One of the most certain things in life is uncertainty. Your dog could bite the neighbor’s kid. Your teen driver could hit a cyclist. A guest could fall down your stairs. A rainy morning commute on worn-out tires could result in a multi-car accident. And you could be held liable to others for the cost of damages – injuries, property destruction, emotional distress, lost wages and more. Good thing you have insurance. But, wait, your policy covers $300,000 of liability, and, in a lawsuit, you’re judged liable for $1 million. That leaves $700,000 left to pay. How will you cover it? If you have umbrella insurance and your policy covers the incident, the additional $700,000 will come from your policy. If not, it will come from the assets you have now, such as your home and savings, and from future assets, such as your wages or inheritance. The fact is, it only takes one serious accident and a resulting lawsuit to put everything you own - and will own - at risk. And it only takes one umbrella policy to help protect it all. Here are a few things you should know about umbrella insurance: Personal umbrella policies typically offer between one and five million dollars of liability coverage. Consider your net worth when choosing your coverage –you could be sued for everything you have. An umbrella policy is not a stand-alone policy. Your insurance carrier will typically require you to meet certain qualifications, such as having an auto policy with a certain level of liability coverage, in order to purchase umbrella insurance. Even when you have umbrella insurance, your car or home insurance is your first line of defense. For example, if you are liable for $2 million in a car accident and your auto insurance covers $500,000 of liability, your auto policy covers the first $500,000. Your umbrella policy covers the remaining $1.5 million, assuming your policy covers the incident and that you purchased that much coverage. If you are liable for $250,000 in an accident on your property and your homeowners insurance covers $300,000, your umbrella policy won’t be needed. If you insure a motorcycle, ATV, golf cart, snowmobile, motor-home, or watercraft, your umbrella policy may provide additional liability coverage on top of those policies as well. Be sure to check with your agent to confirm your coverage on these types of vehicles. A single umbrella policy typically covers all of your family members who are residents of your household. Essentially, an umbrella policy gives you excess liability coverage on top of what your other policies provide. If you’re at fault for a serious accident, you’ll need it. Umbrella insurance also gives you liability coverage in instances where other policies don’t. Examples include driving in a foreign country or renting a boat. If you’re curious about how umbrella insurance might play a role in protecting the life you’ve built or plan to build, talk to your agent today.

We live in Wisconsin. So we must love winter right?  Well some of us do. Personally, I love winter, the clean crisp air, the beautiful ice frozen on the trees and how the sun makes it glisten. Plus winter is the best time to snuggle under the blankets by the fire. You can wear hoodies almost everywhere with no judgement, and it gives you an excuse to drink hot chocolate, literally all the time. With all it's beauty and charm, winter has it's dangerous side too. The cold can sneak up on you, and accidents happen even to those of us who are native to Wisconsin. Driving in the winter all your life can make you forget to prepare sometimes. I get that. So, here is a quick reminder of some of the essentials for the trunk! 1 . Lights, Flares, and Whistles    Ideally if something happens to our car, we are in broad daylight and in a very high trafficked area. But, just in case, make sure you carry something that you can use to tell people you are there and in need of assistance. These can be very helpful especially if you are buried in the snow. In the event your car is disabled in an accident, lights and flares can help get the attention of people from a distance, and whistles can help if your horn won't work! 2. Change of clothes, blankets, hats & gloves.  You can't rely on the fact that your car has a heater. What if that gets disabled? Having blankets, dry hat and gloves, and a dry set of clothes, will help protect you from the cold. If you are out trying to dig your car out, wet clothes are the last thing you want to be sitting in while you wait for help. Oh, and make sure you have enough blankets, hats and gloves for everyone who normally rides with you. Personally I keep my old blankets in the car by my spare tire. When I am ready to get rid of them in the house, they serve well as my car blankets. I picked up several pairs of gloves and a few hats for less than $1 each from the clearance section last spring and tossed those in too. 3. Ice Scraper, Portable Shovel, and Good Snow Brush  These are something you might already have in your car. I added the portable shovel after not being able to get out of a parking spot thanks to a tow truck... Carrying these three together can help you be able to dig your car out much faster and stay out in the cold for less time. 5. Water, Snacks, Hand-warmers, and First-Aide kit.  You may be stuck for a bit. These are essentials to keeping you safe and fed. Make sure your first aide kit is handy in case there are any injuries. Keep this in the front of your car just in case you can't get to your trunk. Your glove compartment is a great place to store all these items. Keeping water in the front of your car will help keep it from being frozen when you need it as the heater in your car and the engine heat can melt it while the car is running. Hand-warmers can serve dual purposes. You can wrap a frozen water bottle with the hand-warmers to melt it while also keeping yourself warm. 6. Jumper Cables and Chargers  Jumper cables to start up that cold battery for you. Especially in extreme cold, batteries may be unable to start. A good set of Cables can help you keep from being stranded by a dead battery. Chargers or back up batteries can help you keep your phones and any other devices that need a charge on during a long wait. Always make sure to leave your house with a charged phone as well. And keep a charger in your car. That way you can make the call to get help! 7. Phone number to Roadside Assistance  Having roadside assistance can really help in these situations. They can come tow you out, jump a dead battery, and get you back to safety. Check with your insurance agent to see if this is included in your policy, and if so, what are the limitations. Many times it's included at little cost to you. Remember to stay safe on the roads and always be prepared! Brittany Bergum Guardian Insurance Goup, LLC 920-626-2400 brittany.bergum@myinsuranceguardian.com This list is not exclusive and is simply meant as a resource.

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