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22 Comments

  2. People really need to interrogate their insurance agent to identify what is covered under each type of policy and make notes. Some things will depend on what state you live in. As mentioned by the author, deductibles have gone sky high now. Additional riders may be needed for “vandalism” or wood stoves. Ask about septic system coverage; some have riders others don’t cover it at all. Oh, and every year the insurance company can and may change what is covered/not covered, and of course increase your premiums.

    Looking forward to next part.

  3. I had a relative that, decades ago, had a high value vehicle stolen from his driveway. It turned out that the thieves somehow obtained a list from his insurance company of these type vehicles.

    In the future, will the government use these lists, pertaining to firearms, for confiscations/imprisonments?

    1. Insurance company lists were how FDR was able to locate all of the people in the United States who had gold, and who had insured it. He then confiscated all of it, and made ownership of gold illegal for Americans.

      The answer is, yes.

  4. Having been through a house fire I totally agree on having insurance. You never think it will happen to you, but it can. Also, Get Fire Extinguishers!!! It wouldn’t have helped us as we weren’t home but it could save a lot of damage. Plus as time goes on the firefighter associations may not be as available.

    2. +1 on insurance. We are going through the tail end of a house fire. Our insurance agent and all associated people couldn’t have been more helpful. Although the damage was relatively minor, it did make the house uninhabitable. Thankfully no one was hurt, and it’s almost over.
      We did obtain insurance for the rental they put us in as well.

  5. I recommend that folks invest in high protection shelters, instead of conventional wooden shelters. Something that can withstand a hurricane, wildfire, or gunfire, constructed using techniques like earthbag, ICF, thin shell concrete domes, underground water cisterns, earth ship, aircrete, gabion, etc…

    I’ve seen too many folks buy that portable shed… It is cheap, fast, gets you onto your property, keeps things out of the weather, but not very safe for valuables and necessities in the long run.

  6. People really……insurance is a feel good situation………for current ideal situations yes do it, however, we are now seeing the future shock Alvin Toffler mentioned in the book of that name. As we descend to whatever is coming, things like insurance, and retirement, social security, will be a bankrupt dream. Am I being negative, some will think that, I am instead being a realist, what you have in your “larder” will be what you can use, not an account, not a bank vault, and not with federal government. My parents were a product of the 10 year depression, of the 30s they lost everything through banks, and friends, and economic situation. My father bought ten acres and built a nice 2000 sq ft Brick home, all for 3500 dollars…..they never had insurance, never trusted banks, no credit cards and did not survive, they thrived. Everyone has a choice, mine is to build my own insurance in the form of tangibly that resides with me. No longer have nor want a 500 k home with all the expenses and slave existence it put me in servitude to. Now have a 1200’ double wide on some average, no bills, very little expense and in Nevada 400 dollars a year in property taxes, yes four hundred dollars. I spread my tangibles around …and prepare to be that that lean mean machine, god based, and liberty bound….no exceptions. My advice for what’s its worth, get out of the madhouse cities and more so, madhouse states, put down roots where they have a decent chance of surviving…use the Jewish principals of be aware, be forewarned, be proactive, don’t wait for the current day nazis to pen you in a Warsaw city, put the brain in real time and get your head out of your tailbone. God bless our country, we are going to need it.

      2. James thanks for the comment……insurance for people who have a lot to lose, is great, for people like myself with few assets, and no income stream is a luxury. Also living in a remote rural area as I do, we have been “redlined” by insurance companies who want as an example 2000 a year for basic nothing coverage. So that was the basis for my posted comment.

  7. I agree, get the best policy you can afford. I did. When my tree guy accidentally cut several large trees that were on my neighbor’s property (the area is steep mountain slopes, and the boundary line was very irregular), and my neighbor sued me for $40,000 per tree, my gold plated policy paid for the attorneys, and paid the eventual damages. He would have financially ruined me without the policy.

    It may be that in the future, insurance will be unavailable. That is no reason not to take advantage of it now.

    1. Nice guy that neighbor! I’ve never seen a tree worth $40K. Even the finest, straightest
      white and red oak trees bring about $600 each around here.

      In addition, regarding insurance: I found my homeowner’s policy allowed for $500 per firearm. So you need a rider, documented with photos, make, model. serial # , etc for
      the actual value to be reimbursed.

  8. Today is Veterans Day. I don’t celebrate my three years in the Corps. At the same time, I do not regret them. Complicated.

    And I do take my oath of enlistment seriously. Joined Oathkeepers ten years ago.

    Just read an article from a fellow Marine. I quote a bit from Vincent Emanuele.

    I served with the United States Marine Corps, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, Alpha Company, 3rd Platoon, 1st Squad, 3rd Fire Team, as a Squad Automatic Machine Gunner from September 2002, until January 2006. During that time, I was twice deployed. First, in 2003, in southern Iraq, during the initial invasion and occupation of Iraq. Then, again in 2004–2005, in Al Qaim located in Al Anbar Province, during the height of the insurgency in Iraq.

    In 2008 I testified to U.S. Congress about war crimes the U.S. military was committing in Iraq in the name of democracy and freedom: the wanton killing of non-combatants, the torture of prisoners, the mutilation of dead bodies, the cover-ups, lies, and complete disregard for Iraqi life.

    For those of you reading this who’ve already done your time, hell, even for those of you who remain in the military, remember this: we signed our name on a dotted line, willing to give our lives, not for a specific president or political party, but in the defense of the U.S. Constitution. If you no longer believe in that oath, I understand. However, if you do believe in the oath, understand what it means: “protecting the U.S. Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

    No Iraq, Somali, Pakistani, Palestinian, Libyan, or Syrian poses a threat to our constitution. The Republican Party represents a threat to our constitution. The Democratic Party represents a threat to our constitution. Wall Street poses a threat to our constitution. These are the domestic enemies our oath was referring to. Focus your anger and energies on them, not ordinary citizens, our brothers and sisters, or supposed “foreign threats.”

    I stand with Vincent.

    Carry on

  10. I’m wondering about having every outbuilding covered, If there is a fire, usually one outbuilding is destroyed, not every one, unless you live in a fire prone area. I live in farmland so I covered my most expensive outbuilding. That amount should be able to cover a single loss on any of my other buildings.

  11. Great article! In the process of building my permanent BOL, I have been storing pretty much everything in PODS. I checked with my regular insurance agent and he said that they could not insure the items in the PODS, and I would have to go with the overpriced policy that PODS offers. I did that, along with making sure everything was well padded and secured. Just before a recent visit, I received a call from the local PODS location that they needed to talk to me when I got there later that day. When I arrived, to my surprise, they proceeded to tell me that the POD with the 1500# safe in it had been dropped on it’s side (huh?). The safe (secured with blankets and a ten ton strap) had ripped the anchors out of the side wall, and fell across the POD and crushed two five foot tall tool boxes, along with other items. I filed the claim with their joke of an insurance company. The total damages were over $7300. I should note that the safe was four years old and was in perfect condition. They settled for $3400 less than what was damaged. The policy did clearly state that it only covered depreciated value, not replacement. So now I’m left with a bulging, dented, scratched up safe that will cost $500 more out of pocket to replace, never mind the other damaged items. The moral here is, as the author says-in effect- “Let the buyer beware”…and know your policy!
    They say there is no appeal option to their offer of settlement. Does anybody here know if I can file for arbitration on this?

  12. I was once an insurance agent. Could not sleep when a storm came during the night. Not because I was worried about my house but because I knew the phone calls would be coming in the next day. I got out of the insurance business and got a better job. Enough said. I was the type of agent that would fight for my clients and get them the best settlements possible. I coached my clients to understand their coverage. I also had generators stored along with tarps, nails and 2x4s. Why? Because I practiced the golden rule…treat others the way you want to be treated. I would help them cover their roof, after shingles were ripped off due to wind, to avoid additional damage. If their power was out, I would show up with a generator and 2 dozen extension cords. Look for an agent that cares about you. Most agents only care about themselves and the money in their wallets. My wife fussed because I had a client out at night that had a flat tire. I pulled a nail out of her tire and plugged it. Aired it up with my compressor and she was happy. Look for an agent that will go the extra mile to help you. Some will do it.

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