As the old saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. I have found this adage to be true with most things in life. I have also found that preparation is the key and can be the difference between failure and success, winning and losing, coverage and denial.
On Thursday, November 19, 2015, my wife Tara and I welcomed our first child to world, Claire Harper Mathis. For the last nine months Tara and I have been preparing for Claire’s arrival. We researched every product out there, spent hours walking through baby stores, read half a dozen baby books, set up a nursey, pre-washed all clothes, towels, and bedding. Perhaps we went a little overboard. Now, as any parent will tell you, no amount of preparation will truly prepare you for the real thing.
Babies do not come with instruction manuals and when you leave the hospital with your new baby and walk through the door of your home, you realize how unprepared you are. I was no exception to this rule. However, I’m thankful that Tara and I took the time to accomplish all of our pre-baby tasks and reading. It made that initial feeling of being overwhelmed a little more palatable and instead of running out to the store for diapers, we could spend our time with Claire learning what the all the books in the world couldn’t teach us, the unfathomable, unconditional and instantaneous love we would feel for her.
At this point, you’re probably asking yourself, “What does this have to do with property insurance?” Simply put, the lesson here is take preemptive action, especially when you have the opportunity to do so.
After Superstorm Sandy, many individuals found themselves either uninsured or under-insured for their properties and wishing they’d taken the time to review their insurance policies. Hindsight is 20/20 and the, “should have, could have, would have” doesn’t help you in these situations. Do not wait for a catastrophic loss to read your insurance policy(ies). Take them out now, read through them, make sure that you have the appropriate insurance coverages for home or business and whether additional coverages are necessary, such as flood insurance.
If you aren’t sure what coverages you have or what coverages you may need, call your Agent or Broker and ask them for assistance. Take preemptive action and protect yourself, your loved ones and your property.
Now I have to call my broker and find out about life insurance. . . .
For reference and because I’m so proud, here is a picture of Claire:
As always I’ll leave you with a (mildly) related tune, here’s Stevie Wonder with Isn’t She Lovely:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=IVvkjuEAwgU%3Frel%3D0
