Personal Umbrella: Making Spooky Season a Little Less Scary!

It’s fall! Finally, time to embrace all things that fall brings.

Personal Umbrella: Making Spooky Season a Little Less Scary! With this season we welcome Trick or Treaters to our property, maybe have a bonfire with friends, and tailgate for our favorite team. All these are great ways to make memories and enjoy the season. These fun fall activities can also present risks that could result in large liability claims if something doesn’t go quite as planned! A personal umbrella can protect you and your family from financial fallout of certain unforeseen events that may lead to injury or property damage which the insured is responsible for.

Personal Umbrella

Personal umbrella, or excess liability as it is often referred to, supplements the existing liability limits on a home and/or auto policy. To trigger this coverage, your primary polices have exhausted the liability limits within those polices. Typically, your primary insurance policy will have liability limits ranging from $25,000-$500,000, depending on the policy. A personal umbrella starts at a limit of $1,000,000 and goes up from there depending on the needs of the insured. A good “rule of thumb” is to add up all assets and make sure your umbrella limit is proportionate to ALL personal assets. 

• Trick or Treaters:
  As we welcome the adorable little goblins to our doorstep to collect their treat, what happens if one of these revelers trips on a decoration and fall resulting in a serious head injury? If you do not have an umbrella, your policy can only pay out the policy limit for premises liability. This may not be enough in the event of a serious injury that may require ongoing care. Without an umbrella, you are now putting all your assets on the line and risking your family’s financial security.
• Bonfire:
  It’s the perfect time in fall to gather friends around a fire and enjoy the crisp weather. If a hot log rolled off that fire and on to a friend’s foot causing burns and needing emergency care, you could reach your policy limit quickly! A personal umbrella will help pay for those bills the friend will now incur due to the injury sustained at your bonfire. With the ever-increasing cost of medical care and the responsibility the insured must pay for missed wages, an umbrella is your last line of defense to protect your financial security.
• Tailgate:
  Sounds pretty risk free, doesn’t it? Make sure you completely extinguish your tailgate grill to ensure it does not ignite anything nearby that may result in multiple property losses. Be it a vehicle, residence, or business that could be damaged by smoke and/or fire. This loss would quickly exhaust all underlying limits and leave the insured to foot the bill.

Managing Your Umbrella

These are just a few examples of how someone might use their personal umbrella policy. Just like the name says, a personal umbrella policy will keep you covered! You can and should list ALL autos, motorcycles, properties, and watercraft on your umbrella policy to make sure you have protected you and your family from financial ruin. Keeping a personal umbrella can make what appears to be a disaster manageable while protecting you and your loved ones future.

Speak to the Experts

At Conner Insurance, we have set the standard for superior guidance and exceptional service for more than 70 years. Contact us at (317) 808-7711 to speak to one of our advisors. We are located in Indiana and serve the whole state, including Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Carmel, Noblesville, Westfield, Fishers, Brownsburg, and Evansville. We also provide insurance and benefits to all fifty states.