Ignorance may be bliss, but what you don’t know, can also hurt you.

You work hard for your money. You want to enjoy it, stretch it, and protect it.  Personal Risk Management is a way to protect your money. It is a systematic process of evaluating the chance of loss and then taking steps to combat the potential risk by practicing risk avoidance, using contractual indemnification, or by purchasing insurance.

One example of risk avoidance is if a sole-proprietor choses to incorporate and thus limits their personal liability exposure.

Contractual indemnification is a common clause in many contracts. Black’s Law Dictionary defines indemnity as a ““a duty to make good any loss, damage, or liability incurred by another.” Indemnity has a general meaning of holding one harmless; that is to say, that one party holds the other harmless for some loss or damage. Indemnification protects you against personal liability.

Insurance helps to stop an insured “loss” from being a financially life-changing event.

Most people probably find insurance boring and reading insurance contracts even more so. As a CPA, with the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation, I enjoy looking for the “devil in the details”. It is one way I provide value to others.

The goal of this blog is to plant some seeds of thought, initiate action, and provide you some “sleep insurance” because you took the time to evaluate, know, and feel comfortable with your financial position.  Factors to consider include:

Limits and Exposure:

• Know what you have to protect:  What is your net worth; i.e. how much could you lose?
• What type of losses are you covered for?
• What percentage of your net-worth is protected by insurance and what amount is left “self-insured” in the event of a loss?

Property:

• Do you know that if you do not buy the correct property insurance limit that you could be held financially responsible, for a portion of the loss? This is called the co-insurance requirement; read your policy
• What does your insurance cover you for?
• Do you have a property “named peril” or an “all-risk” policy? A Named Peril policy only provides coverage for the peril specifically named. An All Risk policy provides coverage for all losses not specifically excluded from coverage
• If you do not have an All Risk policy, your fire policy might include “extended coverage”. Rev Shaw is an easy acronym to see what might be covered other than loss caused by a fire. R=Riot, E=explosion, V=Vehicle; S=smoke; H=hail; A=aircraft; W=Wind

Liability:

• How do you determine the policy limit that you buy on your auto, homeowners, or Business Owners Policy? Do you buy the minimum limit or do you also have an Umbrella policy that responds in the event that a loss exceeds your primary limit?
• In a Money magazine 2/5/14 article, Ed Charlebois of Travelers Insurance said “More than 80% of umbrella losses are auto-related,” If you remodel, does your general contractor make sure that the subcontractors are covered for worker’s compensation and general liability? Do you own a swimming pool, hot tub, or boat that increases your risk/exposure for a loss?
• If you are a business owner, do your contracts require you to name others as an Additional Insured on your policy? Do you know that this means you are sharing your policy limit (s) with others? Is your defense coverage included in your policy limit?

Your insurance agent can help you review the type of coverage you buy. From a risk management perspective, insurance agents/brokers generally will not tell you how much insurance to buy; this increases their liability.  Likewise, I would not suggest limits either. I could, however, help you determine your exposed net worth and help you review how well you are covered from a property/casualty (liability) perspective.

Warren Buffet said, “Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing”.  Take the time to know and sleep well tonight.

Deb Fox is working to “make a difference in peoples lives, hearts, and wallets”. Although she earned her CPA designation in 1997, she is not currently practicing as a CPA. She does use her knowledge to help others protect their financial health and is available for side –by- side, remote, or mobile appointments.

Website: www.debfoxfinancial.com

E-mail: debfoxfinancial@gmail.com

Twitter: @debfoxfinancial