levels of coverage all along the way, and this is why automobile insurance can be considered broad in nature. In the case of automobile insurance, the reason insurance is important is that it protects you from having to pay damages in the event that you are found at fault for the accident. Without automobile insurance, you might lose everything that you have, including future earnings in order to pay these damages. Most consumers simply cannot afford to buy another vehicle for someone should they severely damage that person's automobile. The same holds true for any medical costs that might be associated with an accident wherein you are found at fault. With home owner's insurance, the minimum coverage level is often determined by the lender. Many home owners will add to this level of coverage in order to protect such things as their furniture and other personal items against loss. Coverage will usually extend to people who may be on the property should they encounter an accident and sustain injuries. Again, the importance of insurance is to protect the owner from legal actions that may arise from outside parties as well as to protect the owner from real property damage such as fire. In the area of home owner's insurance, there is often controversy over what is known as flood insurance. Home owners should not assume that their policy covers damages due to flooding. This is often assumed by home owners and can lead to severe losses should a flooding event occur. The only way to know if you are covered for flooding is to ask the direct question to your insurance company and to read what is in the insurance contract. Thousands upon thousands of homeowners have encountered severe financial loss because they assumed they were covered for flood damages when, in fact, they were not. In addition to personal property insurance there are other types of insurance as well. There are policies that insure against lost wages should you be injured; there are commercial policies used for businesses; there are specialty policies used for high-ticket items such as jewelry or art work. Some might suggest that there is virtually nothing that you cannot insure, but protecting yourself and your assets against loss is one of the most important reasons for having insurance.