Talking to Your Partner
Cover your wheels
It’s hard to think about car insurance as one of those hard talks to have. After all, if you have a car you need to insure it, right? It’s the law.
Still, your priorities and what you know, or don’t know, about car insurance can cause disagreements about the best way to cover your vehicles with your partner, or your parents, or whoever shares your car.
If you’re all about money, maybe you’ve heard you can save money by carrying a minimum amount of insurance — just enough to keep you legal — or that you don’t need to insure everything. For instance, maybe your car is older and someone told you not to carry collision coverage on an older car.
If you focus more on protection, maybe money is no object for you as long as you and the people in your car are safe and completely protected if something happens.
Things that place money in the same realm as peace of mind and personal protection often cause debates, disagreements or no discussion at all. Nobody wants to be the one to choose saving a buck over more protection. And many believe insurance is too confusing, so they just buy what they're told to, not understanding what they’re paying for or what it does for them.
Don’t put yourself in that position. If you have a car, play an active role in protecting it and the people who ride in it. Consider these tips to get the conversation going:
- Understand that insurance is a “must.” You can debate how much insurance you need and who you’ll get it from for a year and a day, but if you have a car, it's more than likely that the state you live in requires you carry a basic limit of insurance.
- Know that a professional can help. You don’t have to go it alone. Finding a local insurance agent can give you an easy resource to understanding insurance. The Internet is also a helpful resource in understanding how insurance works and where to get it.
- Your situation may help save you money. Depending on where you are in life, you might be eligible for discounts that can cut your insurance costs. Many companies offer discounts for multiple cars, experienced drivers and having multiple policies such as insuring your home and car with the same company.
- Knowledge is power. You may not be an insurance professional. You may never become one. But the more you know about what you have and how to protect it, the more likely you’ll be to make good insurance decisions. Advice from friends and family is helpful to some extent, but gaining the knowledge to work as a partner in protecting your car and the other things in life you value is irreplaceable.
So get talking. Take the time needed to protect your car the way it should be so that if something happens, you’ll know that you’re covered and will be back on the road in no time.
This article is provided for general, informational purposes only and is not intended as advice specific to your situation.
