A friend of mine called me the other day, who is also a client. He asked me about coverage for water damage, flooding, roof leaks, drainage, etc. What he finally shared with me was his concern about El Niño, this coming winter. If you are not familiar or have never heard of this, it is the cycle the Pacific goes through about every 5 years. In a typical year, trade winds usually push warmer air and water towards Asia. During El Niño, the winds and currents weaken and blow the warmer air back toward the Americas. This stirs up more moisture and more storms in the Pacific, which creates more rain, or snow, depending on where you live. As we chatted about flood coverage and ground water, he determined he did not want a flood policy. He is also now aware that any water that comes into his home, through the ground, would not be covered. As for his roof, if the wind blows off his roof, there should be coverage. If a tree falls on his roof due to a storm, there also should be coverage. I do want to share that we have seen some home insurance policies lose replacement coverage for roofs in recent years. They may now be excluded or reduced to actual cash value. Where we have seen this happen more often is with the CA Fair Plan (but this does not necessarily mean it has happened to you). Since there is no water damage coverage from the Fair Plan, it may be a moot point. However, wind coverage is a part of the CA Fair Plan. ***Please read your policies and look for any roof exclusions or language that says actual cash value. If you do not see those words, you most likely have replacement coverage.*** The question that we began with...is your home ready? Have you looked at your drains and are they clear of debris and roots? Do you have any French drains and are they functioning properly? Do you have any slopes draining towards your home? Do you have any tree limbs hanging over your home that could snap in a storm and cause damage to your roof? Have you had a roof inspection or are you worried about an older roof? Have you walked the perimeter of your home with a different set of eyes? Put on your insurance hat, think about is there anything that will damage my home this winter that I can fix now and prevent it from happening? Since the heatwave is over, winter and El Niño will be here before we know it. Now is the time to get ready.

When you see an accident like this, it kind of makes you wonder, who is at fault? I drove past this accident, just last week. At first glance, I could not tell who hit the light pole. And then, I figured it out. What do you think? Who is at fault here? What you cannot see in the picture is that the truck had damage on its rear, leading me to believe the Audi, rear ended it, pushing it into the light pole.  If you were the driver of the truck, you may be responsible for paying for the property damage for the light pole, even though the Audi pushed you into it. The good news is, if you are responsible, your insurance company should be able to recoup the money from the Audi's insurance through a process called subrogation. Subrogation is the legal right of an insurance company to seek reimbursement from a responsible third party, after paying a policyholder's claim. We receive a lot of calls from clients about car accidents. First, we want to make sure everyone is ok. Second, we want to know, who caused the accident. If our client did not cause the accident, we have found it best to file a claim against the responsible parties insurance and have them handle all the payments, rental car, etc, directly with you, instead of filing a claim on your own insurance. It helps prevent your insurance company from having to subrogate the claim. It also keeps your record cleaner, with your insurance and helps reduce the possibility of rate increases due to accidents that are not your fault. While insurance companies are not supposed to increase your rates due to not at fault accidents or comprehensive claims, they would also prefer to not pay for them either, as it is their time, people and money to pay those claims. There are times when you may need to involve your insurance company, because the other party is not cooperating. And that is 100% fine. If you can avoid it though, in my opinion, you are better off. For now, drive safe, stay alert, look both ways before proceeding on a green light and as always, if you have any questions, we are here to help.

When you see an accident like this, it kind of makes you wonder, who is at fault? I drove past this accident, just last week. At first glance, I could not tell who hit the light pole. And then, I figured it out. What do you think? Who is at fault here? What you cannot see in the picture is that the truck had damage on its rear, leading me to believe the Audi, rear ended it, pushing it into the light pole.  If you were the driver of the truck, you may be responsible for paying for the property damage for the light pole, even though the Audi pushed you into it. The good news is, if you are responsible, your insurance company should be able to recoup the money from the Audi's insurance through a process called subrogation. Subrogation is the legal right of an insurance company to seek reimbursement from a responsible third party, after paying a policyholder's claim. We receive a lot of calls from clients about car accidents. First, we want to make sure everyone is ok. Second, we want to know, who caused the accident. If our client did not cause the accident, we have found it best to file a claim against the responsible parties insurance and have them handle all the payments, rental car, etc, directly with you, instead of filing a claim on your own insurance. It helps prevent your insurance company from having to subrogate the claim. It also keeps your record cleaner, with your insurance and helps reduce the possibility of rate increases due to accidents that are not your fault. While insurance companies are not supposed to increase your rates due to not at fault accidents or comprehensive claims, they would also prefer to not pay for them either, as it is their time, people and money to pay those claims. There are times when you may need to involve your insurance company, because the other party is not cooperating. And that is 100% fine. If you can avoid it though, in my opinion, you are better off. For now, drive safe, stay alert, look both ways before proceeding on a green light and as always, if you have any questions, we are here to help.

When you see an accident like this, it kind of makes you wonder, who is at fault? I drove past this accident, just last week. At first glance, I could not tell who hit the light pole. And then, I figured it out. What do you think? Who is at fault here? What you cannot see in the picture is that the truck had damage on its rear, leading me to believe the Audi, rear ended it, pushing it into the light pole. If you were the driver of the truck, you may be responsible for paying for the property damage for the light pole, even though the Audi pushed you into it. The good news is, if you are responsible, your insurance company should be able to recoup the money from the Audi's insurance through a process called subrogation. Subrogation is the legal right of an insurance company to seek reimbursement from a responsible third party, after paying a policyholder's claim. We receive a lot of calls from clients about car accidents. First, we want to make sure everyone is ok. Second, we want to know, who caused the accident. If our client did not cause the accident, we have found it best to file a claim against the responsible parties insurance and have them handle all the payments, rental car, etc, directly with you, instead of filing a claim on your own insurance. It helps prevent your insurance company from having to subrogate the claim. It also keeps your record cleaner, with your insurance and helps reduce the possibility of rate increases due to accidents that are not your fault. While insurance companies are not supposed to increase your rates due to not at fault accidents or comprehensive claims, they would also prefer to not pay for them either, as it is their time, people and money to pay those claims. There are times when you may need to involve your insurance company, because the other party is not cooperating. And that is 100% fine. If you can avoid it though, in my opinion, you are better off. For now, drive safe, stay alert, look both ways before proceeding on a green light and as always, if you have any questions, we are here to help.

Straight from the headlines. You can't make this stuff up. An Orange County mom was charged due to her 14-year-old son hitting a person on his e-bike. If convicted of all charges, she is facing up to 6+ years in prison. Let's provide a little context to what happened. She and her son had already been warned by the police of his reckless riding on a Surron e-bike, that is considered a motorcycle as it can exceed 50 mph, requires a motorcycle license and to be at least 16 years of age. The Surron is considered a Class 3 e-bike, which is illegal (for anyone without a valid license). If this were a Class 2 or Class 1 e-bike (maximum of 20 mph), I believe this may be a different headline. Either way, when your child harms another person, ultimately, you are responsible for their actions. And when you have already been warned that your child is riding an illegal e-bike, and does not behave appropriately on said bike, consequences follow.  So how do you protect yourself, your family and your liability when your child has an e-bike? Here are a few suggestions, in no particular order: Teach your child to ride safely. There is no other good starting point than teaching your child the rules of the road and to ride safely. And hopefully, this started when they were on a non-electrified bike. Many local police departments have started partnering with communities to offer e-bike safety courses for kids. Get an e-bike insurance policy. Call your insurance agent and request a separate policy as e-bikes are typically not covered on your homeowners policy. If you have an umbrella policy, you may want to start with asking if they accept e-bike policies that are offered by another company. Do not allow your child to mod (modify) their e-bike. Some e-bikes can be modified to go faster by unplugging cables or disconnecting lights or connecting to apps to increase speed. Doing so, may change the e-bike from a Class 2 into a Class 3, which are illegal for children to be riding. And last but not least, if you see or hear that your child is participating in risky or illegal e-bike activities, please take steps to hold them accountable for their actions. Maybe it's a mandatory safety course, community service, or removal of the bike all together. As kids, they still have a hard time grasping that their actions can have a massive ripple effect. If they happen to injure someone, advise them to not leave the scene of the crime, as it is considered a "hit and run." There are a few communities that are instituting fines for improper riding or not having the headlight and taillight on at all times. Be aware of the laws and stay current, as I know of several new e-bike laws on the horizon. By now, we have all seen the e-bike gangs. If we can educate each of our children and their friends, hopefully, we can prevent them from getting into an accident and harming themselves, others and being a little bit smarter out on the road.

I had the privilege of being invited by an insurance company to a panel discussion on the state of the insurance market in CA. It took place two weeks ago in Los Angeles. The panelists included people from government affairs, lobbyists, and insurance executives. I was one of more than 100 people in attendance. Each panelist was able to speak to their profession. The most common theme I heard from everyone was, prevention is the key to saving your home. One of the panelists was the President of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). The IBHS is "an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit scientific research and communications organization supported by property insurers, reinsurers, and affiliated companies. IBHS’s building safety research leads to real-world solutions for home and business owners, helping to create more resilient communities." As the president spoke and showed videos of their research, the videos said it all. The image above is from one of the videos and there is a link to that video if you click on the image. There are quite a few other educational videos here . For the last several years, we have talked about hardening your home, which can mean removing bushes close to your home, enclosing eaves, or replacing the vents to prevent embers from blowing into your attic during a fire. All of this came together, so clearly for me, as I watched these videos . There is logic to not having dried wood, also known as mulch, around your property. Or having a metal gate instead of a wooden gate next to your home. These simple little things, IBHS have proven can save your home, in the event of a wildfire. Please take a moment to watch one or more of the videos. They are truly eye opening and will help you better understand how to make your home safer.

A couple weeks ago, we had a client reach out to ask us, why did my home insurance rate increase so much when I did not file any claims? I think we have all felt this way over the last few years. And when is it going to end? It has been several years of 30-50% rate increases for a lot of us on our home insurance. On car insurance, we have probably seen an increase of 0-20% each year, if you were accident/speeding-ticket free. As odd as it sounds, you can actually track what insurance companies are doing and when they file for a rate change with the state. It is public information and can be found here. If you decide to go down this rabbit hole of data, it is mind numbing, so I've linked the summary pdf for 2025 here . It is a lot easier to digest and see the rate changes in this 18-page doc. Many of the rate filings are program or rule changes. When I look at the data, I tend to look at the overall rate % column. Seeing the rates does not answer the question though: When will it end? I recently had an opportunity to meet a candidate who is running for CA Insurance Commissioner. Her name is Stacy Korsgaden . Before I met her or even read about her, I put together a dozen tough questions I wanted to ask to see if she really knows insurance and understands the market. I felt really good about the questions that she was surely going to fumble over. Then, I googled her. As I started reading, I quickly learned she is a licensed insurance agent (of more than 30 years) and comprehends everything. And once I heard her speak and met her in person, it solidified that she is the right candidate for the job. She is looking deeply at cause and effect of the insurance market in CA. We need more insurance companies to come into the market. Once we have more insurance companies in the market, then the pressure will be reduced on the existing insurance companies capacity issues. More markets, more options over time, should help reduce the cost of insurance. Stacy also pointed out that forests need to be better maintained. We need to manage the ground fuels to help reduce the risk of larger fires. If we do not look at the cause, we will not get the outcome we are looking for. While I do try to stay away from politics, I want to encourage you all to do some reading on the insurance commissioner candidates before the election. Having someone in the office, who has been a licensed agent for so long, has the experience and know-how, who will help steer the ship in the right direction, to help bring in new insurance companies to CA, which in the long run will help stabilize insurance pricing.

What Will Happen With Insurance In 2026?