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What is an umbrella insurance policy and how much does it cost?

An umbrella insurance policy, also known as a personal liability policy, creates peace of mind more than anything.  Most people have an auto and/or homeowner’s insurance policy, both of which have liability protection built in.  Liability coverage pays claims to a third party, not the named insured.  A limit of liability, chosen by the insured, ($100,000 or $300,000 for example) is present on all auto and homeowner’s policies and this is the maximum the policy will pay in the event of a claim.  Once the limit is used, the insurance benefits are gone.

As an example , an insured is involved in a car accident injuring a third party.  The third party sues and is awarded $500,000 in damages.  The insured has $100,000 worth of automobile liability insurance coverage to pay the third party.  Now, the other $400,000 comes from the insured’s assets.  Suddenly, the assets become available to pay this claim.  Everything you worked hard for, your house, cars, bank accounts or future wages are at risk.  Why not protect what you worked for?

If an umbrella policy is in place, coverage picks up where the auto or homeowner’s insurance leaves off.  Umbrella policies typically have a $1 million limit.  In the example above, the umbrella policy will pay the additional $400,000 and no personal assets will be at risk.  The name umbrella is fitting because the coverage is over and above the standard liability, which is afforded by the original auto or homeowner’s policy.

Umbrella policies offer a minimum of $1 million worth of coverage and go up from there in million increments.  The premium runs about $150-$200 annually for the first million.  If a claim occurs, where could you get $1 million for $150?  Not a bad deal and very comforting.

Most insurance companies will require that you have at least one of your other policies with the company to qualify. Some companies won't write the policy unless all coverage is with that company. It is a good idea to quote your other coverage along with the umbrella. A good place to start is to request a quote for a home insurance policy and request that an umbrella liability quote be included.

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