When most people think about earthquakes in the United States, California and Alaska are the two states that come to mind. However, earthquakes can happen in any part of the country. Many people move out of areas that are prone to earthquakes after experiencing one to escape the possibility of a repeat experience. The truth is that there is no place that is completely safe from earthquakes. They are a very real threat that everyone must consider and plan for. One of the most vital aspects of proper preparedness is having ample insurance coverage.

To get the most out of a car or home insurance policy, it is important to understand the roles deductibles play. A deductible is the amount deducted from an insured loss. When a damage claim is filed, the deductible is the amount of money a policyholder must pay upfront. It may be a percentage of the policy’s total or a set dollar amount. Larger deductibles are associated with smaller premiums. To find the verbiage concerning deductibles, consult the front page of the auto or homeowners policy. Deductibles are subtracted from the claim amount. For example, if a person with a $500 deductible files a claim for $10,000, that policyholder will receive a check for $9,500. However, if that individual’s deductible is calculated using percentages, the amount may differ. With percentages, the variable is calculated from the total claim and then subtracted from the total.

Many insurance claims are filed each year as the result of collisions with deer or moose. Although some accidents may happen regardless of precautions, most can be avoided with heightened awareness.

Your credit rating can affect a lot more than you may think. Almost all insurance companies factor in credit ratings to set rates for new and existing auto insurance customers. Yet, blemished credit doesn’t necessarily translate into higher insurance premium rates. Instead, it is the overall insurance risk score that can cause a rise in your rates.

For many families, adding a teen driver to their car insurance policy can prove to be painfully expensive. After all, insurance companies generally consider teens as high-risk drivers. Fortunately, there are a few ways to keep teen insurance costs to a minimum.

Bob is a sales manager for a chemical equipment company. He drives his employer-furnished car thousands of miles each quarter on business. He also drives it on weekend trips, errands around town, and vacations. Focused on his job, he doesn’t give much thought to who will pay if he has a car accident.

Is your property at risk of damage from flooding? If you answered “no,” think again. Every property has a flood risk; some may have a more severe risk than others, but all have some risk. A home on a lakeshore has a pretty obvious exposure to flooding. So, however, does a building miles from a body of water, located on a street with storm drains on it and a steady water supply. Because standard homeowner’s and commercial property insurance policies do not cover flood losses, the federal government makes insurance available through the National Flood Insurance Program. The NFIP evaluates the risk (and determines the insurance premium) for each property in a participating community according to its location on that community’s Flood Insurance Rate Map. Recently, those maps have been changing, and some property owners have received big surprises.

A typical policy covers an insured person’s personal property anywhere in the world. It also covers property that person is using, even if he doesn’t own it. The property is covered for losses caused by any of the perils listed in the policy, including fire, lightning, smoke, explosion, vehicles, and others.

When the threat of earthquakes arises, most Americans think only about California, or more recently Haiti. For many years, the San Andreas Fault Line has been the recipient of much of the press concerning earthquakes in the U.S. Furthermore, predictions concerning the ultimate cataclysm believed by many to eventually be centered there have given it a mythical stature unrivalled by fault lines elsewhere in the country.